20,000-Mile Service

[TaxmanHog]

I had mine serviced and they said something about keeping track of battery coolant.
David

%% of chemical balance

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[Maxx]

Every service advisor I have dealt with was a problem because, they were misinformed, lazy or simply uninterested in providing good service. Their main job is separating you from the mechanic and in doing so they add miscommunications and inefficiencies.

 

[MaintGrl]

Well, from a Ford dealer’s Service Department’s perspective, we’re kind of a nuisance. At this small dealership, only a couple of technicians are EV-certified; and those are the best two they have, which means they’re in high demand on ICE vehicle repairs that produce more revenue. And the “Model E” Dealer fiasco has left a lot of them wishing Ford had never thought of building EVs. The politics surrounding EV mandates gets projected onto our vehicles, and even the Service Advisors give the impression that they wish you’d take your EV and- well, you know. I doubt many Lightning customers bought their trucks to save the planet. I certainly did not.
Fortunately, I’ve had 20k relatively trouble-free miles; biggest complaint for the first year was lack of OTA software updates (the prized but elusive numeric SOC in the instrument cluster, for example), but finally, beginning with the Tesla SC access update, they‘ve been regular and even beneficial (sometimes).
Despite early-adopter first-world problems, my Lightning is a keeper, the best truck I’ve ever owned, and the most comfortable vehicle of any kind that I’ve ever owned.

Um, I now have the prized SOC on my instrument cluster, Noticed less than a week ago. My latest update is 6.8.0

 

[MaintGrl]

Um, I now have the prized SOC on my instrument cluster, Noticed less than a week ago. My latest update is 6.8.0

Now that I think about it . . about the same time I did notice that my center display continues to go back to the "Settings" screen, I typically have Navigation and Audio as the two visible screens,, but now I have to continuously change it back from "settings"

 

[Maxx]

%% of chemical balance

Does that change over time? Do you know if it is an easy DYI like checking antifreeze or need expensive equipments?

 

[21st Century Truck]

FYI - info from my Mach E days, there actually is oil / fluid to change, in the electric motors. The recommended interval is AFAIR something like 140 thousand miles. No harm in changing that fluid early, say 100 thousand miles, but of course our Lightnings all have a good ways to go for this service item.

 

[lightspeed]

There is no oil in the electric motor system, just the water/glycol coolant that's shared with the battery that runs through the stator.

Other maintenance/wear items include:

Brake fluid, differential fluid, CV axles, motor/wheel bearings. gear oil in the gear reduction transmission, U-joints, etc.

 

[21st Century Truck]

There is no oil in the electric motor system, just the water/glycol coolant that's shared with the battery that runs through the stator.

Other maintenance/wear items include:

Brake fluid, differential fluid, CV axles, motor/wheel bearings. gear oil in the gear reduction transmission, U-joints, etc.

The Mach E sure has discrete fluid with a specified drain & fill schedule in its Borg Warner motors which is completely separate from the traction battery coolant system. I know this because internal seals failed on one of my Mach E motors causing a motor failure and almost 10 grand in damage (warranty-covered).

 

[TaxmanHog]

Does that change over time? Do you know if it is an easy DYI like checking antifreeze or need expensive equipments?

In my old Powerstroke, they used test strips to measure the strength, then at some point over the years an additive was added to the coolant to boost its potency.

I don't have enough miles and time on mine to expect that the coolant has weakened in strength, possibly, EV's will last longer the service schedule calls for it to be replaced at 200,000 miles

 

[TaxmanHog]

Lightning motors have gear oil to lubricate bearings and differential gearwork, there is a filter and proscribed change internal in the service manual / owners manual.

 

[21st Century Truck]

The Mach E sure has discrete fluid with a specified drain & fill schedule in its Borg Warner motors which is completely separate from the traction battery coolant system. I know this because internal seals failed on one of my Mach E motors causing a motor failure and almost 10 grand in damage (warranty-covered).

Why do I know a bit about the internal fluid in Ford electric motors (and why I now have a Lightning, haha):

https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...r-and-joints-on-both-front-half-shafts.37315/

BTW - that was two front motor replacements in the just over 2 years I had that car, although I did drive it completely into the ground I guess

 

[PrimeRisk]

[local dealer] Ford Service Advisor:“What’s your truck here for today?”

Me: 20,000mi service.

“It needs an oil change, too.”

Me: Nope.

“At 20,000mi we’re supposed to change oil.”

Me: I’ll bet you $100 it doesn’t need an oil change.

“Have you ever changed it?”

Me: Nope. Never.

(worst part is, I had made an appointment, and the Lightning was in their system)

I'll bet you that same $100 that they would have charged you for that oil change if you let them put it on the service ticket too.

The incompetence with the service departments with regard to the Lightning is stunning. I will not take my Lightning to the dealer where I bought it as they are so clueless on it. The next closest dealer at least admits they are clueless on the EVs and will not service the Lightning or Mach-E at all, even though they sell them.

The closest dealership to me that seems to have a competent staff is 30 miles away in a different city, but unfortunately it is across town and an hour drive, so I have to resort to dropping it off the night before and picking it up after hours as there's no way in the world I can make it there during their business hours before or after work. Even if I could, they won't provide shuttle service that far out, so I always have to coordinate with my wife to both drop it off and pick it up or pay for 2x $100 Uber rides.

 

[lightspeed]

The Mach E sure has discrete fluid with a specified drain & fill schedule in its Borg Warner motors which is completely separate from the traction battery coolant system. I know this because internal seals failed on one of my Mach E motors causing a motor failure and almost 10 grand in damage (warranty-covered).

That isn't coolant.

It's transmission fluid for the gear reduction set which I mentioned as "other maintenance items."

I guess because the gear reduction set is integrated into the BW motor, you can technically say it's in the motor.

 

[21st Century Truck]

That isn't coolant.

It's transmission fluid for the gear reduction set which I mentioned as "other maintenance items."

I guess because the gear reduction set is integrated into the BW motor, you can technically say it's in the motor.

"Coolant" = not words I used. You used "coolant" in Your comment above when You mentioned the motor and the traction battery. Although, technically the fluid both lubricates and cools rotating parts in the motor. Sandy Munro in his discussion of these motors mentions cooling functions of the motor fluid.

 

[TaxmanHog]

Transmission fluid is oil.

There are heat transfer modules in each motor that interface but do not mix the oil and glycol coolant.

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