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Ford Escape Mazda Tribute Care and Maintenance

91 messages,  Last post on Oct 08, 2012 at 10:10 AM

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What is this discussion about? Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute, SUV

    

Messages Page 1 of 9

#1 of 91 Ford Escape/Tribute Owners: Care & Maintenance by KarenS HOST

Jan 13, 2005 (1:58 pm)

Talk about your Escape/Tribute maintenance routine here.

#2 of 91 Tranny Fluid Change & Warranty by jeffescapes

Jan 14, 2005 (2:02 pm)

If I change the tranny fluid with a mechanic friend, does that effect the warranty? Do I need to have the dealer change it for $130.00?

#3 of 91 Re: Tranny Fluid Change & Warranty [jeffescapes] by snowman

Jan 20, 2005 (6:04 pm)

Replying to: jeffescapes (Jan 14, 2005 2:02 pm)
As long as you have an invoice/receipt, should not be a problem.

#4 of 91 Re: Ford Escape/Tribute Owners: Care & Maintenance [KarenS] by richcub2002

Mar 13, 2005 (8:51 pm)

Replying to: KarenS (Jan 13, 2005 1:58 pm)
Bought 02 LX used a few months ago. While it was in for the recall work, I had the dealership do a "winterizing" workup on it. I try to do most of the basic work myself, including changing out the broken fog lamp. Getting the oil changed every 3K has definitely helped keep the gas mileage above 23 MPG. I strongly recommend replacing the fuel filter yourself (dealership charged me $75) considering it's so easy to get to and doesn't require a special A/C clip to remove one side of the filter (I had a Windstar prior to the Tribby).
 
Though the oil cap says to use 5W/20 weight oil, has anyone determined whether a heavier weight oil being better for this engine? Also, there's been an ongoing "arguement" regarding the different grades of ATF and I am wondering which is better?

#5 of 91 Re: Ford Escape/Tribute Owners: Care & Maintenance [richcub2002] by chris_notsis

Mar 31, 2005 (6:11 pm)

Replying to: richcub2002 (Mar 13, 2005 8:51 pm)
Hi. Use the oil recommended by the manufacturer (maybe not the brand, but the SAE rating for the particular conditions). 'Heavier' oil will affect a range of things: consumption, friction ratings, loads on bearings and journals, heat conductivity (which affects eng. temp relative to the 'light-off' state of the catalytic converter and therefore fuel consumption). 'Light' oil such as 5W20 is ideal for alloy engines such as the Duratec 3.0 in the Trib. It is also ok to use semi-synthetic and synthetic oil (Mobil 1) which remain very stable, chemically, over a longer period and over broad temp ranges.
 
ATF: use ONLY the type specified by Mazda. In fact, with most OEM transmissions, use of a non-specified ATF could damage the unit. Note that OEMs engineer the high-tolerance internals of these complex trannies by factoring in specific characteristics of ATF which is often 'created' for this application. Other OEMs would do the same, making it economically viable to make it available for a broad range of transmissions. In the case of a single application of an ATF, to use any other type would cause failure of the tranny. For example, in Australia, Mitsubishi specified ATF - 2 - M for one range of car. Normal ATF2 led to burning of the internals. Type M prevented this, but because of its specific use, Type M was considerably more expensive.
 
Hope this helps.
 
(btw: I am an automotive engineer and mechanic).

#6 of 91 2004 Escape by darak

May 05, 2005 (5:38 am)

I have 49,000 (mostly highway miles). We do routine maintenance on our own. Would like to change spark plugs but wondering how hard it is going to be to get to them? Is this something we could do ourselves fairly easily or are we going to have to pay dealer because the spark plugs are too hard to get to?

#7 of 91 Re: 2004 Escape [darak] by escapenut

May 06, 2005 (12:19 pm)

Replying to: darak (May 05, 2005 5:38 am)
Oddly enough, I (with help from a machanic friend) changed out my plugs at 50K
miles. I did not believe the hype-promise that the plugs will truly go 100K miles,
per factory specs., so I changed them out with identical Motorcraft plugs. The
three (3) plugs underneath the fake intake cover on the front-side are no problem.
You just need a 10" extender on the ratchet with the proper spark-plug socket and
you have it done in under 30 minutes. The rear-plugs are at the backside near the
firewall and under the intake-manifold and require some up-top dissembly that only my mechanic friend could re-trace. You will need the change the intake manifold gaskets (pkg./kit~$10) after you remove both manifolds. It's a bit more labor-intensive for the back-three (3), but we still got it done in under 1 1/2 hours total time. If you are handy and are not afraid to tackle it, you may be able to do it just fine.

#8 of 91 oil change tool???? by jvm

Jun 08, 2005 (7:00 pm)

I just got a 2003 Ford Escape. I need to find the correct tool to remove the filter. Can you give me a part number and/or location to buy this???? Thanks.

#9 of 91 This might be a dumn ? but does the Mazda 02 Tribute have a Timing Belt? by lmartin

Jun 10, 2005 (6:45 am)

I had an oil change and some rear brake work done and the guy asked me did I have a timing belt because I had 70K miles on the car - he said if I did it was time to get it changed. How do I know if I do - I looked in my book and I didn't see a mention of one - so should I assume I don't?

#10 of 91 Re: This might be a dumn ? but does the Mazda 02 Tribute have a Timing Belt? [lmartin] by escapenut

Jun 14, 2005 (8:49 am)

Replying to: lmartin (Jun 10, 2005 6:45 am)
Your Tribute should have a timing chain for the V6 model. If it's the four-banger then I'm not sure. Call a Mazda dealer's service dept. and just ask a service
advisor, they should tell you.

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