Hi, 

I’m a newbie so hopefully posting in the right place.

l’m not completely mechanically minded so please bear with…

Recently purchased a 2013 Kuga titanium powershift with the dreaded 6DCT450 MPS6 box. Long and short, the car can’t select gears and the local mechanic said to purchase a second hand working box (financially most viable option, or so I thought). Got one through EBay, for payment protection etc. 

Box purchased, fitted and sent to be coded to a specialist, now the car won’t even start. Specialist is saying TCU is corrupt and their system can’t read it. I still have the original box that came out.

Any ideas or suggestions on next steps would be massively appreciated.

Thank you.

On 3/28/2025 at 4:44 PM, MelissaG said:

Hi, 

I’m a newbie so hopefully posting in the right place.

l’m not completely mechanically minded so please bear with…

Recently purchased a 2013 Kuga titanium powershift with the dreaded 6DCT450 MPS6 box. Long and short, the car can’t select gears and the local mechanic said to purchase a second hand working box (financially most viable option, or so I thought). Got one through EBay, for payment protection etc. 

Box purchased, fitted and sent to be coded to a specialist, now the car won’t even start. Specialist is saying TCU is corrupt and their system can’t read it. I still have the original box that came out.

Any ideas or suggestions on next steps would be massively appreciated.

Thank you.

Hey did you sort this out? If not I can help! 

Can it be read with Forscan, is there a problem with the wiring from transmission to PCM  or earth straps or can  @Krispyduckz1 suggest anything?
What was the justification (and codes) for changing the original box?
Only other thing would be to change the mechatronic for the original one that worked but that is yet another expensive job to be a last resort (I think it can be done without removing the gearbox, from the front?)

 

2 hours ago, Krispyduckz1 said:

Hey did you sort this out? If not I can help! 

I'm afraid that @MelissaG is what's known as a OPW.

Made one post and so far has not returned.

Boo Hoo! (Why do we bother 😉)

11 hours ago, Shearers said:

Boo Hoo! (Why do we bother 😉)

That's why I don't bother wasting my time with these powershi*t posts anymore.

Only once they start replying.

Why would you buy a car with a faulty gearbox anyway?

I guarantee a new battery would've sorted it, but I'll stick a new box in anyway, which still doesn't work😄😆

 

I don't give up easily but, as you say it's very frustrating when you (and I) try to help then...nothing.
The number of times on here and elsewhere I notice "professionals" guessing without any testing and just changing parts at customer cost with no real justification seems staggering. I used to be able to do everything myself but those days are over, however, I'd certainly want any suggestion to have some serious evidence if it is an expensive job (End of rant!)

For Powershift (we still love it, until...) there appears to be a few relatively cheap things to do:

Service it regularly (at least every 3 yrs, 30 000 miles)
Check codes to try to understand the extent of any issue.
Consider battery, change if any doubt or if old (of course!!!)
Change oil and filter, (don't pay silly Ford price)
Inspect filter for any debris (especially the dreaded plastic spacer bits)
Check earth straps
Check operating cable adjustment
Check integrity of wiring at transmission and PCM (load test, powers, grounds and CAN (scope if any communication issues)
Only with real justification, try Forscan reset process.
Beyond that, you are into much more expensive work needing a reliable expert firm who give a warranty on their work.
I'm going to copy this into a document and simply paste it in as my standard answer (a bit like the battery,  Forscan and cable advice!)