Hi all, new to this forum but not new to Fords. I have a 2014 S Max 2.0 diesel duratec in the Titanium sport trim. Recently started having an oil leak. Took it to my local garage and they said that my gearbox oil was leaking. Apparently it's around the driveshaft to gearbox interface. Cost to repair is approximately £1100 BUT with no guarantee due to it being 'a common problem " with driveshaft vibration?? Second option is to replace the gearbox with a genuine used one apparently. We love our s max and if we were to replace it we would simply but another newer S max. Any thoughts on potential remedies if anyone else has had a similar issue? Thanks in advance. Andy

3rd opinion would be to take it to somebody who knows how to do it and not charge so much.

£1100?????

Or, keep it (the area) clean, especially around MOT time and if it's just a minor leak, keep topping up

4 hours ago, Andy_Smax said:

We love our s max and if we were to replace it we would simply but another newer S max.

Welcome!, we are in that club, as are many others and it's S-MAX (pedanticness or what!)?
IS there a vibration issue (why)?
Why can't the oil be drained, driveshaft be removed, seal replaced, shaft refitted in identical position, etc at a cheaper price as said?
As it IS Powershift (EDIT) don't pay Ford price for oil and filter, use e-Bay (Westway Lubricants or similar)
AND remember correct procedure for checking level as it is NOT top up until comes out of side plug - it will always do that and if you don't follow correct procedure it will be too low!
OR adding to the hint above, I'd add a layer of absorbent material (nappy liner?) onto the undertray to soak up the oil (screw a frame through to hold it) and check the level regularly.
You can't use stop leak with Powershift IMHO.

On 4/1/2026 at 4:25 PM, Shearers said:

Welcome!, we are in that club, as are many others and it's S-MAX (pedanticness or what!)?
IS there a vibration issue (why)?
Why can't the oil be drained, driveshaft be removed, seal replaced, shaft refitted in identical position, etc at a cheaper price as said?
As it IS Powershift (EDIT) don't pay Ford price for oil and filter, use e-Bay (Westway Lubricants or similar)
AND remember correct procedure for checking level as it is NOT top up until comes out of side plug - it will always do that and if you don't follow correct procedure it will be too low!
OR adding to the hint above, I'd add a layer of absorbent material (nappy liner?) onto the undertray to soak up the oil (screw a frame through to hold it) and check the level regularly.
You can't use stop leak with Powershift IMHO.

Thank you both for your input on this, much appreciated.

Update on my last post: I took my car to a family recommended indy garage for another analysis. It seems that it's not the driveshaft leaking after all but the main oil seal on the gearbox (where it mates to the engine) which looks like a metal flying frisbee with a large hole in the middle and a red oil seal (I can't add a photo somehow). I witnessed it myself under the car ramp to confirm this. This is obviously a much bigger job as the gearbox needs to be removed and refitted. On top of this, last week my wife had the dreaded "Transmission failure" warning appear and called me immediately once she pulled over. Under my instructions, she switched the car off and on again and it cleared the error to get home. Searching other posted on here, some of which you both contributed to, I have checked all earth cables, removed, cleaned and reinstalled. Removed the battery and charged it overnight only as it was showing 12.3v settled. The new settled voltage is now 12.55v so I think this should be fine but the battery is a 6 year old Bosch so will be monitoring it. I have also removed, cleaned the contacts on the TCM connector. 2 days driving now and no issues. The gearbox changes as smoothly as the first day we bought the car many years ago. I am currently awaiting on a price for the main gearbox oil seal replacement, but, should I undertake any additional gearbox work while it's out of the car? Considering the normal/smooth operation, I'm pretty certain it must be electrically related issue but then again, I'm not a mechanic. Gearbox oil and filter was replaced in November last year and no issues until recently (except for the oil leak). My thoughts are that once removed, to check the gearbox oil filler and make sure no plastic or other bits are present and decide from there.

On 4/1/2026 at 11:37 AM, Andy_Smax said:

Hi all, new to this forum but not new to Fords. I have a 2014 S Max 2.0 diesel duratec in the Titanium sport trim. Recently started having an oil leak. Took it to my local garage and they said that my gearbox oil was leaking. Apparently it's around the driveshaft to gearbox interface. Cost to repair is approximately £1100 BUT with no guarantee due to it being 'a common problem " with driveshaft vibration?? Second option is to replace the gearbox with a genuine used one apparently. We love our s max and if we were to replace it we would simply but another newer S max. Any thoughts on potential remedies if anyone else has had a similar issue? Thanks in advance. Andy

Thank you both for your input on this, much appreciated.

Update on my last post: I took my car to a family recommended indy garage for another analysis. It seems that it's not the driveshaft leaking after all but the main oil seal on the gearbox (where it mates to the engine) which looks like a metal flying frisbee with a large hole in the middle and a red oil seal (I can't add a photo somehow). I witnessed it myself under the car ramp to confirm this. This is obviously a much bigger job as the gearbox needs to be removed and refitted. On top of this, last week my wife had the dreaded "Transmission failure" warning appear and called me immediately once she pulled over. Under my instructions, she switched the car off and on again and it cleared the error to get home. Searching other posted on here, some of which you both contributed to, I have checked all earth cables, removed, cleaned and reinstalled. Removed the battery and charged it overnight only as it was showing 12.3v settled. The new settled voltage is now 12.55v so I think this should be fine but the battery is a 6 year old Bosch so will be monitoring it. I have also removed, cleaned the contacts on the TCM connector. 2 days driving now and no issues. The gearbox changes as smoothly as the first day we bought the car many years ago. I am currently awaiting on a price for the main gearbox oil seal replacement, but, should I undertake any additional gearbox work while it's out of the car? Considering the normal/smooth operation, I'm pretty certain it must be electrically related issue but then again, I'm not a mechanic. Gearbox oil and filter was replaced in November last year and no issues until recently (except for the oil leak). My thoughts are that once removed, to check the gearbox oil filler and make sure no plastic or other bits are present and decide from there.

I would strongly advise to fit a new battery.

And then, apart from the oil leak, I think you'll have no issues

8 minutes ago, DaveT70 said:

I would strongly advise to fit a new battery.

And then, apart from the oil leak, I think you'll have no issues

Thanks Dave, I was contemplating this in any case and seems that you have confirmed my thoughts. Out of interest, do we know what the fully charged voltage should be? Mainly for future reference so that I can keep an eye on the new battery?

12.5 is OK but it's old and will start to lose voltage quickly.

The one thing powershifts hate is low voltage, that's what causes errors, then bangs and thing start smashing into each other.

Fully charge the new battery before fitting and perform a transmission reset after reconnecting, it doesn't matter that it's a Focus👍

Keep the fluid changed regular, every three years or 36,000 miles

15 minutes ago, DaveT70 said:

12.5 is OK but it's old and will start to lose voltage quickly.

The one thing powershifts hate is low voltage, that's what causes errors, then bangs and thing start smashing into each other.

Fully charge the new battery before fitting and perform a transmission reset after reconnecting, it doesn't matter that it's a Focus👍

Keep the fluid changed regular, every three years or 36,000 miles

Understand and yes, I will charge the new battery before fitting. Wouldn't the transmission be reset in any case once the battery has been removed for longer than 30 minutes? Or is it best to reset it with this procedure once the new battery is installed?

Reset every time you disconnect power

I HATE to disagree (again on the same issue?) with @DaveT70 (sorry Dave) but I've never in 15 years done a transmission reset despite having multiple new batteries and disconnections for repairs etc. however, that is your choice. If I hadn't been on this forum, I wouldn't have even known about that.
Our's also behaves just like new.
You appear to have done everything that is normally recommended and, providing you keep the level checked regularly (I'm sure you know the correct drill) and always check the filter for debris (grey paste and no particles trapped) then you'd only be left with the leak, providing you don't get any more alerts.
I'd consider adding a sheet of absorbent material to the undertray to soak up the leak rather than a very expensive repair (fixed securely of course) This may allow you to assess the amount of leakage along with the level checks.
Stop leak would be ideal if any specific to DCTs was available but AFAIK, it isn't and therefore should be discounted totally - no additives are appropriate.

Agreeing to disagree is fine👍

From the research I've done, including reading Ford technical literature, it's recommended.

It's not mandatory though, it will adapt itself.

Morning gents,

Further update to the above, I had changed the battery on Saturday 18th. This combined with the previous work seemed to have worked well with no more "Transmission Limited function" warning message. Frustratingly, the same warning message appeared this morning on the school run.

I had read on one of your other posts something about a connector/connection within the passenger side wheel arch. I had previously attempted to try and locate this but once the plastic arch liner was removed there was no connector there apart from the headlight level adjustment connector. Any thoughts on finding this connector or is there anything else I can check? For reference, mine is a 2014 2.0 TDI DuraTorq (168bhp) in Titanium X trim if that helps in any way.

Just to note that before and after the battery replacement, no issues with gear changes at all. Everything has and still is running smoothly as it always has. Just this warning message which obviously there must be a reason for it appearing.

Thanks, Andy

On 2011 AFAIK, the PCM is contained within a box under passenger side wing that may have security bolts (heads snap off) and there are some other large multi connectors that can be a problem.
Unless of course they moved the whole wiring loom somewhere else just to confuse me (or us)?
If you find it, there is a wiring diagram of the gearbox plug end to PCM but they have also probably changed all the colours however you are welcome to it if you can find the PCM!

Thanks for this. I'll have to have another look as the only thing I haven't looked at is this PC Module. I'll update this post when I can.

Also, I found that there are some DCT stop leaks available online which could help subside the oil leak. Do you think that I should avoid these altogether?

If the leak isn't major leave it.

1 hour ago, DaveT70 said:

If the leak isn't major leave it.

Agree, my palliative suggestion is above🙂

4 hours ago, Shearers said:

Agree, my palliative suggestion is above🙂

Thank you both and glad we're in agreement!

So, today I again removed the wheel liner and found the ECU/PCM within a white plastic cover which I had previously mistaken for the water bottle.

Unfortunately I couldn't get the black metal cover off to then remove and inspect the connectors. There is a type of river fixture on the bottom with no head. Once this is removed, it is obvious that it would just lift up and off. Tried to cut a slit in it with a Dremal tool but it wouldn't budge after the screwdriver slot was cut in. I did however make sure that the 3 connectors were wedged in properly and blew out any dust/cobwebs. See photo FYI.

On some models there was (I've seen it on SY Diagnostics You Tube channel before it as hacked and lost) a large multiway connector in that area before the PCM which was the cause of a No Gears problem as one wire was loose and just pulled out of the connector.
He bypassed it and everything returned to normal!

Can the bolts be moved by tapping the head with a centre pop or punch if necessary?

Early models had the multi connector in the wheel arch, I don't know when they deleted it.

Just drill the bolt out, if you want to get to it, then replace with a standard bolt

11 hours ago, Shearers said:

On some models there was (I've seen it on SY Diagnostics You Tube channel before it as hacked and lost) a large multiway connector in that area before the PCM which was the cause of a No Gears problem as one wire was loose and just pulled out of the connector.
He bypassed it and everything returned to normal!

Can the bolts be moved by tapping the head with a centre pop or punch if necessary?

Thanks. I did look but there is no multi connector prior to the PCM. No issues with gear changes whatsoever. So I doubt that a loose pin is the issue. Just need to have another look at getting the blacke protective metal plate off.

22 minutes ago, DaveT70 said:

Early models had the multi connector in the wheel arch, I don't know when they deleted it.

Just drill the bolt out, if you want to get to it, then replace with a standard bolt

Not on mine it seems. Just the PCM within the wheel arch. I'll try and get back on it later today and apply your suggestion to drill it out. I had limited time on it yesterday but will post some pics once I have the connectors removed.

Though, if everything is working fine I'd be tempted to just leave it👍

Agree, If it ain't broke (i.e. no problems), leave it but at least you know and can get at the PCM if necessary.
I may have to follow you in there as I've still got the glow plug module issue with a fault code indicating a wiring fault perhaps in the two that go from module to PCM so even the picture and experience above is helpful.

7 hours ago, DaveT70 said:

Though, if everything is working fine I'd be tempted to just leave it👍

Everything is working fine. Just that every 10 days or so I get the transmission failure warning. So that's what I'm trying to nail down. At least I'll know that the connections to the PCM are fine once removed.

7 hours ago, Shearers said:

Agree, If it ain't broke (i.e. no problems), leave it but at least you know and can get at the PCM if necessary.
I may have to follow you in there as I've still got the glow plug module issue with a fault code indicating a wiring fault perhaps in the two that go from module to PCM so even the picture and experience above is helpful.

No problem getting pics close up for you. 👍