6F35 Transmission Rebuild Kit with Frictions and Steels

If your 2013-or-later Ford Escape, Fusion, Edge, Explorer or Lincoln MKC with the 6F35 six-speed is flaring between gears, slipping into reverse, or engaging late after it sits, and the pan came back full of dark clutch material, the fix is a teardown with fresh soft parts. This kit gives you the four things that job eats: the complete seal kit, the gasket kit, a full set of friction plates and a full set of steel plates. With steels included you are not reusing heat-marked plates against new frictions, which is the shortcut that sends a lot of 6F35 rebuilds back in under a year.

What a frictions-and-steels kit does in a 6F35

The 6F35 is a front-drive transaxle that gets its six ratios by applying different combinations of five multi-plate clutch packs: the 1-2-3-4 clutch, the 3-5-reverse clutch, the 4-5-6 clutch, the 2-6 clutch and the low/reverse clutch. Each pack is a stack of lined frictions alternating with steel plates, squeezed by a hydraulic piston. The rubber in this kit is what seals those pistons and the fluid passages that feed them; the gaskets seal the case halves, the valve body and the pan. When the friction lining glazes or the steels warp, the pack can no longer hold torque at normal pressure, and when a piston seal hardens, the pack never sees full pressure in the first place. Either way the computer sees a slip ratio it did not command and the drive gets worse until a gear disappears.

Symptoms that point to a soft-parts overhaul

• Flare or engine rev between shifts, especially 2-3 and 3-4 under load
• Reverse slipping or engaging late; a worn 3-5-reverse pack is the classic 6F35 failure and it also takes out third and fifth
• Harsh, delayed 1-2 upshift once clutch clearances open up
• Burnt-smelling Mercon LV and friction debris in the pan or filter
• Delayed engagement into Drive or Reverse after the vehicle sits overnight, a sign of leaking piston seals draining the apply circuits
• Gear ratio error codes stored after a slip event (read the actual code; ratio codes are a symptom, not a part number)

How to confirm before you buy

Rule out the cheap causes first. A 6F35 with low or wrong fluid, a bad range sensor connection or a sticking valve body can mimic a slipping clutch. Our Ford 6F35 transmission problems guide walks through the electrical codes and the solenoid pressure regulator bore wear that cause harsh and erratic shifts without any clutch damage. If the fluid level and type are right, the codes are not purely electrical, and you find clutch lining in the pan, the unit needs to come apart and this kit is the right starting point.

Fitment

The listing covers the Ford 6F35 and the 6F15 and 6F35E variants in: 2018-2021 EcoSport, 2013-2018 Edge 2.0L, 2013-2019 Escape 2.0L, 2012-2019 Explorer, 2013-2020 Fusion, 2013-2018 Police Interceptor Utility, 2013-2017 Taurus, 2014-2021 Transit Connect, 2015-2019 Lincoln MKC and 2017-2020 Lincoln MKZ. Ford revised the 6F35 internals more than once over that run, so lay your old frictions next to the new ones and count tooth patterns and plate counts before you start building packs. If you are not sure which version you have, send us your year and VIN before ordering. Every 6F35 part we stock is on the 6F35 collection page. For an earlier 2009-2012 unit, or a job that also needs bushings, compare the 6F35 rebuild kit with frictions and bushings.

Install notes

• Soak every new friction in Motorcraft Mercon LV for at least 30 minutes before assembly. Do not use Mercon V or a generic multi-vehicle fluid in this unit.
• Stack each pack and measure clearance against the factory spec; correct it with the selective plate or snap ring rather than assuming the new parts land in range.
• Air-check every clutch circuit on the bench before the case halves go together. A circuit that hisses has a cut seal or a damaged sealing ring.
• Inspect the 3-5-reverse and 4-5-6 drums for cracked splines and worn sealing ring grooves; the kit does not include hard parts.
• The valve body, solenoids and pump are not in this kit. If the old unit had harsh shifts or pressure codes, replace the 6F35 valve body with solenoids at the same time, and flush or replace the 6F35 transmission cooler so old debris does not reach the new frictions.
• After install, fill and check level at operating temperature per the Ford procedure, then clear adaptive shift data so the module relearns the new clutch packs.

Does this 6F35 kit include steel plates or only frictions?

It includes both. The kit has the seal kit, the gasket kit, a full set of friction plates and a full set of steel plates. Bushings, drums, the pump, the valve body and solenoids are not included.

Will it fit my 2013-2019 Ford Escape 2.0L?

The 2013-2019 Escape 2.0L is on the listed fitment. Because Ford changed 6F35 internals over the years, compare plate counts and tooth patterns against your old frictions before assembly, or send us your year and VIN and we will confirm.

What fluid should I use after rebuilding a 6F35?

Motorcraft Mercon LV only. Ford specifies Mercon LV for every 6F35 application. Use it to soak the frictions before assembly and to fill the unit afterward.

My 6F35 slips in reverse and third. Is this the right kit?

Reverse, third and fifth all use the 3-5-reverse clutch, so slipping in those gears together points at that pack. New frictions and steels fix the pack itself, but inspect the drum and the wave plate for damage while it is apart.

Do I need to reprogram or relearn after the rebuild?

Clear the adaptive shift tables with a capable scan tool after the rebuild, then drive the vehicle through all gears so the module learns the new clutch fill times. Old adapts tuned for worn clutches can cause harsh shifts on fresh parts.

• Ford 6F35 Transmission Problems: Real Causes and the Fixes That Last