ASAP: Tranny drain/refill

[AdamDude04]

Going to do a tranny service today.. though I need a bit of help!

89 Bronco 5.0 XLT, E4OD

For starters, where exactly is the drain plug..I'm sure I can find it, but a little help would be great!

Also how much tranny fluid is needed, and what would be my best bet? I think there has been one rebuild, but the truck sits in the driveway with 317,426 miles. Has always had regular oil in the truck so I'm sure there is just regular no special fluid in the tranny. I have no idea when the last tranny flush was done, and I've had the truck for over two years now so, time to get to it!

Thanks guys..I plan to do this tonight!

 

[Justshootme84]

Unless you have an aftermarket pan with a drain plug, there isn't one in the factory pan. You need to remove all but 2 or 3 bolts holding the pan, then carefully loosen the remaining bolts and drain off a bit of fluid as you do this. When you get all of the bolts out, lower the pan and pour the old fluid into a drain pan. It's a PITA and you often get drenched in tranny fluid. While the whole system holds about 17 quarts, you only need to add 5 or 6 quarts to replace what you drain out of the pan. I usually add 3 or 4 quarts, using a trans fluid funnel in the dipstick tube, or maybe one more until it shows at the cold mark on the dipstick with the engine off. Then crank the engine and add what you need to get to that cold mark with the engine running and after shifting thru the gears. You should change the filter while you have the pan off. You can go to a shop and have the whole system flushed, replacing all of the old fluid with new. There is some debate whether or not this is good or bad on an older tranny or one that hasn't had a complete flush on a regular basis. It can bring up a bunch of debris and lead to problems. It takes a special machine to do this, and most shops charge about $100 for the service. With the high mileage on yours, I would just do the filter change and top off the fluid with Ford Mercon ATF. Also a good time to change the fluid in the transfer case, which takes 2-1/2-3 quarts of the same ATF, JSM84

 

[AdamDude04]

Hmm okay. How about this, how do I drain the torque converter and refill that? - I admit I'm a noob with trannys and such.. and I want to do it myself to not only learn, but keep in touch with my truck.

So I need Mercon ATF, a filter, and do I need a new gasket for the tranny pan for when I reseal it?

Maybe I'll look online and see if I can find a new tranny pan with a drian plug on it..make next time easier? lol Also how do I drain/fill out the transfer case

 

[AdamDude04]

Okay so I just learned you can't drain the TQ converter..

so I thought about just draining the 6qts via the pan..changing filter and adding new fluid. Then 500 miles from now, do the same thing again. Do that 3 three times so the new fluid mixes with the old, to get as much as the old fluid out. But my buddy says it screws up with the clutch packs and can cause damage doing it this way?

Good idea or no?

 

[Justshootme84]

There is a drain plug (bolt) on the torque converter that you can get to from the front side, but there's no good way to refill it unless the TC is out. The t-case has two plugs on the back side of the housing. Top plug is for filling, bottom plug for draining. Most aftermarket pans do have a drain plug, along with 2-3 quarts extra xapacity, but they often run about $150. Yes, you can get a new gasket for the pan to replace when you change the fluid. I don't believe it's necessary to re-drai nthe fluid after 500 miles. Just make sure the old fluid is good, being reddish color not brown or pink, and not smelling burnt.

 

[AdamDude04]

There is a drain plug (bolt) on the torque converter that you can get to from the front side, but there's no good way to refill it unless the TC is out. The t-case has two plugs on the back side of the housing. Top plug is for filling, bottom plug for draining. Most aftermarket pans do have a drain plug, along with 2-3 quarts extra xapacity, but they often run about $150. Yes, you can get a new gasket for the pan to replace when you change the fluid. I don't believe it's necessary to re-drai nthe fluid after 500 miles. Just make sure the old fluid is good, being reddish color not brown or pink, and not smelling burnt.

Why is that? If I fill up the system via dipstick tube, wont that fluid also make its way into the Tq Converter? I'd really like to drain the whole system and get the other 10 quarts of fluid out..makes no sense in mixing good fluid with semi-good fluid.

 

[Justshootme84]

Yes, the new fluid will make it's way into the TC thru the center from the transmission pump. But there is not a way to add fluid directly to the TC while it's installed on the back of the engine. The only time you can do that is when changing out the TC, and pre-adding fluid to it before installing the TC onto the front of the tranny, befor mating it up to the engine.

I for one do not consider this step of draining the TC necessary when changing the filter. While the link you posted up on the filter change write-up is excellent, it is NOT a complete or total system flush. AS I stated, it takes a Special machine and shop tech to completely flush all of the old fluid out of the tranny, TC, cooler and all hard lines and replace it with all new fluid.

 

[AdamDude04]

Yeah I'm just edgy on the whole power flush thing.. I don't like the force pushing out things that may be keeping things together.. a simple drip out seems to me, like it's a lot easier to manage/consider than a machine forcing things to move that maybe shouldn't.

 

[Justshootme84]

Yeah I'm just edgy on the whole power flush thing.. I don't like the force pushing out things that may be keeping things together.. a simple drip out seems to me, like it's a lot easier to manage/consider than a machine forcing things to move that maybe shouldn't.

That's where you and I agree, as do many tranny shop owners i've talked to over the years. While it's good to replace all of the old fluid, the complete flush does sometimes loosen deposits that can damage the tranny, or possibly lead to a leak somewhere in the system. The biggest problem I've seen is with the tranny cooler side tanks on the radiator leaking on older cores, or an old line/ hose developing a leak. You'll be fine doing the drain and filter change. Just a last note, on my Brother's 08 Mustang there isn't even a dipstick to the tranny, and no drain plug in the pan either. How in heck can you add fluid to that??? Gotta love Ford engineering, JSM84

 

[AdamDude04]

That's where you and I agree, as do many tranny shop owners i've talked to over the years. While it's good to replace all of the old fluid, the complete flush does sometimes loosen deposits that can damage the tranny, or possibly lead to a leak somewhere in the system. The biggest problem I've seen is with the tranny cooler side tanks on the radiator leaking on older cores, or an old line/ hose developing a leak. You'll be fine doing the drain and filter change. Just a last note, on my Brother's 08 Mustang there isn't even a dipstick to the tranny, and no drain plug in the pan either. How in heck can you add fluid to that??? Gotta love Ford engineering, JSM84

Yeah we have a few different vehciles at work at have no tranny sticks. I think it feeds back to the whole "don't overfill" type deal.. if you give the consumer the option to drain/fill that expensive part, and it fails under warranty, look at who eats the cost....

I also own a new truck that many owners who have got power flushes, have had issues within 500 miles. The dealers sent out a TSB stating only a drain/fill is needed/required as a flush can damage internal parts.

I dunno tho..to me it seems like "well I only have 5 minutes to change my oil..so however much oil comes out in a minute from my drain pan will do until next oil change" and makes me question: Why even change the fluid at all? Apparently mixing 6qt of new fluid with 10qt of worn old fluid is perfectly fine. I should do that with my oil and gear oil too I guess? haha

 

[Justshootme84]

I think the main benefit of the deal is to change the filter, but in order to do that you have to lose some old fluid. Regular oil breaks down quicker than tranny fluid, too, and if you don't change that often it will build up sludge in the pan and elsewhere. The worst fluid I think is the brake fluid, and it often goes unchanged for years. You can get a kit to check for copper levels, since brake fluid will have high copper level when it goes bad, but I just do mine every two years.

And now I read that you actually have the AOD tranny instead of the E40D!!! JSM84

 

[AdamDude04]

I agree brakes are neglected often.. yet the most important part of your moving vehicle...