Service transmission? Thoughts?

[gtyates]

So my '09 Sport Trac is now approaching 100k miles. Excellent condition, and the Carfax shows it was well maintained by previous owner as well as by me. I bought it with 80k miles. I do not find an indication that the transmission has ever been serviced. I am looking for thoughts, especially from any mechanics on here, on whether or not to service it. Suggestions appreciated.

 

[rustylugnut]

4.0? 4.6?
Yes, change the fluid.

 

[94Eddie]

Definitely change the transmission fluid. I change mine every 40k miles at a minimum. In your case, I would drop the pan, replace the filter and refill. Then in another 5k miles drop the pan and refill again. The reason for this is that only 5-7 quarts are drained with a pan drop out of the 12-14 quarts it holds in total. To get a decent amount of fluid replaced two drains are needed. This is especially warranted in your case where there is 100k miles on the fluid. Some people will go the route of flushing the transmission which replaces most of the fluid. Some think this can possibly lead to transmission failure due to dislodging debris that could clog the fluid passages. I don't know who is correct so I default to the safer option of draining and refilling.

Ford's claim that transmission fluid in their sealed transmissions lasts a lifetime is just flat wrong. No fluid lasts a lifetime, period. All this does is ensure the service departments of Ford dealers get more business. Make sure you use Motorcraft brand Mercon fluid only. It has the specific blend of ingredients that the transmission needs. Replace the fluid in the transfer case too if your vehicle is four wheel drive. Servicing the transfer case is easy and it only takes 1-2 quarts of fluid. Also, since you are at 100k miles, I would suggest replacing the rear (and front if you have FWD) differential fluid with Motorcraft brand synthetic gear oil. This will help to prevent you from doing a costly differential repair as the miles roll up.

 

[gtyates]

4.0? 4.6?
Yes, change the fluid.

4.0.

 

[gtyates]

Definitely change the transmission fluid. I change mine every 40k miles at a minimum. In your case, I would drop the pan, replace the filter and refill. Then in another 5k miles drop the pan and refill again. The reason for this is that only 5-7 quarts are drained with a pan drop out of the 12-14 quarts it holds in total. To get a decent amount of fluid replaced two drains are needed. This is especially warranted in your case where there is 100k miles on the fluid. Some people will go the route of flushing the transmission which replaces most of the fluid. Some think this can possibly lead to transmission failure due to dislodging debris that could clog the fluid passages. I don't know who is correct so I default to the safer option of draining and refilling.

Ford's claim that transmission fluid in their sealed transmissions lasts a lifetime is just flat wrong. No fluid lasts a lifetime, period. All this does is ensure the service departments of Ford dealers get more business. Make sure you use Motorcraft brand Mercon fluid only. It has the specific blend of ingredients that the transmission needs. Replace the fluid in the transfer case too if your vehicle is four wheel drive. Servicing the transfer case is easy and it only takes 1-2 quarts of fluid. Also, since you are at 100k miles, I would suggest replacing the rear (and front if you have FWD) differential fluid with Motorcraft brand synthetic gear oil. This will help to prevent you from doing a costly differential repair as the miles roll up.

Eddie, it is a 4x4 with the 4.0. All other service has been done, transfer case and differentials done. "Tune-up" done. Basically everything that should be done around 100k has been done, only thing left is the transmission.

 

[donalds]

Definitely change the transmission fluid. I change mine every 40k miles at a minimum. In your case, I would drop the pan, replace the filter and refill. Then in another 5k miles drop the pan and refill again. The reason for this is that only 5-7 quarts are drained with a pan drop out of the 12-14 quarts it holds in total. To get a decent amount of fluid replaced two drains are needed. This is especially warranted in your case where there is 100k miles on the fluid. Some people will go the route of flushing the transmission which replaces most of the fluid. Some think this can possibly lead to transmission failure due to dislodging debris that could clog the fluid passages. I don't know who is correct so I default to the safer option of draining and refilling.

Ford's claim that transmission fluid in their sealed transmissions lasts a lifetime is just flat wrong. No fluid lasts a lifetime, period. All this does is ensure the service departments of Ford dealers get more business. Make sure you use Motorcraft brand Mercon fluid only. It has the specific blend of ingredients that the transmission needs. Replace the fluid in the transfer case too if your vehicle is four wheel drive. Servicing the transfer case is easy and it only takes 1-2 quarts of fluid. Also, since you are at 100k miles, I would suggest replacing the rear (and front if you have FWD) differential fluid with Motorcraft brand synthetic gear oil. This will help to prevent you from doing a costly differential repair as the miles roll up.

Well put only thing I would add is drop the pan change filter fluid then add a drain plug so next time just drain and refill

 

[94Eddie]

Eddie, it is a 4x4 with the 4.0. All other service has been done, transfer case and differentials done. "Tune-up" done. Basically everything that should be done around 100k has been done, only thing left is the transmission.

Since you have the five speed transmission, keeping the fluid changed every 30k-40k miles is important since it isn't the most reliable transmission Ford ever offered. I have never had to rebuild an automatic transmission in any car I bought with less than 50K miles. I believe this is because of the frequent fluid changes. Many of these vehicles went 200k miles and beyond without a single transmission related issue. I would also suggest pouring a can of BG MOA in with the engine oil at each change. I swear by it and have used it for many years. I buy the five pack on Amazon for $50-$60.

 

[Tike]

ford trans need regular maintence or no maintence at all.
if you service a trans every 40-60k great keep doing it, it will go forever.
dont go doing a transmission fluid change in a high-mileage ford or any trans thats never been serviced youre asking for issues.
dont every do a flush on transmissions with the coolant bypass-valve systems 6r60 6r80 and i believe the 5r55 has it too. just do as 94eddit stated.
transfer case /center diff fluid type is important.
front and rear diff is just gear oil.

 

[gtyates]

Update. I did end up having a full transmission service done. After talking with my dealership folks they agreed that 100k was a good time to do it, but do';t wait much longer. So far they have been very honest with me on other work and I have to trust them. I have driven about 75 miles or son since it was done and I can definitely say it is shifting smoother. It was not really rough shifting anyway, but I can feel a definite difference. I am also taking it easy, similar to when a vehicle is new, to give the system time to get used to the new fluid and to allow a good mixing with any old fluid that may have been left trapped in the torque converter. I almost hate taking my 'Trac into the dealer as they beg me to trade it in every time I visit.

Thank you all for your advice/comments regarding this. At least we all seemed to agree it needed new fluid, and it got that.

 

[gtyates]

Another update. I have driven right at 1000 miles since the having the trans serviced. I bought the truck with 82k and honestly the transmission has never shifted as smoothly as it does now. Also, an occasional bump I felt when shifting from drive to reverse is now gone. For anyone following this thread, if you are around 100k miles and have not serviced it, get it done.