[CHANGED] Transmission Fluid Change Question/Concerns

[Obnoxious]

Hello everyone, this is my second post and I am just posting it in dire desperation sorry in advance as well for the long explanation…

Got a 2008 Explorer and is running good, sometimes shifting from 2nd to 3rd seems a bit rough but that is only when it is cold, once is hot it goes away.

Bought it from a only owner, and it was bought new in 2009 here in my country, mileage (well, we use kilometers) is 126800km, which is roughly 78k miles, and the transmission fluid was never changed, went to investigate myself and unplugged and bolt of the fluid and, my fears turned about right, it was black and smelt… pretty funky not gonna lie…

Do I change it? I am NOT planning to flush it, nope, just changing it with the filter and seals (dropping the pan) and refilling it, then change again later after 8k kilometers to start having new fluid, do you guys recommend me do that? I know that this might be asked before, but this is a pretty specific scenario and at low mileage having the fluid that dirty seemed a bit odd but hey, is the 5R55E so anything can happen! Probably a picture of the fluid will be attached so you can see it, took it into a cup I had laying around in the car.

[UPDATE]

Changed the fluid, the transmission shop mechanic did a very stressful test (he literally ate 1/4 of my fuel tank) and he said that it is working totally fine! Putting it into R is still the same clunking sound unfortunately but it is a bit less and it does have less delay, so a win in my books! I will just earn some money for a rebuild in advance, just to prevent unwanted shenanigans…

Thanks to all who answered my concerns here, hoping to learn more so that way I can help as well!

 

[BKennedy]

Drop the pan and filter, and let it drain for a few hours. You should get 6+ quarts out of it. Get a concrete mixing pan from Home Depot for a drain pan. Then do it again in 15,000 miles. The rubber and steel pan gasket should be reusable if its OEM and in good shape. Soft gaskets will leak. Put a bottle of this in to help smooth shifting.

 

[SofaKing95]

Given the condition of the fluid I recommend getting it out of there

 

[Obnoxious]

Drop the pan and filter, and let it drain for a few hours. You should get 6+ quarts out of it. Get a concrete mixing pan from Home Depot for a drain pan. Then do it again in 15,000 miles. The rubber and steel pan gasket should be reusable if its OEM and in good shape. Soft gaskets will leak. Put a bottle of this in to help smooth shifting.
View attachment 465167

Oh nice and thanks for the headsup! I guess that I won’t be able to find that Lube Guard here in my country (if not shipping it ofc, but it will take up to 3 weeks to show up), can I use Transmission Stop Slip from Lucas Oil instead? That I do know where to find.

 

[BKennedy]

Lucas makes good products, but I have no personal experience with their trans additives. The Lubeguard was recommended by 410Fortune's transmission guy. 410Fortune is arguably the most knowledgeable person on this forum when it comes to engine and transmission swaps. I've used it with good results in my 2010 Ranger. If it takes three weeks to arrive, it's no big deal because it should be used with the second fluid change so it stays in the trans longer.

My transmission guy never recommended a full flush on a overdue fluid change. He told me that two or three short interval pan drops with new filters is more gradual and might keep a tired transmission alive longer. A sudden change of all the fluid might cause more issues. Before he died, he was in the business for 60+ years.

 

[MSWLimited]

My two cents...BG Products (They also make BG44K Fuel System Cleaner and several other additives) developed a transmission fluid exchange system, that not only removes all the tranny fluid, but also adds their brand of transmission conditioner to the refill and, to top it off, they also offer a lifetime transmission warranty as long as you change the fluid using their system at an interval they require. You can find shops that provide this service at the BG Products website. I am not aware of any other company that can do this type of tranny service. Obviously, it does cost more than dropping the pan and replacing the filter, but it will remove all of the fluid for sure and you get the warranty to boot...Again, my 2 cents...