4R44E trany fluid change and ??

[kps36]

The experience I will relay was not on the Exp, but the 95 Ranger with, what I have determined to be a 4R44E auto tranny w/OD. The 95 Exp should have the same.
After determining the tranny fluid needed changing (68K and lord knows if it ever had been done)and the level ON THE STICK said I had about 1 pint too much in it, I went to NAPA and got a tranny gasket/filter kit, which said A4LDE ?? I said you sure? yep thats all thats listed for 95..okay looks like it (and it fit perfectly).. The AMSoil guy came by and dropped off my 5 quarts. He said after checking out both tranny types, the capacity of that would be 4.2-4.5 quarts, remember 2wd, so no TCase. I dropped the pan and let the remainder of fluid drip out, darker than I thought, didn't smell as good as the AMSoil either..all went well on reassmbly too. Added 3 quarts just like the Haynes said. Idled at about 1200 rpm for 15 min. went through all gears starting and ending in P. Checked the dipstick, and it was 3/4 in the crosshatched, DO NOT ADD area. Well, I'm going to drive a little and check again. Wierd since a pan drop filter replace gets it ALL??
Put it in reverse rev, slip, CLUNK, go. Into D, rev, slip, CLUNK, while driving about 5 miles alls well, come to a stop, rev, slip, CLUNK. Got home, put it in park the O/D light is flashing. I called a guy, he said, add the other quart, for a total now of 4. Drove it, smooth as silk, shifting better than ever...
BUT, the dipstick shows to be about almost 1 pint TOO MUCH, checking both cold (between the holes) and hot (between the crosshatch.
Runs excellent, but that scared the crap outta me.
Any thoughts.??

 

[leebo]

Originally posted by kps36
Wierd since a pan drop filter replace gets it ALL??

NOT TRUE. You will still have fluid in the torque convertor. If I'd have to guess it will hold about a quart. The only way to drain all the fluid is to hook it up to a machine and flush fluid into the system while draining the old fluid out. Do this till only clean fluid comes out and then it's all drained.

 

[Beertime9]

You can get all the fluid out by taking off the cooling line from the trans cooler by the radiator, removing the line and adding a longer line you can start the truck and pump a quart out at a time. You will want to measure this beacause you want add exactly the same amount you take out. When you see clean fluid coming out it is clean. If your fluid was so dirty, then you still have about 6-8 quarts of dirty oil in the convertor, so your new amsoil is now dirty. As to your question, if the fluid is low the pump cannot pick up enough oil and runs low before more oil gets pumped back into the pan. I bet that a quart was a little too much to add, so it is alittle to full. There is more post on draining the the fluid in this manner.

Don

 

[kps36]

I thought about that when I was changing since the crap Haynes manual did not allude to it. I thought well I go through the gears, park it, maybe there is some kind of valve that flows the fluid into the pan. When I removed the pan, and let it continue to drip, drops actually, into the drainer, I cleaned off the dipstick and put it back it and removed it, there was no sign of any fluid.
Now heres a scary thought, am I running too much fluid, about a pint, and disguising a true problem ?
Like I said, runs, shifts better than ever.

 

[kps36]

Its a Ranger 2wd, and it doesn't have a transmission cooler like my Explorer. although it probably needs one.


I'm going to recheck the Manual on that one, but having spent most of Saturday under the truck, I did not see a tranny radiator like on my Explorer.
I check back later.

[Edited by kps36 on 01-22-2001 at 11:56 AM]

 

[Beertime9]

A pint could not hurt too much, on some transmissions if you take off the inspection cover for the torque convertor you can find a drain hole, if yours has one you can drain the convertor there, I think you may have to buy a plug to go back in there, it is where Ford fills it at the factory.

 

[kps36]

Okay, this will be the last post here, unless I have to have a rebuild on the tranny.
When dropping the pan, I had the front end on the max height the jack-stands would allow. After carefully inspecting the diagrams it would seem that what ever was in the Torque Convertor was drained into the pan, because of the severe angle. That seems right now, because after 2 days and 50 miles the fluid looks like i just poured it out of the container.
No tranny fluid cooler/radiator
No transfer case (2wd)
But here is the amazingly wierd part.
After sitting all nite (cold) the tranny dipstick is above the full crosshatched area, by my estimation 1/2 pint. After driving it around and stomping on it a few times to downshift, turning O/D on and off a few times. I go thru the range, check while iding, IT IS AT EXACTLY THE SAME LEVEL AS WHEN DEAD COLD ????
Like I said, runs and shifts fine. So I putting this one into my X-files.