(At-home) Transmission fluid exchange | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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(At-home) Transmission fluid exchange

HISSIN50

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April 3, 2014
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Year, Model & Trim Level
'03 MM
Hello,

I've been scouring the old threads but can't find a write-up on doing an at-home trans fluid exchange (2003 Mounty, 4.0, 2WD). Does anyone have any threads saved which outline how to do this? I'd rather not have to guess and test which line to disconnect up front and so on.

Thank you
 



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It wouldn’t surprise me if there isn’t one for your exact model. They are all basically the same. The top line on the cooler is almost always the the hot line coming from the transmission.

Just be careful to not run the pump too dry.
 






Thank you for the info!

I could not find a tutorial for any of the trims in the 3rd gen forums. I know guys do fluid exchanges, and reading a tutorial for any tips and tricks is always nice (like how many quarts you can expect to drain before needing to shut the car off and refill, etc).
 






Thank you for the info!

I could not find a tutorial for any of the trims in the 3rd gen forums. I know guys do fluid exchanges, and reading a tutorial for any tips and tricks is always nice (like how many quarts you can expect to drain before needing to shut the car off and refill, etc).

Drop the transmission oil pan, change the filter, clean the oil pan and magnet, this is also a good time to inspect for debris in the bottom of the pan, then install clean pan with new gasket (if the old gasket is not re-usable ), then re-fill fluid to appropriate level.
 






If I dropped the pan I’d replace it with a pan with a drain (or add one).

Is there a reason you want to do this outside of routine maintenance?
 






If I dropped the pan I’d replace it with a pan with a drain (or add one).

Is there a reason you want to do this outside of routine maintenance?
It appears as though the pan has a drain, it's integral to the filler stovepipe in the middle of it. Since you mentioned it, I am having issues finding a replacement gasket/o-ring for the drain plug (just in case I need it). If I had one of those, it could encourage doing multiple pan drains. The more thorough method to replenish all the fluid is obviously to simply exchange it all, however.

I did a pan drop and filter change and now I'd like to do a fluid exchange. Just routine maintenance.
 






I would have done the flush first. Just pull off the top hose and pump out 2-3 quarts at a time. Measure what comes out, put the same back in.
 






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