auto tranny fluid change

[dondiesel444]

I wanna change the ATF, how many qt's will I need, and what kind, and what filter, what is the name of the tranny in the 5.0L AWD??

Thanks!!

 

[aldive]

To give you and accurate answer, we need to know if you plan to just drop the pan or flush ( recommended ).

 

[BradE.]

Your tranny is the 4R70W.

You can use Mercon V fluid if you want. There was a TSB updating ALL 4R70W's to Mercon V. I'm currently running Mercon V in my 95' Town Car with a 4R70W tranny, shifts wonderful and no issues at all.

You can get the filter at most parts stores. I ordered the SPX Filtran filters from BulkPart, but if you don't want to order any local parts store should have the filter.

Your 4R70W should have a drain plug on the torque converter, so you can get about 95% of the fluid out of the transmission yourself. There is a rubber plug on the bell housing that gives access to it. Put a socket on the crank pully and turn the engine over by hand until the plug is aligned with the access hole.

 

[viiidude]

If you have a 4R70W tranny, you may want to check out the 1-2 accumulator while doing a fluid change. Here is a link detailing it: http://www.markviii.org/LOD2/1_2_Accumulator_paper.htm

for a Mark 8 with the same tranny. Check out TSB 97-11-11 for more info on the accumulator issue.

This is a link for just about everything you'd want to know about the 4R70W. http://tccoa.com/articles/tranny/index.html

IMO, I'd go with Mercon V.

 

[BradE.]

If you do the 1-2 Accumlator, make sure to replace the springs also.

The Tccoa articles on the 4R70W are excellent.

 

[dondiesel444]

is there any way to see if this was already done to my tranny?? I doubt it though. Where is the best place to get the parts??

 

[BradE.]

Only way to tell is take it apart and look. If your not getting a very hard shift between 1-2, then you don't need to replace the accumlator if you don't want to.

 

[dondiesel444]

no I'm not getting any hard shifts or shudder or anything. maybe I won't change the accumulater if it's not really necesary.

I guess I will just drop the pan, change the filter, and add some Mercon V

I am probably going to install a B&M ShiftPlus also.

 

[viiidude]

The only way to truly check the accumulator is to open it up. Once you have the pan off for the drain, you're not really doing that much more work. So, it only makes sense to do the drain and accumulator at the same time.

Follow that article above. You'll need a strong pair of snap ring pliars, the $20 one's at Sears will work. The $10 ones are not made for this type of work. Also, to compress the accumulator cover, to get the pressure off the ring, I would use a socket extension being pushed up by a scissor type of jack.

If for some reason the accumulator job has been done, make sure the parts are returnable to where you brought them. The part numbers for a 96 Explorer are:

Top spring F7AZ-7F284-AA (White)
Bottom Spring F4UZ-7F284-A (Pink)
F7AZ-7F251-AA Redesigned 1-2 Accumulator Piston
F4AZ-7F247-A Redesigned 1-2 Accumulator retainer and seal

Check those numbers with your supplier.

I use FPN pretty much for all OEM parts. Their total parts cost for above, are less than $24. Maybe throw in a filter to help offset the freight cost.

Best of luck

BTW, if you wait for hard shifting to do a change over, it may be too late. Also, your next project would be to install a tranny cooler. Check out those TCCOA articles for more info. Plus, if you're going to do a shift kit, think about doing the J-Mod.

 

[dondiesel444]

well, for less than $24 I will probably go ahead and do this, since it's not that hard. thanks for those part #'s.

 

[dondiesel444]

also, my tranny has 108,000 miles on it, is it worth it to upgrade (shift kit, tranny cooler), b/c realisticly how much longer will it last before it needs a rebuild???????

 

[aldive]

A tranny cooler is always a welcome addition; heat kills.

 

[dondiesel444]

well, I went out today and bought a filter, 12 qts. of Mercon V, and the B&M Shift Plus. I also went to the dealer and ordered the parts listed above to fix the 1-2 shift accumulater, I wound up getting them from the dealer, it would've cost less for the parts from fordparts.com, but with shipping it came out to be the same price. the dealer said the parts will be here tomorrow. thanks for all the help, I will report back when I get everything changed over!!

 

[dondiesel444]

oh yeah I guess a tranny cooler is next on the "to do" list

 

[X~FACTOR]

I don't know if someone has suggested this but it might be worth adding to your "to do" list.

 

[viiidude]

Originally posted by X-factor
I don't know if someone has suggested this but it might be worth adding to your "to do" list.

Checked out that link. That looks like a pretty cool set up for a V6 tranny. The 4R is serviceable by dropping the pan to remove the filter and actually has a drain in the torque convertor.