Draining tranny in 4R55E equiped 4.0L OHV.

[fastcougar]

I was under there last night draining the oil and couldn't see the drain plug ofr the tranny ... where is it? I have the filter/pan gasket, just need fluid and a place to start. I will be getting the perma cool inline filter with temp gauge and will install with the tranny drained. Also, how much fluid should I get? Thanks!

 

[Jason_25]

Heh there isn't one, you have to pull the pan.

 

[fastcougar]

WTF! You mean that I get to have 9+ quarts of ATF pour on me from countless seams ... what the hell is that all about???

 

[Jason_25]

Welcome to the world of Ford auto trannies. Looka t the bright side, you get to change the filter

 

[fastcougar]

Giving it some thought, I dont' think it will be that messy. all I would have to do is jack up one side of the front end to provide a nice slope, then start with the rear most corner bolt opposite the side of the tranny that the truck is jacked up on. For example, jack up the driver's side as high as possible and support with jack stand. Then start loosening the passenger's side rear bolt and work outward toward the opposite corners. Then slightly pry at the "loose" corner, just enough to break the seal, but not no bend the pan. That should work rigth and keep the mess to a minimum?

Edit: Supporting ASCII Illustration

Numbers represent bolt removeal patern ... not accurte, just a representation.

01 . 03 . 05 . 07 . 09
02 .................... 11
04 .................... 13
06 .................... 15
08 . 10 . 12 . 14 . 16



................................ Jack Stand

 

[mosinman]

Only about 4 quarts are in the pan - the rest is in the torque converter and trans lines/guts. This is a simple job that can turn ugly real quick if uncertain how to go about it. Buy a Haynes or Chiltons and read through the proceedure two or three times. The most common mistakes most people make are overtightening the pan bolts and adding way to much fluid. Buy or borrow a torque wrench. Both the manual and torque wrench will come in handy many, many, more times so just drop the cash and get them.

 

[fastcougar]

I have both, just didn't have the manual handy when at work where I made the post

 

[RedBeard]

Here is an article that may be of some help:

Dead Link Removed


-RB

 

[rjc]

Bleed first

If your explorer has the auxillary transmission cooler connected via rubber hoses it is easy to pump off most of the pan fluid before you drop the pan. I wrote about this a while back. rc

 

[SteveVB]

while its off...

while you have it off stick a drain plug in it.

You can get a clamp in drain bolt from B&M and others that you can drill and then clamp to the pan. If you have a welder and skills you can weld a thick washer or a piece of plate to the pan and then drill and tap it for a plug- magnetic would be good.
It will make the next change a bit easier.

While youre at it add a temp sender bung also.

Have fun

 

[fastcougar]

Originally posted by RedBeard
Here is an article that may be of some help:

Dead Link Removed


-RB

Thanks for this link ... I will have to try this since it also gets to the fluid in the torque converter as well. however, upon reading the manual last night, I will not be changing my tranny fluid for a while. The truck has 112K miles, the tranny was rebuilt at 87K miles, meaning that I don't have to worry about this for about 5Kmiles

 

[fastcougar]

OK, here is my new problem. Considering that my tranny has been rebuilt once, I don't want to have to fork over another $1,200 down the line and have it rebuilt again. So, I am looking into a Perma-Cool secondary filter. I am assuming that I would be best advised to install the cooler while dropping the pan and replacing the OEM filter and pan gasket. This would be followed by the flush technique used in the link above correct? Only down side is I would be waisting some fluid because I would have to top off before the flush right???

 

[mosinman]

You can add the permacool at any time. It installs on the lines to the cooler, not the pan or trans body. Of course, it is always easier to do it all at once. Yes, you could do the pan and filter first, add 4 quarts, do the flush proceedure, add the permacool, then fill er back up. You will waste those 4 quarts. Many people swear by the permacools. I don't tow or off-road much and don't feel it is worth my time. However, It is one mod that I think has merit and is effective if your tranny sees severe service. Just my nickle.