Drop the Pan?

[2stroke]

We also have 170 k on the original 5r55e in our 2000 explorer, and that has seen some serious towing in its life. It's towed 2k+ pounds at least once a week its whole life. We also have 150k on the original tranny in our Dodge Caravan, and those are known to go out in 50k. Its more than luck.

 

[trozei123]

im confused here. i remember from transmission class that the only good way to change out fluid is to drop the pan AND to pull a cooler line and do a "gravity flush". my teacher said those machine flushes can be very harmful on older trannies. im still working on my a4ld that (if i am reading the maitenance log from the 1st owner right) is the original and has almost 240k on it. i am sure that because of the leak i have, the fluid is bad and burnt. if the fluid is burnt beyond recognition, wouldn't it be a good idea to drop the pan and fill up with fresh fluid? aside from the mess, why is dropping the pan so controversial?

 

[2stroke]

There's nothing really controversial here. Nobody that changes the fluid says not to drop the pan. There is just a small group of people that are against changing tranny fluid because they have seen leaks and other problems develop right after the fluid change. That is why it is not a good idea to change fluid for the first time in a high mileage tranny. Gunk and metal and everything else that settles is suddenly free to cause havoc. If you change your fluid at reasonable intervals, you will never have a problem. 99% of people agree that the pressurized flushes are bad news. Whether you choose totally drain/flush your fluid at every change is up to you. I simply drop the pan and replace the gallon or so that comes out. Manual transmissions are a whole different deal, but you still need to change the fluid. I would walk out the door of any tranny shop that says not to change fluid. The oil in an auto tranny is just as important or more so than the engine. If you don't change your engine oil until until 50k, you will see problems develop in that as well.

 

[Rhett]

Yeah I wouldn't say it is controversial to drop the pan. It's just a hassle as was mentioned. You can get one of those under-bed storage containers (you know, the plastic ones with rollers) and that will catch the mess.

I'd do a spin-on external but I'm always too busy doing something else.

 

[Wolfie_85]

Now it's got a new filter (old filter looked like someone tore holes in it) and gasket, fluid topped off. But, there was a reason I wanted to do it; it was taling it's time shifting from 3rd to second and 2nd to third. For a bit after the filter swap and some fresh fluid, it seemed better, but it's back now.

Let off the gas, it goes into gear, no problem. No slipping, just hesitant to go down or up into second.

 

[natenkiki2004]

You're probably better off posting in the transmission section for that then. The 3-4 and TCC lockup are electronic, everything else is hydraulic and manual. May be a problem with the valve body? If your window mesh had a hole in it, perhaps a big chunk got in and jammed something in the valve body. It's not a big deal to drop the valve body, just read up on it beforehand and get a new gasket.

 

[larrydd999]

I also have around 220,000 miles on an A4LD, and it's on our '92 so doesn't have the modifications that were in the '93-94. It hasn't had the regular fluid changes, but runs fine regardless. Of course we don't ever tow with it, and rarely go off-road.

 

[chefduane]

I'm going to do a pan drop and filter change on my recently rebuilt 5r55e in the next week. It has about 12k miles on the rebuild. The rebuild shop rec'd a fluid change at 12k but also wants $129 to do it so I'm going to do it myself. Also going to change out the filter with a Wix Filtran unit, new pan gasket, install a Magnefine inline filter, and drop in a few magnets in the pan. I know this is overkill but what the heck. I also am going to use a small kiddie pool about 3 foot diameter to catch all the fluid.

 

[natenkiki2004]

With an in-line filter, don't bother with a nice filter in the trans. You want the in-line one to catch the crap, not the one in the pan. Why? So you don't have to take a bath in order to change the one in the pan Same reason for magnets on the in-line, don't put them in the pan.

If I were you, I'd get the in-line in ASAP, doesn't hurt to put it in before the flush. It'll actually be better so the new fluid with new detergents flushes whatever crud might be in there, into the in-line.

Fill it up with Valvoline MaxLife & you'll be good to go for a long time.

 

[chefduane]

With an in-line filter, don't bother with a nice filter in the trans.

The trans filter has already been purchased and is in hand. Might as well use it.

[/QUOTE]You want the in-line one to catch the crap, not the one in the pan. Why? So you don't have to take a bath in order to change the one in the pan Same reason for magnets on the in-line, don't put them in the pan.[/QUOTE]

Same thing, already have them in hand. Might as well use them.
Also, I'm going to get a new Dorman pan with a drain plug. Didn't mention that earlier.

[/QUOTE]If I were you, I'd get the in-line in ASAP, doesn't hurt to put it in before the flush.[/QUOTE]

THAT's the item I'm waiting on. Soon as I get it I intend to put it in.

[/QUOTE]It'll actually be better so the new fluid with new detergents flushes whatever crud might be in there, into the in-line.[/QUOTE]

Well since it'll be around 12k miles on the rebuilt, how much crud can really be in there? As I mentioned, this is probably overkill but I'm what the heck.

[/QUOTE]Fill it up with Valvoline MaxLife & you'll be good to go for a long time.[/QUOTE]

I'm going to use Motorcraft Mercon V. Spec'd for the 5r55e and keeps me valid for the 2 year warranty.

 

[2stroke]

Motorcraft fluids are overpriced, but will work. Maxlife is also Mercon V, and will not void any warranty's. At $16 a gallon, and a great track record, its a no brainer.

 

[mekelly]

There are several studies that show ~90% of all damaging metals show up within the 1st 4-5K miles of a transmission's life (off the showroom floor) or after the a rebuild due to break-in wear.

That would make a compelling case to flush the fluid within 5K miles of purchasing a car or having the transmission rebuilt.

At one time, Ford required a Magnefine (or equivalent) be installed after a transmission rebuild to reduce comebacks!

 

[Rhett]

Does AMSOIL still make their in-line kit? What other in-line filter kits are you guys using? Home-made?

 

[FR-425]

B&M

http://www.4wd.com/Jeep-Drivetrain-...010cmCnlG_Nx1apzj92KjLQBKkKznGaGF0aApeO8P8HAQ

 

[natenkiki2004]

My setup is outlined in the post in my signature, all parts are described.

 

[chefduane]

Motorcraft fluids are overpriced, but will work. Maxlife is also Mercon V, and will not void any warranty's. At $16 a gallon, and a great track record, its a no brainer.

Probably right, but Ford put their own Mercon V in there originally for a reason so I'm ok with that. The added expense of the MercV ($9.49qt) is not really a deal breaker for me.

 

[2stroke]

Ford doesn't put their own mercon V in. To the best of my knowledge, motorcraft oils are made by Conoco-Philips. I'm sure they have changed manufacturers over the years. Motorcraft oil is contracted out, just like their parts. Valvoline Maxlife is just as good and less than half the price. There are some "better" racing tranny fluids, but again, you are tripling the price. Maxlife, or Supertech, or any other Mercon V will do just as well. Keeping that fluid fresh and cool is the trick.

 

[natenkiki2004]

Ford uses/creates Motorcraft so there's a reliable standard that they can dictate. If they rely on brand X outside of a contract, maybe brand X won't be made in a few years. Fluids & parts come and go but if Ford can dictate how they're made and ensure backwards compatibility and supersede parts, it makes things easier when they service vehicles and issue TSBs. Ford knows that the parts they create through Motorcraft will work reliably.

That has no bearing on Valvoline coming along, looking at the specifications, developing a formula and then testing that formula to ensure that their product is just as capable if not moreso than Ford's. The thing is, Valvoline has a more direct supply to things (Ford & Motorcraft are just extra middlemen adding $$ onto the price) and being that they're not under contract, they can do whatever they want to improve the formula.

For most people, I see no reason not to go with Valvoline MaxLife ATF for the transmission (both auto & manual) and transfer case. It's a high mileage fluid that helps our old vehicles as well as a synthetic with excellent additive packs. As 2stroke said, at $4 a quart, you can afford to flush and fill the trans on a budget which means more frequent maintenance and reliability. It's a no-brainer.

 

[Rhett]

I have had good results with Valvoline MaxLife...been running it for the past couple of years. The rear main seal has magically stopped being wet...

Pretty interested in a remote filter setup after being in this thread, based off the Motorcraft FL-1A filter. I think I may need some more silicone hose though. I also have a couple of old hard drives laying around, lol. I never thought to take them apart and use the magnets. I gotta hook them up to my test rig and make sure they're toast though.