First time transmission oil and filter change safe on my 2008 Ford Explorer V8 2x4 limited with 109,000 miles ?

[armie]

Hey guys I just bought a 2008 Ford Explorer V8 2x4 limited with 109,000 Miles it is a 1 owner clean car fax vehicle it shows that it's been well taken care of in terms of the regular oil changes done on time. My question is in the Carfax the transmission oil has never been changed so is it safe to change the transmission oil and filter at 109,000. My transmission is the 6R60 model.

 

[zerodevil]

It's long over due for it to be honest, and given the valve body issues in these rigs, I'd wager you are playing with fire by NOT doing a fluid/filter update.

Generally speaking fluid/filter services won't cause issues with your trans unless something was already wrong with it. The 6r60/80 are next to impossible to flush due to a thermostat in the trans cooler loop, so pan drop fluid/filter updates are an important step of keeping up with the additive package, the ATF in these breaks down fairly rapidly, and ideally you do a fluid service every 30-45 thousand miles.

 

[armie]

It's long over due for it to be honest, and given the valve body issues in these rigs, I'd wager you are playing with fire by NOT doing a fluid/filter update.

Generally speaking fluid/filter services won't cause issues with your trans unless something was already wrong with it. The 6r60/80 are next to impossible to flush due to a thermostat in the trans cooler loop, so pan drop fluid/filter updates are an important step of keeping up with the additive package, the ATF in these breaks down fairly rapidly, and ideally you do a fluid service every 30-45 thousand miles.

Thx for the advice if I was the previous owner of this explorer obviously I’d change the ATF every 30 to 45k miles but since I just bought this explorer I was wondering if it safe to change fluid and filter since you just told me not to I think I’ll just leave the ATF alone because changing ATF at 109k miles might be risky maybe transmission will start slipping ?

 

[zerodevil]

Thx for the advice if I was the previous owner of this explorer obviously I’d change the ATF every 30 to 45k miles but since I just bought this explorer I was wondering if it safe to change fluid and filter since you just told me not to I think I’ll just leave the ATF alone because changing ATF at 109k miles might be risky maybe transmission will start slipping ?

No, a pan drop filter change and fluid top off is something I would recommend. A flush where your rig is hooked up to a dedicated machine in an effort to replace all of the fluid is not. There are anti wear additives in the Mercon LV? that break down, yours are probably toast. The valve body is prone to wear, and expensive to replace. Assuming its not toast already a filter and fluid top off will help extend the life of the part. My 6r60 blew the valve body at 90K miles because the previous owner NEVER did a fluid change.

 

[zerodevil]

My new valve body cost $2,100 by the way. Thankfully under warranty, I believe its worth mentioning.

 

[94Eddie]

I would recommend doing a pan drop, filter change and refill. This will get about half the fluid swapped out. Then in around 3k miles drop the pan again and refill. There is no need to change the filter the second time. This gets about 80% of the fluid changed which, IMO, needs to be done on a vehicle with 100k plus miles with no known fluid changes. Then do a pan drop, filter change and refill every 40k miles thereafter.

Also, I recommend changing the rear differential oil too. It is due for this, IMO. If you plan to drive this vehicle for many more miles then a flush of the brake fluid, power steering fluid and coolant would be something to consider.

 

[armie]

My new valve body cost $2,100 by the way. Thankfully under warranty, I believe its worth mentioning.

No, a pan drop filter change and fluid top off is something I would recommend. A flush where your rig is hooked up to a dedicated machine in an effort to replace all of the fluid is not. There are anti wear additives in the Mercon LV? that break down, yours are probably toast. The valve body is prone to wear, and expensive to replace. Assuming its not toast already a filter and fluid top off will help extend the life of the part. My 6r60 blew the valve body at 90K miles because the previous owner NEVER did a fluid change.

Since you said your valve body blew at 90K miles did that happen after you did a ATF fluid change and filter or before.

 

[armie]

My new valve body cost $2,100 by the way. Thankfully under warranty, I believe its worth mentioning.

that's expensive

 

[armie]

I would recommend doing a pan drop, filter change and refill. This will get about half the fluid swapped out. Then in around 3k miles drop the pan again and refill. There is no need to change the filter the second time. This gets about 80% of the fluid changed which, IMO, needs to be done on a vehicle with 100k plus miles with no known fluid changes. Then do a pan drop, filter change and refill every 40k miles thereafter.

Also, I recommend changing the rear differential oil too. It is due for this, IMO. If you plan to drive this vehicle for many more miles then a flush of the brake fluid, power steering fluid and coolant would be something to consider.

thx for the advice

 

[Gmctyphoon]

I would do a pan drop with fluid and filter change as well.

 

[zerodevil]

Since you said your valve body blew at 90K miles did that happen after you did a ATF fluid change and filter or before.

Valve body failure happened 2 or 3 weeks after I took ownership of this truck, beyond an oil change to the engine I hadn't had time to any sort of maintenance to the rig.

 

[96eb96]

I would say yes. One I looked at needed a rebuild at 135K, a 2010. The dealer installed a new unit before sale. He was sure it was because the fluid was never changed, and the PO towed to capacity with it. One issue is metallic particles getting into the fluid and causing subtle electrical issues.

Now, if it fails after the fluid change, you are in trouble anyway. I would just do a pan drop for now (not a total exchange). Then as time goes on you could do another. Look up FordTechMakuloko on YT, he has vids for this transmission.

 

[J$hort]

I did mine a while back and have a few words of caution. First, make sure you use a motorcraft filter. I had to drop my pan 2x because I tried to use an aftermarket filter. Caused nothing but problems. Next, be sure to use the recommended trans fluid. It is very specific to this model. You will also want to be sure the fluid level is exact. Very finicky. I followed these guidelines and have not had a problem since (I'm at 200+K miles)

 

[Havfun]

Hey guys I just bought a 2008 Ford Explorer V8 2x4 limited with 109,000 Miles it is a 1 owner clean car fax vehicle it shows that it's been well taken care of in terms of the regular oil changes done on time. My question is in the Carfax the transmission oil has never been changed so is it safe to change the transmission oil and filter at 109,000. My transmission is the 6R60 model. View attachment 320202

I have a 2010 V6 with the 5R55S trans. It has a tow package but we don't tow. Trans temps are typically 170deg F. I did not touch the transmission until it reached 140,000 miles. This is because the manual said it should be changed at 150k. I replaced the fluid and filter DIY, at 140,000 miles. Fluid was a little dark but clean. That was 25,000+ miles ago. No problems at all. Runs and shifts like new as it did prior to the fluid change. I plan to do the next fluid change at 100kmi but I agree if you just do a drain and fill then the change interval should probably be 30k miles. Good luck.