fluid changes

[Stumpy33]

Hi all.Ok,I dont have a manual with my Explorer.Is there a list of ALL recomended fluids on here,or can somebody recall these off the top of their head?.I would like to change/re-new all the drive/gearbox/brake/radiator fluids.
Many thanks
Ian

 

[janolsson]

Transmission Mercon V (get away with 5 ltrs if just a pan drop and filter change)
Transfer case Mercon or Mercon V 1.25Ltrs
Oil 5w30 fully synth 4.7 Ltrs
Brake fluid DOT 3
Front diff 80w90 1.7Ltrs
Rear diff 75w140 rated for Limited slip diffs or add a friction modifier 2.9-3.1 Ltrs
Power steering Mercon ATF
Coolant fine with the standard blue stuff but flush first. Also change the t stat with genuine while you are at it. If you order the stat from a dealer it will come with a new o ring so no need to order that separate.

To do the rear diff you just remove the rear cover and drain and wipe out the old stuff. Clean up the mating sufaces and use quality RTV silicone to re seal and leave it a few hours to go off before refilling.

Front diff you will need a vacuum pump ( used a cheap sealey one from ebay and it worked fine)

For the brakes I always wire brush around the nipples and give em an hours soaking in penetrant before cracking them with a 6 sided socket before using the spanner

I warn you now the transmission pan is a ***** of a job as you need to remove one of the catalytic converters/ down pipe to drop it. However if you have no record of the filter being changed then this is necessary in my opinion. Some people say that to do a full fluid change on a high miler then you are likely to get slipping tranny as the clutch packs are warn and the dirty fluid is actually helping. My opinion is that the clean fluid will work better to cool and in your valve body. Also doing just a pan drop and filter change only renews half the fluid so best of both worlds. At the same time you could also adjust the shift bands back to spec and retorque all the valve body bolts. Doing both of these along with the filter will massively improve the shifting.

There are good how to's on this site just a search away

 

[selkent1]

Transmission Mercon V (get away with 5 ltrs if just a pan drop and filter change)
Transfer case Mercon or Mercon V 1.25Ltrs
Oil 5w30 fully synth 4.7 Ltrs
Brake fluid DOT 3
Front diff 80w90 1.7Ltrs
Rear diff 75w140 rated for Limited slip diffs or add a friction modifier 2.9-3.1 Ltrs
Power steering Mercon ATF
Coolant fine with the standard blue stuff but flush first. Also change the t stat with genuine while you are at it. If you order the stat from a dealer it will come with a new o ring so no need to order that separate.

To do the rear diff you just remove the rear cover and drain and wipe out the old stuff. Clean up the mating sufaces and use quality RTV silicone to re seal and leave it a few hours to go off before refilling.

Front diff you will need a vacuum pump ( used a cheap sealey one from ebay and it worked fine)

For the brakes I always wire brush around the nipples and give em an hours soaking in penetrant before cracking them with a 6 sided socket before using the spanner

I warn you now the transmission pan is a ***** of a job as you need to remove one of the catalytic converters/ down pipe to drop it. However if you have no record of the filter being changed then this is necessary in my opinion. Some people say that to do a full fluid change on a high miler then you are likely to get slipping tranny as the clutch packs are warn and the dirty fluid is actually helping. My opinion is that the clean fluid will work better to cool and in your valve body. Also doing just a pan drop and filter change only renews half the fluid so best of both worlds. At the same time you could also adjust the shift bands back to spec and retorque all the valve body bolts. Doing both of these along with the filter will massively improve the shifting.

There are good how to's on this site just a search away

Good bit of info for all of us. You mention adjusting the shift bands and re torquing. Can you elaborate on this process and procedure as many of us are new ex owners!

 

[janolsson]

The band adjustment is fairly well documented on this forum if you search it. But basically there are a couple of straps that go around cylinders in the tranny that have a solenoid acting on one end to push it tight onto the drum. Over time a slight wear will occur and this strap will not be as tight as it should. At the other end of the band is an adjustment bolt and lock nut on the out side of the tranny. See pic below, the 2 square unpainted bolts either side of the loom connector

With the selector lever out of the way there is room to get in there to loosen the locking nut and stick a suitable socket on the end and using a low range torque wrench you can tighten it to factory torque, then lock it off. I cannot remember the specs but again a search of the forum ("Band adjustment") will give you the procedure and torque. Just make sure you are using a sensitive 0-20 Nm torque wrench as the big 1/2" drive ones are not accurate enough.


Re-torqueing the valve body bolts is a must if you are dropping the pan off the tranny. When I had mine off I found a few of the bolts not even finger tight. This allows fluid and pressure to leak across passages and possibly destroy the gaskets. I would guess that is one of the reasons a lot of these trannys suffer from loss of reverse (tho there are other reasons to). The VB bolts need to be tightened in a spiral pattern like cylinder head bolts and I think the VB rebuild thread in the tranny section has the torque value and the sequence.

I found a massive improvement in the shifting by doing the bands and the VB bolts. The correct torques are really low so a small accurate torque wrench is a must. I think this is like the one I bought 3/8th low torque

HTH
Jan

 

[Stumpy33]

Terrific information,Janolsson! I am especially interested in adjusting the bands.
I posted in another thread about the problem I have with my OD light flashing continuously and the selector button not responding.It was mentioned that this may be down to the bands needing adjusting. If it ever stops raining for a couple of days down here in Not So Sunny Cornwall I will give that a try.

Many thanks for the info,keep Exploring