Ford 6R60 6R80 6 Speed Transmission Fluid and Filter Change | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Ford 6R60 6R80 6 Speed Transmission Fluid and Filter Change

makuloco2000

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Year, Model & Trim Level
2012 Explorer XLT
I actually got allot of request for this video to be done and I think it turned out well. As it turned out many are unsure of the whole filter setup inside. I go over the fluid and filter change with all my tips along the way. The setup is the same for any 6R60 or 6R80 transmission found in many Ford Vehicles but this one is demonstrated on a F150.



Fluid Fill & Adjustment
 



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Thanks Maculco -

What would you recommend I should do: my 06 v8 with 6R60 has 186k miles.

I flushed it twice at Ford dealership at 60, and 120 k miles. It's time to do it again. When I went to Ford, they advised me against changing filter, just do a fluid flush again but not open it at this point.

The tranny is still strong, shifts same way as 100k miles ago, no issues.

What's your opinion ?

Thanks
 






Thanks Maculco -

What would you recommend I should do: my 06 v8 with 6R60 has 186k miles.

I flushed it twice at Ford dealership at 60, and 120 k miles. It's time to do it again. When I went to Ford, they advised me against changing filter, just do a fluid flush again but not open it at this point.

The tranny is still strong, shifts same way as 100k miles ago, no issues.

What's your opinion ?

Thanks

I would do a filter and fluid change every 60k miles no matter what they say
 






Thanks!

The end of video 1 you say to use Mercon LV
The beginning of video 2 you say to use Mercon SP

Which is right or best for a V8 6-speed Sport Trac?

Is my dealer misinformed or lazy? They pumped the old stuff out via the cooler lines, claimed it was low pressure which rinses/flushes out the OEM filter. Made sense to me as they described it, this place normally wants to sell me a new filter, but not this time.

Lastly, how many miles on that truck in video #1 ? Heavy tow'er?
 






Thanks!

The end of video 1 you say to use Mercon LV
The beginning of video 2 you say to use Mercon SP

Which is right or best for a V8 6-speed Sport Trac?

Is my dealer misinformed or lazy? They pumped the old stuff out via the cooler lines, claimed it was low pressure which rinses/flushes out the OEM filter. Made sense to me as they described it, this place normally wants to sell me a new filter, but not this time.

Lastly, how many miles on that truck in video #1 ? Heavy tow'er?

It all depends on the model year and model itself. What year is yours. These should not be flushed the temp will never stay hot enough so they will circulate 12 qts through the cooler and that's it. What a waste these should be fluid and filter changed ever 60k. I belive the one in the video had 77k on it with towing maybe cause it was an f150.
 






Big thanks to Makuloco for posting all of the great videos here !

On the trans fluid change note though I wanted to drop a note that might help someone in the future. I attempted to change the fluid and filter on my '06 today but was cut short. After removing the plug and dipstick I wanted to see where the level was at before I started. I wiped the dipstick off with a paper towel and the plastic was so brittle it snapped right off. Looks like I'll be finishing another day since the replacement (cap and dipstick together) is special order. Glad that I broke it before I dropped the pan and wasn't able to measure the new fluid. If anyone needs the part # it's 6L2Z-7A010-C. I had a hard time finding it on the parts sites since it's description is simply "plug".
 






What are the part#s for the filter and any other required gaskets when doing the fluid change. Thanks ahead of time. I have an August 2005 build date on the vehicle. Must have been one of the first 2006 Explorers off the production line.
 






What are the part#s for the filter and any other required gaskets when doing the fluid change. Thanks ahead of time. I have an August 2005 build date on the vehicle. Must have been one of the first 2006 Explorers off the production line.

It's a motorcraft FT160 for the filter. The pan gasket is reusable.
 






Thanks Makuloco for the video all these years later. I've got an '07 ST that just turned 75k so I wanted to flush the fluid.

A couple other tips I found in the process...

Use a few pieces of aluminum foil that is a few inches greater than width of the pan. You can shape it around the base of the pan and over the exhaust pipe. It helped to cut down on the mess.

I had a couple of the stock pan bolts snap off. I was able to find some Dorman M6-1 X 25mm that seemed to be a good replacement.

I do have a question that I'm hoping someone might be able to answer. I was able to drain about 6 quarts of old fluid, but I was only able to pump in about 5 quarts of new fluid before it started seeping out of the top. I'm thinking that if I run it for a few minutes and take it for a quick ride that will allow the new fluid to circulate so I can fill the remaining quart once it cools down?
 






You definitely have to run it to get the proper amount of fluid in it - remember that it has to be running to check the fluid level for a reason.
Your plan is sound.
When you get that 6 quarts back in - drive it for a week and check it again while it's hot and adjust as needed.
I assume you're talking about a V8 with a 6R60 which is what I'm familiar with but I think the five speed would be the same.

Edit - BTW an 07 with 75K? Nice. I thought my 07 Explorer with 138K was fairly low mileage.
 






@07EddyB - Thanks for the reply. You're correct, it's the V8 and I bought it a few months ago. It seems like it's been well maintained, but I have been trying to do as much of the maintenance as I can on the weekends when time permits. Not sure how much I want to crawl under there while it's running or super hot, but I'll see what I can do. I thought it was interesting that when I checked the dipstick when it was cold and before I started, the fluid was well past the high end of the hash marks.
 






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