Quantity of transmission fluid

[wpurple]

I changed my transmission fluid today by removing the hose that goes to the cooler and flushing new fluid in.
After 16 quarts it is nice and cherry red, although the fluid coming out wasn't all that bad. (just a little darker in color, no smell)

When I ran the motor, about 2.75 quarts came out until it sputtered....
Is this suppose to mean that that is all that is changed when the pan is dropped and filter changed at those quick lube places? 2.75 out of 16 isn't that much.

Now if we ever break the 40 deg mark here in CT I will venture crawl under drop the pan and change the filter and put a drain plug in......

BTW 99 5L AWD Mounty.

 

[Blee1099]

Originally posted by wpurple
I changed my transmission fluid today by removing the hose that goes to the cooler and flushing new fluid in.
After 16 quarts it is nice and cherry red, although the fluid coming out wasn't all that bad. (just a little darker in color, no smell)

When I ran the motor, about 2.75 quarts came out until it sputtered....
Is this suppose to mean that that is all that is changed when the pan is dropped and filter changed at those quick lube places? 2.75 out of 16 isn't that much.

Now if we ever break the 40 deg mark here in CT I will venture crawl under drop the pan and change the filter and put a drain plug in......

BTW 99 5L AWD Mounty.

When you do a pan drop & filter change, your only removing the fluid from the tranny.. There is additional fluid inside the torque converter.

 

[wpurple]

correct, but is it just about 3 qts that comes with the pan? Also, the shop manual states that if the filter is not dirty, reuse it...so I am wiondering since the fluid was clean should I bother with dropping the pan?

Also, why not just drain the torque converter? Why go thru disconnectiong the line and pump the fluid out 2 qts at a time? (as I did) Afterward I was reading the manual and it said to just drain the torque converter to completly change the fluid, is is a PIA?

Thanks,
Kurt

 

[glfredrick]

Also, why not just drain the torque converter? Why go thru disconnectiong the line and pump the fluid out 2 qts at a time? (as I did) Afterward I was reading the manual and it said to just drain the torque converter to completly change the fluid, is is a PIA?

It is if you consider that the only way to do that is to drop the trans, and flip the coverter around about a million times to get the oil out... There is no drain plug on them that I am aware of.

Why not just add another external filter. Use the search feature - there are a ton of links here about that.

 

[Bill Kemp]

Pan drop & filter change is V6 = 4 qts. & V8 = 5 qts.
V8 trans have a T.C. drain plug & V6 dont.
I would change the filter. Filters are cheap & so is fluid. Thats cheap tranny insurance in my book.

 

[wpurple]

Gots the filter and some ATF, now if mother nature just melts the snow and warms the air I will be all set

BTW, is correct that the filter just pushes in? That is what the shop manual states? What holds it in and why doesn't it fall out.

 

[Blee1099]

Originally posted by wpurple
Gots the filter and some ATF, now if mother nature just melts the snow and warms the air I will be all set

BTW, is correct that the filter just pushes in? That is what the shop manual states? What holds it in and why doesn't it fall out.

Theres is a bolt that holds it in place if I remember not to mention 2 o-rings..

 

[glfredrick]

On your 99 Ex, there is a single bolt holding the filter onto the valve body... While you are in there with the pan dropped take the time to re-torque the valve body bolts. They are pretty well known for getting loose.

MAKE SURE THAT YOU USE A HIGH QUALITY TORQUE WRENCH!!! Over torque will kill the trans! Beg, borrow or steal a 1/4" drive click type like those sold by Snap On or Mac... and torque it by the book - pattern and amount. Also, if there is a new screw in the filter box, use it. Ford issued a fix on the length of the screw by asking the filter manufacturers to include it in the filter kit.

 

[wpurple]

Looking at the filter, there is no provision for a bolt.
I am going to pull the pan hopefully this weekend and go from there.

 

[Lee S.]

I recently purchased a Purolator Automatic Transmission Filter Kit #P1237 from Pep Boys as I intend to drop the pan and change the filter.

The Kit comes with a pan gasket, internal tranny filter, 2 Orings and a bolt for the filter. In looking at the filter it definately has a hole for the bolt.

The instructions with kit say the following:

"The new design A4LDE transmission filters with composite nylon and steel replaces all 1989-on A4LD/A4LDE 2WD applications and 1986-on A4LD/A4LDE 4WD applications. This new design filter change is for 1999-on applications. This new O.E. A4LDE filter is a direct replacement for older designs, but it requires a shorter mounting bolt which is included in this filter kit. This latest design of the A4LDE filter eliminates the flapper valve and bolt shoulder assembly where the bolt is inserted. (The reason for the shorter bolt)"

So there definately is a bolt. I'm wondering whether you have the correct filter.

Hope this helps.

Lee

 

[wpurple]

Just looked over the shop manual, the 4R70W (which I have does just push on) but the 5R55E does have a bolt and 2 "O" rings

 

[schadler]

I just did a pan drop-only change on my 4R70W yesterday. It is the second time the fluid and filter have been changed in 90K miles with no problems. Old fluid was red, and smelled fine. I off road occasionally, and just started towing a 3000# boat. I measured what came out in the pan, and it was exactly 4.5 quarts. I put back 5 quarts, cuz I guessed about half a quart was in the old filter. I used Mobil 1 synthetic ATF (Mercon). The filter kit was from AutoZone, and was identical to the original. I did not use the cork gasket that came in the kit, though, because I have a reusable gasket on my pan. I just cleaned everything really nice (use paper towels so you don't contaminate with whatever's on your rags). There was a lot of gray silty residue on everything, whcih I wipes as best I could. The magnet had a bit of metal on it, but not too much. Maybe a gram of filings, dry weight.

I rounded off several pan bolts in the process, and had to get a bolt remover kit, which cost $50 at Sears. I recommend getting some extra bolts for re-installing. The bolts you will need are M8, threading:1.25, 1.75 or 2cm length.

 

[wpurple]

I just did my 4R70W again this past weekend. Since I have a drain plug now in the pan, it wasn't messy at all.
I didn't reuse the factory gasket but did use the rubber one that came with the kit.
Yup, exactly 4.5 qts but I measured with the filter (or as much as I could drain out)
I didn't use the Mobil 1 because my 99 uses Mercon V and Mobil 1 is not compatable with it. (Used Vavoline Mercon V)
I was going to drop in a few ceramic magnets but I was afraid they would move and work their way to the sump. Anyone try adding more magnets?

 

[schadler]

I don't understand the reasoning behind adding more magnets. THe donut shaped one in there is a strong magnet. It has plenty of surface area. If one feels they need more surface area to trap more junk, you have too much junk floating around.

IMO, stronger magnets are better than more magnets

 

[Opera House]

The 5R55E and earlier versions that I've seen only came with the plastic sheet magnets which are fairly weak. Brings back memories, used to desigh the equipment that magnetized them. Ceramic ones are a lot stronger. The game is having the most surface area. Strengh decreases with the square of the distance. When these get a little fuzz on them the holding strength decreases. Flow in the pan can be considerable. I've seen needle bearings sucked up into the filter. The only time these magnets ever work is when the engine is off. They just can't overcome the forces of flow. The ones I've thrown multiple magnets in have had a lot of mileage and sediment. The magnets do seem to pick up a lot of stuff.

 

[schadler]

So you're saying that the exponential decrease in magnetic force caused by oh, 0.5 mm of fuzz is the difference between needle bearings getting sucked up and not getting sucked up? I doubt it. I think your arguement regarding placement and flow make sense, but it kinda goes back to what I was saying: if you have that much stuff flowing around, your problems are more extensive than what kind of magnets you have.

 

[Opera House]

Nixon was asked what an acceptable level of unemployment was. He replied, "Well it's different for different people. All my friends have jobs."

I feel the same way about transmissions. Dropped the factory sealed pan on my 89 Jeep with 135K. It was spotless. Ask me to put a magnet in that and I would think you were nuts. My A4LD and 5R55E are a different story. Not worried about big things like needle bearings. Fuzz of 0.5mm, I wish, with five magnets it's closer to 0.150" when my 97 5R55E was cracked for the first time. Something wrong? Maybe, but I've put 40K on it since and it runs fine. Personally I think it is the soft shifts. The spare in the garage should keep it running forever. At least the magnets keep some of the dirt from filling up the tranny filter. With multiple magnets you don't have to think about flow patterns, one or two will be in a location where the flow isn't too bad. You also don't have to worry about how strong they really are if you use a few. A fun experiment is to cut up a number of squares of paper. Paper sheets are about 0.003 inch each. Just see how many you have to stack up before the force is unacceptable. We could have a home grown industry with this fuzz. When I priced ferro fluids a couple years ago, they were about $1,000 a liter.