Transmission fluid is 10 years old

[cook90]

1996 Explorer XLT 4.0L 2wd, 165,000 miles. ATF was last changed in 2001 at 100,000 miles; however, the fluid is still red, clean and doesn't smell burnt. No leaks, no missed shifts, overall it's very smooth. The truck only does short trips of less than 20 miles and accumulates only 3-5 thousand miles per year now. I've read most of the threads on the forum concerning ATF yet I still have 3 questions.

1. Does this fluid need replacing?
2. Has Mercon 5 always been the required fluid for this vehicle (My manual just calls it Mercon, with a Ford part number of XT-2-QDX)?
3. How can I determine which 4x2 transmission is in my vehicle (4R70W or 4r55E)?

Thanks.

dan

 

[shadowless127]

1996 Explorer XLT 4.0L 2wd, 165,000 miles. ATF was last changed in 2001 at 100,000 miles; however, the fluid is still red, clean and doesn't smell burnt. No leaks, no missed shifts, overall it's very smooth. The truck only does short trips of less than 20 miles and accumulates only 3-5 thousand miles per year now. I've read most of the threads on the forum concerning ATF yet I still have 3 questions.

1. Does this fluid need replacing?
2. Has Mercon 5 always been the required fluid for this vehicle (My manual just calls it Mercon, with a Ford part number of XT-2-QDX)?
3. How can I determine which 4x2 transmission is in my vehicle (4R70W or 4r55E)?

Thanks.

dan

1) At this point, I wouldn't change what's not broke
2) Yes, Mercon V
3) 4r70w came with the 5.0L V8, 4r55e came with the 4.0L V6

 

[herebyproxy]

:eyeroll:

Change it!!!!

 

[shadowless127]

Change it!!!!

why? At that mileage, after 10 years, that's a pretty big risk to take.

 

[BrianDye]

If its not broke, dont fix it.

Threads on here talked me out of changing it in my 95' Sport I had. It had 140k on it, and I figured I would do some maintinence, and was gonna flush the fluid, but I wasnt having ANY symptoms, fluid was clean, no burnt smell, etc so I let it go.

 

[1AJeremyD]

I would probably change the fluid. Just because it looks good and smells fine doesn't always mean its in the best condition it should be. Considering that the car only goes small distances, the vehicle never really gets to reach its optimal engine and transmission temp to "burn off" the condensation that builds up over time. There are also additives that are added to the transmission fluid that do get used up over time and mileage.

In the end changing the fluid is up to you. If you feel it will become an issue if you do it then don't bother with it. I would recommend doing the filter and at least the fluid in the pan changed that way you know you have at least some clean fluid in there.

 

[apollo607]

By changing the fuild, you could be removing some particules that due to the time and wear are now part of the components itself. If you remove the fuild, probably you will remove them and get a better or worse perfomance, very hard to tell. I wouldn't change it.

 

[Vinson581]

i got 175 on mine, and im pretty certain the tranny fluid was never changed it used to be a 1 person company assigned car, but i doubt it was done.

 

[crunchie_frog]

For those who have rebuilt transmissions, you know the tolerances are very small. Dirty fuild has small particles from normal wear and tear. Those small particles can casuse wear on areas where tolerances are critical. Wear on those critical parts lead to the transmission not working as designed. I would change the fluid. If the fluid change causes problems, it is revealing underlying problems that are destined to happen soon.
Good luck!

 

[swetrid]

I would change it.

 

[herebyproxy]

Would you use the same bath water for 10 years?

 

[cook90]

Five in favor of changing the fluid.
Four against.

Thanks for all the advice. I'm not sure what I'm going to do.

 

[herebyproxy]

Previous experience

I just sold a jeep cherokee with 325,000 miles on it. I changed the xmission fluid every 50,000 mi. Never had a problem with it.....

just sayin'

 

[sean99]

Change the fluid

 

[kert0307]

Thats 50,000 mile intervals though, thats a HUGE difference from 165,000.

I say go for it, IF you have the money to replace it (Just in case)

Read the first post, the fluid was changed at 100K, so there is only 65k on it. I vote to change it, but change it like it shows on a post here on the site (not a "flush"), drain it out of the trans cooler line and replace.

 

[Joe Dirt]

Change it.

 

[BrianDye]

Ah my bad, I was on my phone at the time, missed that line.

I retract my previous statements, go for it

 

[96eb96]

do a pan drop(4 qts) and filter.

 

[J_C]

If the fluid has not darkened significantly and does not smell burnt there is no reason to change it, there is no wear or tolerance factor, or other issues that would be fixed by changing fluid still in good condition.

It does not have particles wearing out the transmission if it is not dark or burnt, that kind of wear makes fluid dark. If there were already a transmission problem replacing the fluid will do nothing to help that, but with no indicators there is a need besides people erring on the side of caution, it comes down to what you expect to gain replacing fluid that is perfectly fine? Without the fluid appearing burnt, and since it is not like engine oil that is exposed to far higher temps and contamination by exhaust byproducts, we're almost at the point where any vehicle besides those in severe duty will never need their transmission fluid replaced, no matter how many miles.

If on the other hand you suspected that the filter had not been changed the last time the fluid was, this should be done and yet it probably was - there is no sign of transmission problems so if it ain't broke don't fix it. On the other hand this is not a hard or expensive service to DIY, so if it's warming up outside and you're itchin' for a reason to be out there drinking beer...

 

[sean99]

The maintenance guide that came with my 2001 5.0 with 4r70w says to change the fluid every 30k miles...No mention of the 4r55e