Transmission...fluids....again...

[Bzz]

Ok..I just ran down to my parts dealer here in good 'ol Vancouver BC (Lordco if anyone knows/cares)...and they didn't have the gasket and filter kit for my transmission 97 SOHC V6 with the 5 speed auto.

...so...I guess I have to call the dealer?..I have a feeling this is gonna cost a bunch!..anyone know of any other places that sell 'em?


ALSO: I'm plannin on dropping the pan, releasing whatever oil is in there...replace the filter...put everything back together and refilling it. How much oil am I gonna need?

is Dextron III the same as Mercon Type V?...AND this is my first change...what type of tranny oils is in there from the factory?..Synthetic or not?..and what should I put in?...can I mix synthetic and regular?

..thanks.

 

[410Fortune]

Depending on your setup it;s gonna take about 10 pints I believe. Dont quite me on that, check the capacities section in your Chiltons/Haynes manual, call the Ford dealer or it may also be listed here:

www.therangerstation.com

The filter is gonna run you about $25 US, make SURE you use a DACRON filter, no others are worthy.

I would suggest Mobil one synth ATF and nothing else.

But thats just me it gets expensive, but cheap insurance. Yes you can mix them...

 

[Fischer]

I ordered mone today for the 95.
This is the Place. They know their stuff.

He told me he suggests using what the mfg. uses. Which for us I beleive is MerconV. They have a additive that makes Dextron into a Mercon V compatible formula.

It is all OEM approved.

Good Luck!!

EDIT:

You'll want the stuff for the 5R55E

 

[aldive]

By all means go synthetic, I recommend either Amsoil or Mobil 1.

 

[Fischer]

Originally posted by aldive
By all means go synthetic, I recommend either Amsoil or Mobil 1.

Aldive,

This is so funny how these wars and opinions are so prominent. You would hate talking to the guy I talked to today. He was the good ol' fashioned type. "If they wanted it in there they would have put it in there. We pay em millions to design cars. " I chuckled. and said "Planned Obsolessence" he said, "100,000 mile warranty".

So anyway, I am cheap, I have a remote filter with a cooler (presumeably "big enough for your towing capacity" from the guy there) and I think I'll use just plain ol' Mercon V. I do like synth though in other things. I'll stop rambling and ruining this research.

 

[Bzz]

wow..you guys reply quickly!

yeah.....the synthetic vs regular debate will go on forever until manufactures start putting it in from the factory..


...one more thing. Does anyone know if there's a drain plug for the torque converter on the 97 5 speed auto tranny's (did that make any sense?)?...

..if so, how do I get at it to drain even MORE oil outta the tranny?

 

[410Fortune]

No drain plug on the convertor. Just change it ever year and you wont need to flush the converter or the valve body.........

The only way to get it out of there and flush 100% of the fluid is to pay to have it backflushed, if you change your fluid often enough you should never need this.....

 

[Fischer]

In my Chitons (Covers damn near all Explorers) it generally says remove the outer housing and you have to rotate the converter until you see the drain plug. That is all I know. Check out www.autozone.com and they sometimes have some comprehensive guidelines there.

 

[aldive]

I have mine backflushed every 30k.

 

[410Fortune]

Well my 93 converter did not have any sort of drain plug in it.....

Could be one of those Chiltons glitches, applies to all vehicles, maybe sorta things....

 

[Fischer]

Originally posted by 410Fortune
No drain plug on the convertor. Just change it ever year and you wont need to flush the converter or the valve body.........

The only way to get it out of there and flush 100% of the fluid is to pay to have it backflushed, if you change your fluid often enough you should never need this.....

What 410 Said.

BTW. This guy at BulkParts.com advised against the "If you have a trans cooler flush it like this..." where removal of the pressure tube into a bucket. I was going to do this but I am unsure now. Something with air in the system and pump damage. ???/

 

[Fischer]

410,

I got a OEM spec one. SX something. Damnit. I hate reading this after the fact. Oh well.

 

[410Fortune]

Thats Phooey!! well maybe. If you want to flush the cooler, pop the bottom line off and drain it, then put the bottom line back on, and fill it with fresh atf from the top. let gravity do the work. I never flushed mine.....I figure if you change the filter and fluid every year, then the little bit of the old thats still in there will mix with the alot of the new and dilute enough to not justify a complete backflush, cooler flush, etc....

Of course like Aldive saidm it;s never a bad idea to have it flushed out, but it;s just most important to change the fluid often. I have changed mine 3 times so far and I just installed the auto tranny 6 months ago! hehehehe I told you I was ****. The first fluid/filter was after the 500 mile break in a new tranny, the second was to go from non synth to synth, so from now on it's a once a year pan drop and filter change........

oh Fischer the stuff withthe Dacron filter comes straight from my tranny builder, your filter is most likely dacron (the actual filter fibers) like 90% of them are, you just dont want to be the 10% guy thats gets screwed with the cheapy....Apparently anything other then the dacron fiber filter just doesnt do it;s job. My tranny guy is the SHI*!!! He has been building Ford auto's for like 35 years, mostly for racing and towing, he used to work at Ford way back in the day, I can tell you I expect to get 200K miles from this A4LD he built me and it is a MONSTER, shifts hard as hell!!! He is well known around here and the only guy I would ever trust with an A4LD.....I watched him build mine and he is aware of ever possible upgrade, part, and why. Also had a cistom brazed converter built for me, WOW!! is all I have to say. He agrees with me that the A4LD is a good tranny, it has just gotten a bad wrap.......

 

[Fischer]

Tell me this aint a POS. SPX Filtran. OEM spec. 10 bones. from. www.bulkparts.com

Dang, this is all I could find. No Dacron there.

 

[410Fortune]

Dacron is the material inside the filter, most likely yours is also Dacron, most filters are, however from what Lynn (my tranny guy) was telling me I would make sure before you install that sucker.....

 

[Fischer]

Ahhhh Chrrist! (Like willie on the simpsons)

 

[dogfriend]

Originally posted by Bzz


...one more thing. Does anyone know if there's a drain plug for the torque converter on the 97 5 speed auto tranny's (did that make any sense?)?...

..if so, how do I get at it to drain even MORE oil outta the tranny?

I have the same trans you have (5r55e). I just changed mine a few weeks ago.

No drain plug on the torque converter. No access plate to check for drain plug.

If you drop the pan, you will need to add approx 4 qts to make up for the fluid in the pan.

I wanted to replace all (well almost all) the fluid because I switched to AMSOil (Mercon V spec syn). Here is how I did it:

Drain pan and replace filter. Replace pan. Add 4 qts new ATF.

Remove trans cooler lines from radiator. Place BOTH lines into containers (trust me). Start engine in Park and idle until approx one qt trans fluid comes out. Stop engine. Pour one quart into dipstick tube. Start engine, pump out another quart, stop engine. Add another qt of ATF. Repeat until satisfied that fluid coming out is clean. Total Trans capacity is approx 10 qts, I used 12 qts total. Replace lines on trans cooler. Warm up engine and check level on dipstick, add as necessary.

There are also some threads on this : Dead Link Removed

 

[Bzz]

I called the dealer by my house and asked them how much for the filter kit.

For my 5R55E transmission, it'll cost $42 CDN for the filter kit...

THen I asked the service dept how much it'll cost for a flush and refill...they said it'll cost $125.

So the way I think of it...after I buy the oil and stuff...it might be better, less mess, if I got them to do the complete flush....

...whadda y'all think?....no mess dealer...or $42 + oil for a pan drop job done by myself?..

 

[dogfriend]

First time I had system powerflushed at dealer for $150 (32k miles).

Second time I did it myself ($35 for filter + gasket , $110 for Syn ATF), so it cost the same to do it myself but I was able to use the type of ATF I wanted without any argument from the shop.

I would go ahead and let the shop do the flush if you are going to use the standard ATF. Just make sure they use Mercon V spec fluid.

 

[Opera House]

Fischer....SPX

I'm not sure what you were getting at. I don't believe you can find a better filter than the $10 SPX/FILTRAN. This is the MicroFelt filter with 66% PA and 33% GF. I assume that is polyester and glass fiber. They have the patent on that filter design D422600 and a lot of others that you can get on www.uspto.gov which is the patent office. This is not a fly by night company and probably made the OEM one in your car. It is a little unnerving when everyone else is so expensive but just why should it cost more than $10. They are not that complicated to build. Just remember you don't get a pan gasket or O-rings. The pan gasket is about $.70 and the O-rings can be reused if not damaged. I've switched mine the last three times. And Autozone doesn't give you these anymore either. I bought the SPX filter from bulkparts and it looks top notch.