Transmission prevention

[Eplorer]

Ive got a 98 Explorer sport with the sohc 4.0L engine and ive been hearing some serious issues abotu ford transmissions and the problems they have
I want to change the transmission oil because i bought the truck used and i doubt its ever been done
I wanted to know
-is this something i can do myself
-what should i replace the transmission fluid with (i want to kno the best product not what ford says)
- and if i should flush or just drain

-Richard

 

[saewoody]

On my 97 you've got to drop the transmission pan because there is no drain for it. It is geometrically impossible to get the drain pan out because the front drive shaft and the exhaust are in the way. If you remove the driveshaft you should be all set. A new transmission kit will come with a filter and a new gasket for the pan. There is a lot of fluid that won't come out. I guess you could always have it done at a shop that has the machine that sucks out most of the fluid and then refills it. That's the way to replace the most fluid.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Your 5R55E uses Mercon V ATF. Don't use the regular Mercon fluid with an additive.

 

[sport01mi]

Remember to change your transfer case fluid as well.

 

[aldive]

You can easily do a tranny flush in your driveway. If it were me, I would use synthetic ATF; I use Amsoil.

Good luck ....

 

[bisjoe]

My trans guy charges $90 for fluid change and new pan gasket, well worth it
since it's a messy job..

Also, when I had the '96 Ex he told me he sees a lot of them wear out at 110-120K miles, and he recommends changing the fluid every 60k to help them last longer.

 

[410Fortune]

change the fluid and filter, do not flush

There is nothing wrong with using Mercon III and the lube guard addative in Mercon V applications, according to my research.

To get longer life out of your transmission, keep it cool.
Consider a larger cooler and/or an additional cooler and a trans temp gage

I change my trans fluid once a year and filter every 2-3 years depending on use.

Flushing is okay, but when you back flush you risk disloging sludge inside your transmission which can cause problems. Without a new filter in there as well this is just asking for problems, unless flushing is done often I would stay away from it

 

[gijoecam]

I have the fluid and filter done for $75 every 30,000 miles per Ford's recommendation at the local transmission shop. They do it while I wait, and with 140k on the clock, it's cheap preventive maintenance.

-Joe

 

[nolimitssjca]

I second Al's suggestion. I just did two of mine in the past week in my driveway with Amsoil ATF. Using the trans internal pump to push out the old ATF (one quart at a time) is extremely easy. Takes about 20 minutes.

If you just drain the ATF you get about 3 quarts. To replace it all (15qts) you need to circulate the old out and the new in.

I will be adding in-line filters this weekend.

 

[410Fortune]

forgot to add while the pan is down it is a perfect time to add a drain port.
My drain port is also the same hole my trans pan that my temp sensor is installed in