Should I or Shouldn't I?

[Jeffksf B]

Well my newly bought Trac has 79,000 miles and I've been reading and seeing some issues about the tranny. I believe mine is working fine and I would like to keep it that way. My question is should I change the tranny oil? I have no way of knowing if it has ever been changed up to this point. I've read varying opinions on if it's never been done up till now then don't do it because it will dislodge any debris in the tranny and possible cause problems. Any thoughts to this? Also should I take it somewhere and have them do the flush with the special equipment where they actually tie into your tranny cooler lines and change out the fluid that way, or do it myself? I'm contemplating doing it myself because then I can drop the pan and change the filter.

 

[Dave S 2]

Yeah, you can drop the pan and change what you can but the new will mix with the other 2 quarts or so left and nill the change. Since you are not sure if it has been changed, I'D SAY TAKE IT SOMEWHERE FOR A COMPLETE FLUSH N FILL. tHEN YOU WILL KNOW THe LAST TIME IT WAS DONE. While at it, change ALL the fluids, plugs and belts. That way you'll know exactly where you are at and no longer guessing.

 

[Todd Z]

Pan and filter only is my recommendation, this way your only changing 4.5 qts and replace the filter....



Todd Z

 

[Richard L]

You can test the transmission fluid visually and by smell and tell if it's good or not.



Fresh fluid is a clean transparent red colot. If it looks brownish and cloudy it probably needs changing. Another good test is to put a few drops on a white paper towel. If it leaves a redish-pink spot, your fluid is OK if the spot looks darker like blood or a brown spot, it needs to be changed.



The test is a little more subjective but if it has a slight acrid odor of burn toast, it needs to be replaced.



If it's burn smelling or very brown in color, I would flush it all out. If it's just a little dark in color, you could probably get by with just doing a conventional fluid change by dropping the pan. That will only replace about half the fluid, but that should be sufficient.



Personally, I don't believe that dropping the pan and changing half the fluid is as effective as a fluid flush that replaces about 98% of the fluid and there is no risk of a leaking pan gasket. Changing the transmission filter is not as critical in the transmission as it is the engine oil filter. The transmission filter is only a large particulate filter. There are no combustion byproducts in the transmission.and the filter will not help dark burnt fluid



...Rich

 

[Dreman]

Put in a drain plug when you drop the pan and change the fluid more often. Changing half the fluid 4 times equals about 94% oil change for a lot less than a fluid flush. Change the filter every 30,000 or so.

 

[Tom Schindler]

My brother got a used 1999 Explorer at 136,000 miles. One of the first things he did was changed the fluid. He sucked the fluid out, refilled and drove it. He did that 4 times. He then pulled the pan and pulled the filter. Replaced the filter and put the pan back on and he is close to 160,000 and it is still running fine.



I have heard that if you replace the fluid on a tranny that has alot of miles on it, it can cause problems. I can not confirm that idea, though I have heard it.



If it were me, I would drop the pan and replace the filter. The filter is not a screen like the old tranny's had. They are a 3M Filcron media that does actually filter. There is also a magnet in the bottom of the pan that should be cleaned too.



The local tranny shop here recomends pulling the pan once a year and replacing the filter. He also said if you replenish just the ammount of fluid you lose due to dropping the pan, your tranny will last forever. He has the manchine to flush the tranny, but he feels it is a scam. He does offer the service though.





Tom

 

[Jeffksf B]

Good info, thanks. I like the idea of just dropping the pan and changing most of the oil and filter then seeing how it goes. Probably install the plug and drive it for a month and change it again.

So far I've done: Plugs & wires, Serpentine belt and lubed idler/tensioner pulleys, Lower ball joints, shocks, & fuel filter probably tonight.

Now if I could only get rid of the old Ranger:unsure:

 

[Jeffksf B]

Got the tranny fluid changed last night, only found 2 rice sized pieces of metal on the magnet. Fluid was pretty dark. I used Valvoline for "high mileage trannys" oil. Since I installed the drain plug I used a small punch and punched a hole in the pan where I was mounting the plug, this allowed the pan to drain and made for a much cleaner job. It felt fine on the test drive. I'll probably drive it a week and then drain it and add more new oil.

Also installed a new DPFE sensor, cleaned the MAF and removed the snorkel from the air box. Hopefully my CEL disappears now.