FINALLY MY TURN AT 43,000 MILES!

[ctechbob]

I believe it was a drain and fill. Asked about the filter and was told the filter was metal and would not not need replacing...

Definitely not metal, and definitely needs replacing on a 60-80,000 mile basis.

Or if you're in there doing a new pan, then is an opportune time to swap out the filter regardless of miles....well, unless the truck is brand new.

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[Grandaccess]

And then you learn the non- varying engine temp gage is really an idiot “light”! Just like my 1995 Eddie Bauer 4X Exploder! At least the tranny in that lasted 100K!

I got 283k out of my 07 Loved that truck!

 

[NotBudule2]

So, I have to add a dipstick , a deep pan with a drain plug , lube gard, new filter and all the fluid i can possibly extract and measure it to the MILLILITER for fear of puking it all over the highway, and do this at 5X the recommended intervals AND watch the temp just to have a CHANCE at a proper shifting transmission? I am actually glad mine did not come with way to easily add fluid so im not tempted to fill it with metal shavings ... (every time I rant about it , it seems to straighten up for a while and I gotta run somewhere later today , so...)

 

[TJC]

So, I have to add a dipstick , a deep pan with a drain plug , lube gard, new filter and all the fluid i can possibly extract and measure it to the MILLILITER for fear of puking it all over the highway, and do this at 5X the recommended intervals AND watch the temp just to have a CHANCE at a proper shifting transmission? I am actually glad mine did not come with way to easily add fluid so im not tempted to fill it with metal shavings ... (every time I rant about it , it seems to straighten up for a while and I gotta run somewhere later today , so...)

I feel your pain!

You can get by with just the FitzStick, a $15 xfer pump from Amazon, the fluid and a bottle of LubeGard Platinum. Measuring is easy now, and you won't spill a drop, and you can do it all from the engine bay. I can change out 7.5 quarts in about 45 minutes, 30 minutes if I hurry. And get the fluid level right in that 45 minute window.

It is actually easier than an engine oil change, thanks to Mike and his FitzStick.

You will have to do it often, every 20K-30K miles unless you can find a way to lower the transmission temperature well below 200F.

Or you can not do it at all and expect to replace the transmission every few years.

 

[NotBudule2]

Or you can not do it at all and expect to replace the transmission every few years.

That actually sounds better to me at this point...

 

[Titchadesh]

I feel your pain!

You can get by with just the FitzStick, a $15 xfer pump from Amazon, the fluid and a bottle of LubeGard Platinum. Measuring is easy now, and you won't spill a drop, and you can do it all from the engine bay. I can change out 7.5 quarts in about 45 minutes, 30 minutes if I hurry. And get the fluid level right in that 45 minute window.

It is actually easier than an engine oil change, thanks to Mike and his FitzStick.

You will have to do it often, every 20K-30K miles unless you can find a way to lower the transmission temperature well below 200F.

Or you can not do it at all and expect to replace the transmission every few years.

I just started a drain & fill sequence for my transmission similar to what you have done in the past to get my % of new, clean fluid up. I changed the filter and to a PPE pan back in January this year and put on roughly 8,000 since then. Been able to monitor my trans temp via my AeroForce gauge pod all this year which helped inform me how hard I’ve been running the fluid. I calculated I was about ~65% new fluid over fluid remaining from the factory when I installed the filter and refilled.

I had 3 qt of Mercon ULV left over from before so I took my pump and removed 3 qts via the MBS dipstick and added 3 back, with LubeGard Platinum accounted for as well. Such an easy and clean process. The fluid removed was darker with a red tint to it, no sparkles.

Even replacing those 3 qts with fresh fluid + LP made a noticeable difference in shifting. Ever since I put my Livernois 91 Performance tune on, shifts 2, 3, and 4 were firmer (nothing concerning) but now they are smooth as butter. Definitely not placebo effect.

I “bought” two large containers of Mercon ULV using existing Ford points (for free) so I’m going to drain and fill those two containers to get my % of new fluid up, and then finish off with AMSOIL’s ULV with my last drain and fill to maximize its presence in the mix. Yes it’s expensive at ~$65 for 4qts, but it stings less with having the Mercon ULV for free. Plus, the price of Mercon ULV has basically doubled on Rock Auto since I ordered in January, and when including shipping costs, the price of AMSOIL’s ULV is not far off at all.

All this to say, I’m a firm believer that these transmissions need clean fluid, and the fluid degrades fairly quickly—necessitating frequent drain and fills. I can literally feel the difference. If you are on the fence about taking on this important maintenance routine, with great aftermarket support like MBS’s dipstick and PPE pan, you really can take this on easily, and I’d encourage not to wait. Just do it!

 

[TJC]

It is remarkable how much difference the clean fluid makes. The difference is immediate, and dramatic.

And I see a similar difference with temperature differences as well. 150F-160F is the sweet spot, and the transmission behavior very slowly degrades as temps rise. Even at 200F, the transmission behaves far better with fresh fluid than it did with 18K miles on it.

I'm aiming for that magic 150F -160F zone with my transmission cooler project. I'm building a cooling module based upon this American Volt 40 row stacked cooler kit. 56K BTU / hour cooling capacity should be more than enough to allow me to control the fluid temp with fan cycles. And the PPE pan already has the port for the temperature sensor.

I hope to have the module completed in the next week to 10 days. Here's a picture of the not quite fully enclosed module. When completed, the plenum will allow plenty of non buffeted air flow though the entire surface of the cooler.

I've also purchased the Livernois tune, but I have not installed it yet. It will go on after the cooler project is completed. I live by the old mechanic's rule - Change one thing at a time and test.

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