Transmission Maintenance

[Justamessenger]

The ford dealer is quoting me $675 for a filter and fluid change. Or $260 for a fluid change only. Something seems off. They say the filter change isn’t required until 100k. They do the fluid exchange all the time without issue. I’m confused.

It will be less confusing if you get more precise in your questions and the answers that you get. Removing and replacing some of the fluid in your tranny is what they are calling a fluid change, and is cheaper. A fluid exchange or a flush involves more fluid, and more labor and is more expensive. It also can create problems, so a fluid change every 30k is preferable to an exchange or flush at longer intervals.
I’m just wading into this after buying a 21k mileage Ranger, but did 8 or so of the fluid r&r on my last vehicle between 60k and 160k and had no problems at all.

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[98RangerDave]

It will be less confusing if you get more precise in your questions and the answers that you get. Removing and replacing some of the fluid in your tranny is what they are calling a fluid change, and is cheaper. A fluid exchange or a flush involves more fluid, and more labor and is more expensive. It also can create problems, so a fluid change every 30k is preferable to an exchange or flush at longer intervals.
I’m just wading into this after buying a 21k mileage Ranger, but did 8 or so of the fluid r&r on my last vehicle between 60k and 160k and had no problems at all.

This is what the service writer sent me:


We have a machine that does our fluid exchanges so the possibilities of that happening are really slim. There is no warranty.

This is the job they are quoting me $260 for.

 

[5thranger]

This is what the service writer sent me:


We have a machine that does our fluid exchanges so the possibilities of that happening are really slim. There is no warranty.

This is the job they are quoting me $260 for.

That would be a flush and recommend you not do that.

 

[got3fords]

I’m also interested in hearing some options. I have 57k miles on my 2020 (bought it used a few weeks ago). I purchased a 4 year / 48k mile warranty that covers everything. But I called my local Ford dealer today and they quoted me $280 for a transmission flush, they said no need to drop the pan or replace the filter at my mileage.

Is this good advice?

Good or bad, that's what I did. Fluid flush at 55k. 15oz of LG. Shifts pretty well aside from the occasional cold weather clunkiness if I don't let it warm up. I'll probably do just pan drop and filter change around 75k.

 

[dtech]

Flush should be perfectly fine - for yrs now there has been a lot old fud around tranny flushes, as in they back flush and so on, a lot of the fud stems from either older flush machines and/or people whose trannies had high mileage and on their last leg and the flush expedited the tranny's demise.
With a flush I believe you get the old fluid out of the torque converter as well, for years when my trannies had radiator cooling lines I would do a flush using those lines , using the internal tranny pump to get the majority of the fluid replaced, dropping the pan doesn't get the fluid in the converter.
I'm not neither a user nor fan of amsoil but found the link below regards flushes informative, your flush is being done at a Ford dealer who approves of the method, plus I've read that some newer flush machines are quite passive in fluid flushes - using the tranny pump just as the method I used for years with radiator tranny cooling lines.


https://blog.amsoil.com/transmission-pan-drop-vs-flush-which-is-better/

 

[5thranger]

Flush should be perfectly fine - for yrs now there has been a lot old fud around tranny flushes, as in they back flush and so on, a lot of the fud stems from either older flush machines and/or people whose trannies had high mileage and on their last leg and the flush expedited the tranny's demise.
With a flush I believe you get the old fluid out of the torque converter as well, for years when my trannies had radiator cooling lines I would do a flush using those lines , using the internal tranny pump to get the majority of the fluid replaced, dropping the pan doesn't get the fluid in the converter.

Yes, you get the fluid out of the converter, but all that fluid is being run thru the valve body and the solenoids. The DIY guy can do a couple of drain and fills and get it all cycled out. That is how I do my vehicles drain out 4-5 quarts refill run to temperature drain out fill again. Thats why I don't like about doing it on newer vehicles the solenoid screens can get plugged by the debris that will be present in the old fluid. I agree on older transmissions it was ok. For the guys that don't do their own maintenance I guess they have to make a decision on the flush.

 

[dtech]

Yes, you get the fluid out of the converter, but all that fluid is being run thru the valve body and the solenoids. The DIY guy can do a couple of drain and fills and get it all cycled out. That is how I do my vehicles drain out 4-5 quarts refill run to temperature drain out fill again. Thats why I don't like about doing it on newer vehicles the solenoid screens can get plugged by the debris that will be present in the old fluid. I agree on older transmissions it was ok.

yeah you are talking about DIY vs $260 at a dealer where you get virtually 100% new fluid, the newer flush machines use far less pressure and DO NOT backflush, so unless you are dealing with very dirty fluid I'd have zero reservations about getting a flush machine done at the dealer, so many diy will bring up old tapes about the risks of flushing, I fully realize many will chine in here about the ills of flushes but IMO that info is stale.
There was a recent post about someone who had the dealer drop the pan and replace the fluid and was told the fluid didn't look that bad, usually that means someone just unnecessarily changed the ATF fluid, mostly on here we have posts from DIY, many who advocate much more aggressive maintenance schedules on most everything.
And I will no longer post in this thread because the responses are completely predictable. It's clear that there are issues with the 10r80 - they seemingly stem more from design/quality issues than early non replacement of the ATF fluid - recall some posts where valve bodies caused problems and were replaced at very low miles - is that a design/quality issue or from dirty fluid ?

 

[5thranger]

yeah you are talking about DIY vs $260 at a dealer where you get virtually 100% new fluid, the newer flush machines use far less pressure and DO NOT backflush, so unless you are dealing with very dirty fluid I'd have zero reservations about getting a flush machine done at the dealer, so many diy will bring up old tapes about the risks of flushing, I fully realize many will chine in here about the ills of flushes but IMO that info is stale.
There was a recent post about someone who had the dealer drop the pan and replace the fluid and was told the fluid didn't look that bad, usually that means someone just unnecessarily changed the ATF fluid, mostly on here we have posts from DIY, many who advocate much more aggressive maintenance schedules on most everything.
And I will no longer post in this thread because the responses are completely predictable.

That is why I said DIY verses the guy that uses a shop. That is why the Fitz Stik and aftermarket pan is so popular. Do what you are comfortable with not trying to start an argument.

 

[dtech]

That is why I said DIY verses the guy that uses a shop. That is why the Fitz Stik and aftermarket pan is so popular. Do what you are comfortable with not trying to start an argument.

yes - the assumption being that the OP lacks the ability or interest in messing with the tranny but wishes to change the ATF - $260 for a complete flush of the ULV fluid seems like a really good deal , and just arbitrarily ruling out an ATF flush is something I wouldn't do .

 

[HeatXfer]

Here's how my trans fluid looked after only 34k lightly driven miles and there was a lot of fine sediment in in the filter and free-floating in the fluid. I'm going to change it again and ad Lube Guard before my trip to Wyoming this summer. I'm out of warranty, and considering the known problems with the 10r80s, I'll probably change the fluid at least one more time by 2026.

 

[got3fords]

Here's how my trans fluid looked after only 34k lightly driven miles and there was a lot of fine sediment in in the filter and free-floating in the fluid. I'm going to change it again and ad Lube Guard before my trip to Wyoming this summer. I'm out of warranty, and considering the known problems with the 10r80s, I'll probably change the fluid at least one more time by 2026.

Seeing that makes me glad I got it flushed.

 

[landiscarrier]

Hey OP I hope this cleared everything up for you!

I have 96k on my 19', I have dropped the pan, changed filter and fluid twice. Everything is good so far! And my truck has been tuned by Unleashed since about 5k.

 

[98RangerDave]

I called another dealer yesterday, about my mileage and what they recommended. That dealer also said the flush is the best option at 57k miles. They said the filter isn’t necessary until 100k.

To confirm though, they quoted me $300 for the flush, and $850 for the filter change/pan seal and new fluid if I went that route. At least this shows consistency across dealers.

I’m sticking with the flush as I originally planned for. I purchased a 4 year / 48 mile warranty that covers the transmission so if the flush really does mess anything up, I’ll be covered with a small out of pocket deductible.

I’ll keep the forum posted after I put some miles on the truck after the flush.

 

[dtech]

FWIW found a "training" video showing a flush on a F-150 with 10r80 , it would seem doing this as a backyard mechanic would be a bit of challenge without a flush machine, it's done with the engine running but I have to assume that is for purposes of moving fluid thru all areas - notably the torque converter. The machine likely uses low pressure pump to actually move fluid in via the pressure port and outflow thru the fill port on the tranny. Obvious that posting a training video is intended to stimulate transmission servicing.

 

[dtech]

This is what the service writer sent me:


We have a machine that does our fluid exchanges so the possibilities of that happening are really slim. There is no warranty.

This is the job they are quoting me $260 for.

Called my local Ford dealer and they want $370 for a tranny flush. A bit much, too much and I'd only trust a Ford dealer to do a flush. I'd be all over a $260 price, despite predictions that with a flush it's all over for my beloved 10r80 .

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