transmission service

db_tanker

Well-Known Member
First Name
Darrell
Joined
Mar 21, 2020
Threads
27
Messages
377
Reaction score
778
Location
Texas
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ford Ranger / 2018 Honda Civic EX 5 door
Occupation
Process Professional
Okay so I am more worried about transmissions and their service than most other things in my vehicles.
Now that I have a trans with 10 bloody gears in one vehicle and a CVT trans in my other...well...now I'm even more worried lol

On our 10 speed...who is planning on sticking with the suggested maintenance plan and who isn't?

And who is planning on sticking with the Motorcraft fluid vs other brand such as Amsoil, etc?
Sponsored

 

JaysOnTheEDGE

Well-Known Member
First Name
Jay
Joined
Oct 17, 2019
Threads
9
Messages
763
Reaction score
1,383
Location
North Carolina
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ranger XLT Sport 4x4, 2021 Escape SEL AWD
i plan on whatever the maintenance schedule says, i hate wasting resources if not needed. i'm older now and i don't enjoy wrenching on cars anymore unless i absolutely have too.
 

Whiskeybilt

Well-Known Member
First Name
Jamison
Joined
May 27, 2020
Threads
5
Messages
320
Reaction score
428
Location
Virgin islands
Vehicle(s)
2019 ranger
Occupation
chef
After seeing what's happening with everyones rear and sluchbox, I'm wondering if it's worth a quick cleanout too.
 

runner69

Well-Known Member
First Name
Eric
Joined
Jun 5, 2020
Threads
3
Messages
119
Reaction score
308
Location
80538
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ranger
Occupation
Transit bus mechanic, former Ford master tech
Vehicle Showcase
1
with the amount of off roading I do I am planning on having the transmission serviced at 50K
 
Last edited:

Abjectwoe

Well-Known Member
First Name
Marc
Joined
May 30, 2020
Threads
12
Messages
207
Reaction score
360
Location
USA
Vehicle(s)
2020 Ranger XL
Definitely not sticking to the suggested maintenance. 50k for transmission sounds reasonable.
 


OP
OP

db_tanker

Well-Known Member
First Name
Darrell
Joined
Mar 21, 2020
Threads
27
Messages
377
Reaction score
778
Location
Texas
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ford Ranger / 2018 Honda Civic EX 5 door
Occupation
Process Professional
I stuck with a 50-60k fluid change when it came to the 4R70 in my F150.

Has anyone found a reliable source yet for aftermarket METAL pans? The plastic pan has no drain plug and makes me a bit nervous.

D
 

Frenchy

Well-Known Member
First Name
Chris
Joined
Mar 15, 2020
Threads
97
Messages
6,039
Reaction score
8,178
Location
Elizabeth, Colorado
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ford Ranger, 2019 cargo van, soon to be 1993
Occupation
Crown Forklift Technician
Even though they recommend every 100,000 MI change transmission fluid I'm going to do it at50,000 MI because of going off-roading so much I am in a severe condition to the extreme. Will it hurt it to do it at that many miles? Absolutely not. Thankfully the ulv fluid used by Ford is a full synthetic transmission fluid and until you get to 250 degrees Fahrenheit the transmission fluid will not break down. This is something I learned from the automatic transmission Tech at the dealership I just left. Now when I go to have extra load added onto my truck I'm probably going to add a external transmission cooler when one does become available. That is if one does decide to come out. I have about 26000 miles on my truck right now and I haven't had any problems with the transmission except once during the first 5000 miles but I had it. Mind you I had this truck since it was brand new and I currently have the tow tune from Livernois. Hope this info helps.
 

DavidR

Well-Known Member
First Name
David
Joined
Jul 22, 2019
Threads
4
Messages
388
Reaction score
323
Location
Eastern CA
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ranger XLT Supercab Saber FX4
Occupation
Engineer
I stuck with a 50-60k fluid change when it came to the 4R70 in my F150.

Has anyone found a reliable source yet for aftermarket METAL pans? The plastic pan has no drain plug and makes me a bit nervous.

D
The plastic pan is definitely a nuisance since like you, I would be nervous trying to install a drain plug in it. I haven't looked for a metal one but that's not a bad idea. Here's what I did just this morning, though, in case it makes life easier for anyone else:

First, pick up a set of these (Mityvac 1.5-L manual evacuator + the Ford-specific fill/drain tube extension):

IMG_20200826_143926690.jpg


Because there's no long dipstick and fill tube, it helps to have a little extra maneuvering room under the truck, so I put the front on ramps and raised the rear slightly with jack stands making sure that the rear wheels stayed on the ground for stability. The truck should be fairly level, but it doesn't have to be perfectly level because I used relative fluid level measurements, not the procedure in the manual.

What makes this easier than the procedure in the manual is that there is no dropping of the pan, and that the oil level measurements are relative to what they put in at the factory. So yes, there is an assumption that the factory put in the correct amount and that there are not yet any leaks after only 12,000 miles (I'll explain later why I'm doing this at 12,000 miles).

NOTE: to do this you need to get intimate with the exhaust system, which runs just inches from the transmission and the fill port, so I did this with the truck cold, having been run only the few seconds it took to get it up on the ramps. I also made sure that the new bottles of oil were at the same temperature as the underside of the truck.

If you engage the transmission to move the truck onto ramps, let it sit for a while so the oil settles, then loosen the cap and use the dipstick inside to measure the existing factory fluid level and remember what it is.

I then sucked out 3 quarts of oil, which is a bit less than what the manual says you should get by dropping the pan, and replaced it with 3 quarts of new oil using the evacuator. I then checked the level, which was off by a tiny bit so I added a little to correct for it.

Put the dipstick and cap back on and you're done. I test drove it for 10 miles or so and it's fine. I'll probably recheck the level again in a day or so.

So why am I doing this at 12,000 miles? According to the manual, if you just drop the pan, you will only be draining 3.5 quarts of oil (out of 12). My plan is to remove 3 quarts (about 1/4 of the total) and replace it with new oil every 10-12,000 miles. That's not exactly the same as changing all of it at once at 50,000 miles, but based on the manual, you can't do that by just dropping the pan. I think this method is pretty safe since you're just directly replacing oil that is sitting right in the pan, and with the evacuator it's really only slightly more of a headache then changing the trans oil on our '93 Ranger where I installed a drain plug. It will take a little extra time to navigate your way through the first time, but I suspect the second time, it will take me around an hour.

What I probably will do at 50,000 miles is to drop the pan and change the filter, but that will be less painful of a task if you first use the evacuator to remove as much oil as possible.

Note on cost: I was pleasantly surprised that the ULV oil was pretty inexpensive even at the dealer. It was about $6 per quart. After the initial cost of the evacuator, replacing 1/4 of the oil every 10-12,000 miles will cost all of $18 and an hour (+/-) of time.
 
OP
OP

db_tanker

Well-Known Member
First Name
Darrell
Joined
Mar 21, 2020
Threads
27
Messages
377
Reaction score
778
Location
Texas
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ford Ranger / 2018 Honda Civic EX 5 door
Occupation
Process Professional
on my wifes old 2005 Ford Escape we were forced to do a similar type of service. pull the plug and you would drop say about 6 qts of fluid, replace that fluid, drive around for about 5-10 miles, drop another 6 quarts of fluid and replace, drive around for another 5-10 miles, and do one more drop and fill.

This would technically flush about 60-80% of the old fluid out allegedly. We put nearly 200k on that CD4E with no issues.
 

geophb

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2020
Threads
4
Messages
530
Reaction score
742
Location
Wisconsin
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ranger
Occupation
Mechanical Engineer
Normal scheduled maintenance is 150k in my manual for the front/rear diff, trans, and Tcase. Thats ludicrous. I plan on doin 50k or sooner if I get bored ?.
I plan on replacing trans filter at that 50k interval too. I like the idea of sucking most of the fluid out though before dropping the pan, that should cut down on the mess.

According to the service manual the fluid is supposed to be checked with: engine on, trans in park, with trans fluid between 206F-215F. Recommended level between mark 4 and 5 on the stick.
 

DavidR

Well-Known Member
First Name
David
Joined
Jul 22, 2019
Threads
4
Messages
388
Reaction score
323
Location
Eastern CA
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ranger XLT Supercab Saber FX4
Occupation
Engineer
on my wifes old 2005 Ford Escape we were forced to do a similar type of service. pull the plug and you would drop say about 6 qts of fluid, replace that fluid, drive around for about 5-10 miles, drop another 6 quarts of fluid and replace, drive around for another 5-10 miles, and do one more drop and fill.

This would technically flush about 60-80% of the old fluid out allegedly. We put nearly 200k on that CD4E with no issues.
Yeah, it's been the same with all of the Hondas we've owned in recent years. One solution is your procedure, another is to just do the partial change but more often, which is what's recommended in the Honda owner's manuals. The specified change points are fairly often, but you're only changing half the oil. Even so, I have divided those intervals in half. Similar to your Escape, we've had 200K+ miles on all 3 of those Hondas. One of the transmissions finally failed at 250K.

The Ford 10-speed, however, is a big reduction compared to our previous vehicles in the percentage of oil that gets changed by just emptying the pan. In the past, as with our Hondas, draining the pan typically changed about half the oil (For example, our Insight's CVT holds 6 liters, and a change removes 3 liters). Draining the pan on the Ford 10-speed changes 3.5 out of 12, which is the lowest ratio I've seen.

What I don't know is what the Ford dealer does when you take one in at the recommended point of 100,000 miles. It's hard to believe that they simply drop the pan and swap out only 3.5 quarts of the 100,000-mile-old oil and then return the truck to you. I assume they have some procedure where they can change out more of the oil without dropping the trans, either something like you did, or some special evacuator that can remove much more of the oil from the interior of the trans.
 

slowmachine

Well-Known Member
First Name
Mike
Joined
Jul 18, 2020
Threads
39
Messages
930
Reaction score
1,971
Location
New Hampshire
Vehicle(s)
2015 Jeep Wrangler, waiting for a Ranger PHEV
You won’t find this at the Ford dealer, but...

My neighbor owns a Meineke shop. I know that he has the equipment to completely flush the old fluid from the transmission. They cut one of the external transmission fluid lines, and insert a machine that collects the old fluid as it flows out and replaces it with new. This is probably not something to do during the warranty period.
 
OP
OP

db_tanker

Well-Known Member
First Name
Darrell
Joined
Mar 21, 2020
Threads
27
Messages
377
Reaction score
778
Location
Texas
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ford Ranger / 2018 Honda Civic EX 5 door
Occupation
Process Professional
on my 2005 F150 the trans cooler had quick connects you could use...I know our cooler is down under the vehicle near the trans...does this have quick connects that can be used in the same manner possibly?
 

Frenchy

Well-Known Member
First Name
Chris
Joined
Mar 15, 2020
Threads
97
Messages
6,039
Reaction score
8,178
Location
Elizabeth, Colorado
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ford Ranger, 2019 cargo van, soon to be 1993
Occupation
Crown Forklift Technician
You won’t find this at the Ford dealer, but...

My neighbor owns a Meineke shop. I know that he has the equipment to completely flush the old fluid from the transmission. They cut one of the external transmission fluid lines, and insert a machine that collects the old fluid as it flows out and replaces it with new. This is probably not something to do during the warranty period.
As nice as that can be they can't do that on the ranger. The reason is the cooler is mounted on the side of the transmission and the linea go straight into the transmission.
 

DavidR

Well-Known Member
First Name
David
Joined
Jul 22, 2019
Threads
4
Messages
388
Reaction score
323
Location
Eastern CA
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ranger XLT Supercab Saber FX4
Occupation
Engineer
As nice as that can be they can't do that on the ranger. The reason is the cooler is mounted on the side of the transmission and the linea go straight into the transmission.
Do you know if there is some other evacuation method or equipment that is used to evacuate or change more of the oil than you would be able to get by just dropping the pan? It seems like dealer shops must have some way of doing this since at 100,000 miles, I assume you would want to change as much of the oil as possible..
Sponsored

 
 



Top