Transmission flush advice

[jmsa540]

Guys, my car is about to roll over to 78K and I haven't even had a chance to "enjoy" it.

I wanted to do a tranny flush at the ford dealer before I start having fun with the car, etc.

the last time it was changed was at 55,758 miles (sept-2012) and it was done at Jiffy Lube.

The car currently has 77,952 miles on it.

Should I be safe? The transmission shifts fine.

[whitey]

Guys, my car is about to roll over to 78K and I haven't even had a chance to "enjoy" it.

I wanted to do a tranny flush at the ford dealer before I start having fun with the car, etc.

the last time it was changed was at 55,758 miles (sept-2012) and it was done at Jiffy Lube.

The car currently has 77,952 miles on it.

Should I be safe? The transmission shifts fine.

I read jiffy lube, and then read, should i be safe?

Yep, top notch car care....you'll be fine.

[fastblackmerc]

22k since last service should be fine. Check the smell and color. No burnt odor and red color = OK.

[Zack]

Pull the pan, replace the filter and install a drain plug in the pan.
Let the fluid drain overnight so you get the most out, or start the car for 10--15 seconds with the pan off.
Then drain 4 quarts out every other oil change.

[chief455]

22k since last service should be fine. Check the smell and color. No burnt odor and red color = OK.

I'm with this. If you have been easy on the car, you'll be draining fluid with tons of life left.
Zack's drain plug is smart next time your fluid is changed.

[jmsa540]

Guys, thanks. I believe the 55K one was the first tranny flush ever for this car. It really does shift fine, besides the weird "hunting for gear" thing. A tune from marty can fix that!

[Logizyme]

Jiffy lube generally will be using a universal DexIII/Mercon fluid, with an additive bottle to upgrade the fluid to Mercon V. Its really not a high quality fluid and I would suggest you replace it with some quality bottled Mercon V.

The drain plug is unneeded. If you disconnect the upper transmission cooler line from the hose just below the radiator, then start the engine, the transmission pump will pump the contents of the fluid pad out through the hose(which you should point into a drain pan). You can then fill the transmission just as if it had been drained. You could do it, drive it around the block, and repeat as many times as you would like to replace the most amount of fluid.

It kinda sounds like you do not service your own vehicle - if you change your own oil you can do what I described above pretty easily. If you do not service your own vehicle I would suggest having a dealer perform a transmission service for you.

Dropping the pan and changing the filter is not really needed. The filter really is only good for filtering out squirrels and pinecones.

[burt ragio]

Either way will get the job done trans drain plug or removal of return trans line at rad cooler. I prefer dropping trans pan better clean out & visual inspection. Replacing a filter never hurts. Most important use Mercon V.

[fastblackmerc]

Personally I prefer dropping the pan or using a drain plug. Less chance of possibly damaging the tranny. The extra cost of a filter is not that much. You can reuse the OEM gasket.

As stated.... ONLY use MERCRON V fluid. Fluid that you add a modifier to to "make" it Mercron V is not worth it.

[RF Overlord]

Many people have mis-information about changing transmission filters. For the record, Logizyme has it right.

Automatic transmissions generate the majority of their wear material in the first 10-15,000 miles from new. It is this wear material the filter is designed to trap. The ideal scenario is to change the filter once around that mileage and after that it is not necessary to change it again. The factory service manual even states that routine servicing of the filter is not required.

Having said that, it certainly doesn't hurt anything to change it more often, it just doesn't buy you anything.

[Zack]

Let's make an even clearer post for the less intelligent.

If you bought your car used, it is a damn good idea to drop the pan, replace the filter and install a drain plug.
After that, intermittent fluid draining is all you will need to keep the trans in great shape.

[fastblackmerc]

Let's make an even clearer post for the less intelligent.

If you bought your car used, it is a damn good idea to drop the pan, replace the filter and install a drain plug.
After that, intermittent fluid draining is all you will need to keep the trans in great shape.

+1.......234

[JBeezy]

In my case, I bought my car with 30k miles. Had the trans serviced around 40k at the dealership i think. It has 54k now. I've been thinking of taking it back to them for another servicing, but don't want that tech driving my car now that it's Supercharged. Should I just drain what's in the pan and replace that amount with fresh fluid?

[RF Overlord]

Yes. It'll take just under 4 quarts.

Do that every 25-30,000 and your transmission will thank you.


and "what Zack said" in post #11

[jmsa540]

just checked the color, it looks pinkish, NO BROWN. smells well, like regular fluid?