Transmission Oil Change Question

[Arcosanti]

Hello all, I have a question on my 2000 gas F250 5.4L V8. I am 10k overdue to change out the transmission oil for the 30k service, which I thought I'd do myself. I am assuming that it is simply a matter of taking out the drain bolt at the bottom of the transmission pan, just like an engine oil change. The manual says it takes something like 17.1 quarts (oh yeah, its an auto), but the guy I spoke to at Napa said that it would only take a couple quarts if I just drain the pan.
Do I just need to take out the drain bolt, or is there more to it than that? If only a couple of quarts will come out through the pan, there will still be a significant amount of old oil remaining that should be replaced also. Is this something that I should bite the bullet and let the dealer do?
Also, what do you guys recommend for replacement oil in the tranny. I use Mobil 1 synthetic in the engine, so I'm not afraid of that stuff. I pull a trailer quite often around town, so I'm probably harder on the engine and tranny than most.
Thanks for your input.

Scott

[NoMo]

Follow the information in the FAQs found here. It may reference the PSD, but the procedure is the same for all Super Duty trucks- regardless of engine.

I like Mobil 1 products. Will use their Mercon fluid in my truck when it gets a few more miles on it.

[NoMo]

Another method would be to just drain the pan and torque converter. It'll get 75-80% of the old fluid out. While not as effective as the method given in the FAQs, you don't need two people nor "extra" transmission fluid. And Mobil 1 isn't cheap! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[JimmyDee]

Just did what NoMo said and got 15 of the 17 qts out. I changed at 15k and will again at 30k. Don't feel there is anything wrong with this. Sure is a lot better than thoes who never change.

[Wayne B]

First thing you need to do is make sure the fluid is not burnt. Do this by looking at the fluid and smelling it. It should be red or pinkish and have no strong odor.
Then I would recommend a Flush from a shop. They use cleaning additives that will get the crud out. Make sure they change the filter also. Not all shops do this. [img]images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]

Wayne B

[3992824]

I was interested in using Mobil 1 in a trans fluid change, but at the shop that I went to, the service manager said he recalled an unspecified bulletin regarding synthetic fluids in auto transmissions.

He said that the synthetics can cause excessive slip in the trans, and recommended straight mercon.

[Arcosanti]

Thanks for setting me straight, I kept doing searches in the forums, but couldn't get anything to come up. I'll look harder next time, Thanks.

Scott

[crewzer]

Arcosanti,

I also have the 5.4 & AT combo, and I changed my AT fluid a couple of months ago. Smokey Wren and others were very helpful.

There are two differences to note when working on our trucks. One is that rather than a shroud, there's a rubber plug in the bottom of the trans bell housing that provides access to the TC drain plug.

I rotated the engine by hand at the crank pulley to align the TC drain plug -- it's rather small (~10mm), BTW. OK -- I used a 1/2" socket drive to rotate the crank. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

The other difference is that the AT hooked to the 5.4 has a different torque converter (2.2:1 stall ratio vs 2:1) with a bit more capacity - about 1/2 quart, as I remember.

HTH,
crewzer

[TURKEY]

The tranny techs at the local Ford dealer said as long as the tranny fluid is red/pink in color, feels good and slippery, and doesn't smell burnt its okay. I have 40k on my fluid, and the techs said it looked fine. I only tow about 4500lbs, and that is the sled trailer in the winter, and atvs in the summer. Other than that the truck is basically a comuter vehicle.

I also want to change to synthetic when I next flush the tranny. The dealer recomends Amsoil, and said they have seen some fuel milage gains using it. They don't seem to have any problem with synthetics, and even recommended them.

Andy

[Mark Kovalsky]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by dbuck:

He said that the synthetics can cause excessive slip in the trans, and recommended straight mercon.<hr></blockquote>

He's getting things mixed up. There is no problem with synthetics in the transmission, as long as the synthetic has a MERCON rating, and not MERCON V or dual rated MERCON and MERCON V.

Ford (the manufacturer, not the dealers) requires MERCON ATF. The owner's manuals have a warning to not use MERCON V or dual rated fluids.

[gdblake]

I changed my fluid to Mobil 1 synthetic. No slipping, noted, smoother shifts, too.

[crewzer]

[img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img]

Hmmm... I'll have to try that next time... Thanks for the tip!

[Mark Kovalsky]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by JimmyDee:
Crewzer,
You don't have to turn over the engine to get the TC to turn. I just reached up and turned the TC by hand. Its a lot easer than turning the entire engine to get it done.
Jim<hr></blockquote>

You have to be turning the entire engine. The torque converter is bolted to the flexplate, which is bolted to the crankshaft. If you are turning the torque converter without turning the engine it isn't going to drive! [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

[JimmyDee]

I guess it was turning the entire engine but I did it by turning the TC and it didn'ttake too much effort. Seems like a good place to do it because you can see when the drain plug is in position.
Jim

[JimmyDee]

Crewzer,
You don't have to turn over the engine to get the TC to turn. I just reached up and turned the TC by hand. Its a lot easer than turning the entire engine to get it done.
Jim