So I went out to the truck yesterday to take a movie back to the ol' redbox. As I am walking up to the truck I see a puddle underneath. I crawl under to investigate, and find that the transmission is leaking. I took the truck to the dealership as soon as they opened up this morning. They said it's probably a switch thats leaking and that it a common problem among 2009 F150's, and could fix it within a day. Thats fine and all but they couldn't look at it until wednesday morning. Apparently you can't top off the trans fluid because there is no dipstick, and the only way to check the fluid level is to flush the system.

I guess my question is (1) Is this in fact a common problem? and (2) Why did Ford decide not to put a trans dipstick in the newer trucks?

Every automatic I've ever owned had a trans dipstick. I just don't understand.

Thanks in advance!

 

I wonder if the trans has too much running pressure to have a dipstick? It must have a level sensor then.

 

Thats kinda what I was thinking after posting earlier. Just because I'm curious, I'm going to ask when I take it back in.

 

Mustangs haven't had a dipstick since 2005. You check it with a sight plug like a manual trans.

 

I see. I have never had a mustang or know anybody who drives one. Do you know the reason for not having one?

 

It was either to save $$ or an attempt to keep people from maintaining the filter and fluid themselves.
You can check the fluid level in your transmission if you remove the fill plug located above the pan on the passenger side front of the trans. There is a plastic "dip stick" attached to the plug.

 

Check it while idling hot?

 

Why not? Just use gloves and don't lean on the exhaust by mistake.

 

Good to know. Ill make sure I check it out.

I still haven't heard if anybody's had a leak from those switches they talk about.

 

Problem= Leaky Trans

Solution= Netflix!

 

How is putting DVD's (or Blue Rays) in the transmission a fix for a leak?

Can he put VHS or beta tapes in it? How about Video Discs?


...Sony U-matic tapes?

I guess a good Total Recall may fix it.

 

Yeah, I didn't get it either. WTF does it mean!

 

This officially rates as the second strangest post I have seen since the "ill bubba" post in the Super Duty forum.

 

Oh, I get it! Turbodogg was going to RedBox... So, to avoid transmission leaks (and driving the truck to the Redbox location), get Netflix so he won't have to go anywhere. Does the post office use the 6R80E? Meeeeh, who cares, their problem.

OK, back to the regular programming. It's happened to me in the past that I overfilled my E4OD. The result was some pretty good burping of transmission fluid when the truck got hot. It stopped on its own when the fluid level got lower though. Ford told me not to worry about it and that the E4OD was designed to "vent" extra fluid without blowing a seal. (That sounds perverted) Maybe these leaking 6R80E were over-filled? Does the factory fill them though the oil plug or through the cooling lines?

 

Thanks n578md. It was a bad joke, went terribly wrong.

Sorry for the post hijack OP.

A lot of vehicles are going "dipstickless". It won't be long before this is the case with the crankcase oil. This is for warranty reasons. The less us "DIYers" do, the better for the OEMs and their respective dealers.