I have a 97 4.6 V8 F-150 with 135,600 miles. To my knowledge, I have never had the transmission fluid flushed. I went to do it today because my friend had hers done and it made a huge difference in her Durango.

The auto center wouldn't flush mine because it might cause more problems down the line by pushing what ever sediment is in the fluid throught the transmission.

The fluid is lightly orange and they said it wasn't bad, but not great. Would the be able to just drain the fluid that is there and replace, or is that useless?

 

you can remove the pan and replace the filter, then drain the torque converter through the 2" hole in the bell housing. there should be a plug in the hole on the converter. the problem with flushing a high mileage trans in my opinion is bowing lip seals with the pressure from the flush machine. your local garage should be able to do the procedure for you

 

i would take it to your local ford dealer and not a independent shop. the ford dealer charges about 140.00 and they wuse the correct procedure which most shops don't.

 

thats even better, I'm a dealer tech

 

At the dealership I worked at, they got a flush machine. we used it for a month and told them to get rid of it because you should always drop the pan so you can see whats there and because of issues with the machine moving particles through the trans and causing issues after the service. do a search on this site in the articles. I know someone has done an article on trans service. It is easy enough to do yourself. Nothin wrong with taking it to the dealer though. They know you truck and can advise you if something comes up.