just got an 89 f150 straight 6 and am trying to check transmission fluid level but there is no dipstick. how can i check the fluid level?

 

What kind of transmission is it? Manual or auto? how many speeds? Is there an overdrive button on the dash, or is it on the column, or do you have D and OD in the gear selector? e9ta ca means nothing.

 

Sounds like you have the ZF 5 speed manual.

You check the level via the plug just forward of the ID plate, the drain plug is down below that point.

Make sure its full up to the bottom of the plug hole, truck sitting on level ground.

 

it is a 5 sp manual with OD, tower shifter. (e9ta ca) also have a threaded hole on the drivers side of the transmission that has nothing in it right where the transmission bolts the motor. the threaded hole is close to the top of the transmission. what is this hole for?

 

That is the mazda M5OD-R2 transmisson. It is NOT the ZF as stated earlier, the ZF was only an option in the F250 and F350s. I told ya that e9ta ca means nothing. There is a plug on the side of the trans body about 1/2 way up on the drivers side. I dont know what hole your talking about, possibly for a clutch setup that you dont have

 

hey thanks a lot, wasnt thinking it was a zf as it does not have the ribbed cross hatch pattern on the sides. the pic you posted IS my tranny, so thanks again. now that it has been identified for me, im sure i can find more information easy enough

 

the ZF was only an option in the F250 and F350s.

Yea I considered that but in a truck thats several years old now, what was offered "Stock" for this generation truck might be rather meaningless now, at least to a degree. A ZF could have been swapped in at any point dumping a toasted mazda.

"e9ta" ca does suggest a ZF, not a mazda so I went with that until more info was given.

 

i know how you feel about the "e9ta" but what does it mean anyway? what does it identify? the basic type of transmission?

 

Honestly I have no idea. Never looked into how Ford identified transmissions, because theyre so easy to figure out w/ other ways.

 

E9TA is a generic prefix for a part number (or is engineering number the correct term?). E means 1980's decade + 9 is the year 1989, T is for pickup truck/bronco, and apparently A stands for light truck engineering. Without the rest of the part number, that prefix could be used on a whole truckload of parts that were assigned a number in 1989.

All the ZF's in 1989 had the E9TA prefix and the same part classification number, with different suffixes - CA isn't listed: http://www.zf.com/na/content/media/u...ion_Charts.pdf