Hey guys, I'm gonna be doing a transmission oil change and I'm wondering if there is any reason to drain the TC oil with 15K on a new transmission. How much oil will I put in it with draining the TC and without draining it? I figured I would drain the oil, new filter and gasket but any reason I need to change the TC oil too? Do I have to fill the torque converter through a different place or will everything just go in the fill tube?

Also, what is a recommended tranny oil? I was gonna just pick some ATF-4 castrol from autozone, that ok in the E4OD?

Thanks,
snapon.

 

I belive its atf MD lll. Correct me if im wrong but that's what I've been using

 

Oh, will this stuff work?

Castrol/1 qt. ATF+4 automatic transmission fluid (06810) | Transmission Fluid | AutoZone.com

 

Changing ATF Fluid in a E4OD and 4R100 transmission .: Articles Here is a link to a great article on doing a fluid change.
However you can alternatively drain the pan and the converter. The converter holds the bulk of the old fluid so should be drained. You just refill with fresh fluid through the dipstick tube and the converter will fill from there. If you do this you will need around 17qts of fluid.
You should use a fluid that says it meets Mercron V specs.

 

That's how I do my flushes every year on the camper.



Drop the pan, change filter etc.

Reinstall pan, fill back up to capacity.

Start 'er up and let 'er run for a couple minutes.

Now get a 5 gallon bucket and a piece of rubber hose.

Disconnect the trans feed line from the radiator (or aux cooler) and shove on the rubber line on that and aim the rubber line in the bucket. Tape the line to the lip of the bucket so it doesn't come out while it's flushing.

(to find the feed line, disconnect both lines to the radiator and start the engine for a second, witch ever line squirts out fluid is your feed line.)

Give a couple shots of compressed air through the radiator (or aux. cooler) to send all the old fluid and crap out of that and back to the transmission.


Put a good funnel on the transmission dipstick tube.


Now prepare at least 10 *OPEN* quarts of ATF ready, at easy hand reach.


Fire the engine up, and start pouring the ATF down the dipstick tube, and don't stop! As much fluid will be coming out as you are putting in.


When the fluid coming out and dumping into the bucket looks as nice and clean as the fluid you are dumping in, stop the engine.

Reconnect the feed line to the radiator (or aux. cooler). Make sure BOTH lines are well connected.

Start up engine and check level. Add as needed. Make sure level is correct.

Go for a good drive, when you get back, check level again and your done!



Simple as that! I do it every single year on my motorhome.

It's a good idea to be 2 people doing this, one sitting in the drivers seat of the vehicle waiting for commands by the person doing the work outside, just incase something happens that you need to turn off the engine quickly. You don't want your transmission to run dry.

 

If I drop the pan, I will need to fill up 17 quarts? I was planning on just not draining the TC. I was just gonna drop the pan, change the filter re-intsall and then fill it up. Is that only changing half the fluid? Keep in mind its 15K new.

Also, can't I just disconnect the line from the transmission itself rather that the rad.? The line at the rad. likes to leak so I would rather touch the one by the tranny itself. If I do that, that step will flush the TC also right?

 

I just picked this stuff up, my dipstick calls for mercon and from what I read mercon and dexron 3 are the same so I hope this works.

Castrol/1 gal. domestic multi-vehicle automatic transmission fluid for use in older Ford and General Motors vehicles (03520) | Transmission Fluid | AutoZone.com

 

our transmissions call for MERCON.
however MERCON is being discontinued,or has been,but still on some stores shelf's (this is how i understand it.i found it at NAPA)
at any rate,in 2006 ford said MERCON V can be used in place of the old standard MERCON.


looks like ya found the right stuff to me snapon.

CASTROL MP DEXRON ® III/MERCON®
MERCON APPROVED M-960101

 

Mercon is being discontinued? Isn't that what the C6 takes also?

 

you should have just bought yourself some new hose and fixed this issue while your at it.now is the best time.
the last thing you want is for an old leaky hose to finally rot/crack/blow out while your towing etc and risk blowing up a nice new trans all for a buck or two it would cost ya to make the repair.
you don't need to blow up another expensive trans to learn that preventive maintenance is much cheaper do you?

you lost your last trans due to a blow out of trans fluid.

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.-Albert Einstein"

 

I lost the other one due to towing, not a blown line. It overheated and dumped everything out of the overflow. I just let it cool down, filled it back up and drove it for another 2-3K then it gave out. The line I'm referring to doesn't leak, it just leaked before even after I tightened it up so I just cut the hose shorter and clamped it fresh. It I touch it again, I don't want to have to cut anymore off the hose for it to reseal, lol.

 

I Just drained the oil and it was nice and red. How much do I need to run the engine to get all the old fluid out?

 

Changing ATF Fluid in a E4OD and 4R100 transmission .: Articles

that shows you how.until you see air.


oh yeah thats right.
did ya add an external cooler yet or?
you plugged your trans sensor into the side test port right? watch your gauge and try to keep her at 175 degree's there.
an external cooler and possibly with an electric fan may be required.
try to keep it below 200 degrees.pull right over if you need to and let her cool.add a cooler/fan where required to try and maintain 175 degrees is ideal.
if you can do that,then you wont have to flush the fluid until 30k miles.though since you tow such heavy loads with a trailer,its probably best you do stick with the 15k flush intervals anyway.
but even then,making sure at all costs,you keep the fluid at the pan under 200 degrees is important.
i have wonderful results using this one;
http://www.bmracing.com/PRODUCTS/Aut...U-11x7-1-2x3-4

 

I have dual 10K coolers in series with a mechanical temp gauge for it and I have never once seen the gauge go above 140. From what I understand, you can't ever have too much cooling capacity on an E4OD, and you want the temps below 160 all the time. People say they can run 250K on a tranny that way with minimal wear. That's what I hear, but I haven't driven the 250K yet so I couldn't tell you for sure..

 

running too cool is no good either though.
you want a minimum operating trans temp of 150 degrees.
so if your "peaking" at 140,your over cooling your trans.


There's More To Coolers Than You Think: It's no secret that heat kills automatic transmissions. And in high-performance street-strip applications, the problem is especially acute. Small diameter torque converters coupled with stop-and-go traffic greatly increase the heat level in an automatic transmission. In most cases, the extra performance heat under the hood can have the same effect as heavy loads, trailer towing and desert conditions.

How hot is too hot? The ideal operating temperature for automatic transmission fluid is between 175 and 225° F. At approximately 240° F, important additives in the ATF begin to cook. The result is the formation of varnish inside the transmission. At approximately 260° F, internal transmission seals (which are typically manufactured from a polyacrylate material) begin to harden. The end results are leaks, both internal and external, simply because the seals lose their elasticity. At approximately 295° F, transmission clutch plates begin to slip because the oil is breaking down further. At approximately 315° F, seals and clutches effectively burn out. Carbon forms in the oil and for all intents and purposes, the transmission is junk. Just for your information, a typical transmission will die within 2000 miles if subjected to 300° F+ heat.

TCI - TECHNICAL INFORMATION: Transmission Life Expectancy


also a good read:
Transmission Oil

attached is a pdf:
Subject: How Cold Temperatures Affect Automatic Transmission Efficiencies