I did my routine check of transmission fluid today.

1) It is the correct level on the dipstick.
2) It is a very light brown color.
3) It does not smell burned, but more like motor oil.
4) When I bought the truck (last August with 202K on it), the fluid was fresh and bright red. It now has 14K on it.
5) The transmission shows no symptoms of problems.

My only concern is how fast (12K miles) the fluid lost it's color. Now, this is only my second ever automatic, so I don't have a lot of experience with the fluid. Should it still be bright red? Should I go ahead and have the transmission flushed, and filled with a new filter, or are the above conditions normal?

 

I'd flush it.

 

A flush is $300, so I don't want to do it unless absolutely necessary. I talked to the shop owner where I always go that has never steered me wrong on any repair, and I will actually let him look at it tomorrow, but he says that Mercon V is brown anyway, and based on the fact that it smells like new motor oil, it should be fine. He recommended against a flush.

I stated in my original post that the fluid was red when it was new, but I could be wrong. I thought it was, but I honestly couldn't swear to it, and I know that the dealer that I bought the truck from services their vehicles before sale at the same shop I mentioned above, so I have the service history before I bought the truck, and I know they would have changed the fluid if it was anything but perfect at that time.

ALSO: Mark, how often should the transmission be serviced?

 

The Mercon I use at work is red...not brown. I would change it if it was me. Drop the pan and drain the torque converter if you can.

 

Should have said Mercon V....oops.

 

300.00 for a flush what a rip!!! That means you are getting charged almost $18.75 a quart!!! Do it yourself for $60.00 and be done with it.

 

Where are you finding Mercon V for less than $3.00 a quart? The cheapest i have found Mercon V for is $4.19 and that was on sale. The filter was about $24. When I did mine per Marks write up, I used 22 quarts. 7 to drain the pan, then 5, 5, and 5. I used half a quart to top it off and put the last quart in the jack cubby (I bought 2 cases).

If it was mine I would read Marks write up. It was one of the easiest things I have ever done on my truck. I did drop the pan on mine to replace the filter, but since the truck was new to me, I really just wanted to see the condition of the pan and clean off the magnet in the bottom. If I were you, I would do the same.

Based on your price, you can save 175 bucks AND have a much better idea of what condition your tranny really is in.

 

A link to Mark's writeup?

 

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

 

Replace the filter or not?

 

Since it is open, I would, but my old one was fine.

 

Any negatives to replacing the filter? The Ford dealer claimed that they hardly ever replace the filters. The service advisor didn't even have the part info on hand, and had to go to parts to get a price since they replace them so infrequently.

 

I cant think of one but I could be wrong.

 

The only negative is the possibility of stripping out the threads where the transmission pan bolts go. I don't really like to drop the pan unless absolutely necessary. If you don't know how long it's been since the filter was changed, then you might go ahead and change it this time. You can then add something like a Magnafine in line filter so you don't have to drop the pan during your next flush. Some of us like to add our own filter system to help extend the life of the trans fluid. Here is a link to Ken's write up from the 7.3 forum in case you are curious.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&p...NTFkMDU1MGE4YQ
If you do something like that then you may never need to change the in pan filter again.

Mercon V is red when new. I took a fluid sample to the lab after 16k miles (Motorcraft Mercon V) and it was still red.

Mark's write up is an excellent resource. I'd follow his advice and flush the fluid using his procedure. I've talked to several transmission shops and a few dealerships and they all have a different definition of the work involved to flush the fluid. In my opinion a flush should be complete transfusion where you get out as much of the old fluid as possible. Some just drain the pan and replace with 6 qts, others do a bit more but Mark's instructions are the closest thing to a complete flush as possible.

 

Okay, I bought the fluid. Whew! 20 qts of Motorcraft Mercon V is $102!! Still, it was cheaper than the Valvoline, and cheaper than the Ford dealer. I think it was $4.69/qt. Why doesn't even Ford offer this stuff in gallon jugs? $102 + flush ($70) or do it yourself, and this is supposed to be done every 30K? I think I will go back to a manual transmission...