So i havent bought a chilton manual for my truck yet
now im relying on the great knowledge of the FTE!

changing the trans fluid myself in my 6.8 4x4 with the 4r100.
now i already have my 6.5 quarts of the motorcraft Mercon V.
im also aware that my transmission pan has a drain plug....
basically i want to know if i can just drain and fill for now to clean the junk in the torque converter, obviously should drain and fill again in a week or so....and again after that so im told....

Am i going about this the right way? any suggestions along my trails?
Besides BUY THE CHILTON BOOK! haha.

Thanks in Advance FTE!

 

Follow this and you'll do it all in one step. You can use conventional fluid, but most of us over in the 7.3 forum like to use Mobil 1 ATF. Changing ATF Fluid in a E4OD and 4R100 transmission .: Articles

This was written by an actual Ford transmission guy, so he knows what he's talking about.

 

How do you plan to "clean the junk in the torque converter?" There is a drain plug in the torque converter so you could drain that, too, but the link that Trevor posted is a better way to change the fluid.

Go back to the parts store before you start. You'll need another 13.5 quarts of fluid.

I wouldn't waste money on the Chilton book. I've read through it and the Haynes. There is VERY little information in them.

 

Well the only way im assuming besides a drain plug in the converter...would be to just fill and drain until everything is well mixed and clean. The dirty fluid in the converter will mix with the clean fluid in the pan. Then you just drain the 6.5 quarts in the pan and do it again. If its gonna be that much trouble to change some fluid where i dont have another person to help, i might as well take the damn thing to aamco and get a flush and new filter for 100 bucks. 7 quarts of motorcraft mercon 5 cost 42 bucks...
Maybe ill just stick with changin my own oil for now...

 

So im re reading the post and am still a little confused but i think im getting it. Basically get 19 quarts and get a 10 foot length of drain tubing. Clamp it over the return. And just start the engine until it spits an air bubble? Then fill the dip with as much as it just sucked out? Then it says repeat that process until you added almost all your fluid. So dont drain the pan if i dont want to change my filter... It sounds simple now that i read it about 20 times.

 

You got it! It really is simple and you can do it on you own if necessary, I did. The line that your removing is the return from the cooler so you're basically using the truck to pump out the old fluid and filling it back up as you go. Don't forget to run the shifter through the gears at least once, pausing for a few seconds in each gear. This pushes new fluid into the valve body. Personally, I'd drain and drop the pan just to see if there's anything laying in there and to wipe off the bottom of the pan where any fine material can collect. The gasket on there is reusable, and you already have a drain plug in there so go for it. Plus this way you're getting rid of 6 qts of old fluid right away and you'll start pulling the new stuff through on the first run.

 

Well mark mentioned that conventional is ok but synthetic is better.then again he said over in 7.3 PS land.... Should i stick with the motorcraft mercon 5 or get the synthetic equivilant. I dont haul but i still want the best for my money. 6.8 v10 application with the 4r100.

 

Well mark mentioned that conventional is ok but synthetic is better.then again he said over in 7.3 PS land.... Should i stick with the motorcraft mercon 5 or get the synthetic equivilant. I dont haul but i still want the best for my money. 6.8 v10 application with the 4r100. Also....if im understanding correctly...you are doing this until fluid comes out clean from the other side right? Should you shift thru all the gears when the fluid has all been replaced and is clean? Is this the same for my manual transfercase? Or does the 4x4 not matter here.

 

Go to a shop with a flushing machine and have it done there and refill with Mercon V. The flushing will also check for correct pressure. You don't need to drop the pan or change the filter until at least 300K.

 

Why would i spend all that money on mercon v and have someone else use a machine on it when i can easily do it myself for free. I highly doubt my transmission will make it 300k the way i drive. I just bought the truck so im replacing all the fluids and plugs/wires. If i wanted to have someone else do it, it would be done already and i wouldnt be a member here. Thanks for reading and giving some input. Im glad im getting good advice from fte once again.

 

Conventional is just fine, as long as it meets Mercon V specs. I put synthetic in cause I had the money at the time. At $7 a quart, it wasn't cheap.

You probably won't notice a change in the fluid color while doing this. I think each time I ran the truck, it pumped around 5 quarts, so after the 4th time, I hooked the return line back up, and added the last 5 quarts to the trans (I ran 2 extra quarts through just for peace of mind) and it was at the full mark. You're basically pumping the fluid out of the truck a few quarts at a time until you've pumped out all the old fluid. If you pump it into a 5 gallon jug, you'll know you're done when the jug is full.

Move the shifters between gears during one of the times while you're pumping out the old fluid. You don't have to do it each time. I did it twice just to be sure.

The t-case is a separate item and doesn't need to be touched while doing this. I think it takes 2 or 3 quarts of the same fluid. Lay under the truck and look on the back of the case. You'll see two plugs with square holes. Top is fill, bottom is drain. Use a breaker bar (either 3/8 or 1/2) to pop the fill plug loose, then put a drain pan under the bottom one and take it out. FYI, the fluid might shoot back further then your pan for a second! Once its empty, wipe the threads clean and snug the bottom plug back up. Using a bottle pump, pump the fluid into the top hole until it runs out. Put the top plug back in and you're done!

If you want to add something to your post after its posted or fix spelling, click the little 'edit' button in the bottom right corner of the box. Then you won't end up with double posts like you did above

 

Well I went ahead and changed my oil today and decided I had better do the ATF too since my engine oil was black haha.
New motorcraft oil filter and 6 quarts of liquid titanium gt1 for the engine.
New motorcraft Transmission filter (kinda pissed that a wix rubber gasket was installed along with a wix transmission filter. so i just reused that) 19 or so quarts of Motorcraft Mercon V. wiped out the pan with a microfiber towel. lots of **** on the magnet.
The purge went pretty good except not having a good clamp on the return line. so i just put a 5 gal bucket under the hose clamped line since it was dripping a little bit.
My buddy got nifty and put the empty bottles of atf in the bucket then stuck the 3/4 inch hose into the bottles when its pumping out.
then we knew how much exactally to add back in.
we got to around the last 4 quarts and the hose went from almost all black to clear red. so I went ahead and detached the hose and clamp and reattached the line to the transmission. then added the last 4 quarts....
after all that i forgot to shift it thru the gears but oh well, a little bit of dirty fluid not getting flushed out of the valves is ok. not too bad if that little bit of fluid mixes with 5 gallons of brand new stuff haha.
and yea sorry about that last post i didnt think i posted it and was still writing. found out when i saw it twice but you cant take that crap back on these forums.

Thanks again and i look forward to having this conversation again very soon but this time about my 10 modules/sparkplugs.
i dont want to pay someone to change them....
thats my next plan of attack.


Thanks again for all your help FTE...
went off without a hitch following the article first posted.
use a friend.

 

I'm changing my transmission fluid. The Ford dealer told me to use Mercon/Dexron lll for automatic transmission fluid and same for transfer case and power steering pump.

 

 

For an 01, it's perfectly "okay" to use one of the Dex3/Mercon-compatible fluids, if you want to. After all, that's what it came from the factory with in the transmission, power steering system and the transfer case.

Now, Mercon V is a much improved fluid than original Mercon formulation and it officially superseded all applications for which Mercon was originally specified more than 10 years ago.

Aftermarket Mercon-compatible fluid is a lot less expensive and easier to find than is the aftermarket Mercon V.

It's really up to the owner...