Approaching 40,000 mi. and want to have transmission serviced. What are the different options for that. Just change the fluid and filter? I have heard terms like "flush and refill" and "hot flush". What is the best procedure. Will have it done at Ford or a local Trans. shop. Also, probably going with synthetic, any recommendations on that? What about an oversize pan for added volume and cooling? I only tow about 15% of the time and have never had temperature issues. Want the most reliability possible as I intend to have this truck a long time.

 

I would drain the pan, put a filter in it and fill, around 8 quarts, use Ford recommended fluid, and filter, driveway job for sure, just you and the truck, a little bonding moment.

 

What I've seen everybody who ever got the "Flush" their transmission went out 6 months later.

Might not be the flush but seems odd that this occurs.

 

I had mine hot flush as per the manual at 60K.

My plan is to drop the pan and replace the filter at 100K

 

I think the factory 60K service is not sufficent if you are towing alot and my opnion is base on my own trans oil samples and there results. Each persons use is diffrent and this is what i have come up with that works well for me and provides accetable OS results. I only post this as i fell the the owners manual provides us with a bare minimum schedule of maintance.

I have an early Job 1 build and this is my preventive maintance plan for towing a gross combo weight of around 28K to 32K 90 percent of the time. I also run the 210 tow performance tune from spartan diesel and have had ZERO issue with my trans which now has over 100,000 miles on it.

I change my trans fluid every 15,000 miles which just consist of draining the pan and changeing the internal filter. I have a mag-hytec pan which holds an additional 8 quarts so is about a 16 quart change.

I have the hot trans flush done every 30,000 miles and change external filter and internal filter at that time as well. If the flush is not done with a heated unit there is no point or benifet. Only a Hot flush will clean out the system due to T-stat in the trans, in addition some varnish and other material and containments can only be removed this way as-well,(Few dealers have the proper equpiment to do this so it is defently worth asking at the the time of service).

 

SANDDEMON you said external filter.. I have one because I added one, that and 2 extra coolers, but you have a factory external filter? My truck was built 9/07 I also added a MagHytec pan, I thought the earlier trans had an external filter? Local Ford dealer is $4.20 a quart for the trans fluid, geesh.

 

Yep mine had it from the factory but my build date was 02-07

 

Mine was built May 07 and I have only the internal. The DRWs started getting the new units (internal filter only) first, at least that's what I've been told. I tow at a combined weight of 25 to 26 thousand. My tranny blew at 65,000 miles. Not long after I had the heated flush. I don't think the flush was to blame but if you start having a delay shifting from park to drive or park to reverse look up my thread from a couple months back. It might save you a lot of money. Mine's fixed now I think and doing very well so far. Anyway, get the heated flush. It's what it takes to get the job done right. Just draining 8 quarts only changes about half the fluid. As to the big pan, I have one now and I had one on my 7.3. I think they help hold the temperature down and heat is the greatest enemy your tranny has. Monitor the temp at all times and if it gets to the 210 degree or so pull over and let it idle until it cools. You won't regret that.

 

I just had the tranny serviced at the local Ford dealer. They charged me for 18 qts. of tranny fluid? Does that mean it was a hot flush, or did I get ripped off? Total cost was $365 for 1.5 hours, the screen, and 18 qts. of LV fluid.

 

At that price I hope they did the hot flush. Yes, with 22 qts, it must have been a hot flush, in fact 22 is more than the tranny holds. But when they did mine I got charged for a few extra qts. I assumed that in the process of doing the hot flush they ran a couple extra quarts through to make sure they got all of the old out. If the old was in good shape I don't know how they could tell the new from old unless they used some dye or something.