Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum but not new to ford truck forums. In the next few days my brother asked if I could help change his transmission fluid on his 2004 F150 lariet 5.4 with the 4R75E transmission since I have done it before on F350 trucks in the past. I went to the dealership and they gave me 7 quarts of Mercon SP and the internal pan transmission filter but shouldn't there be one more external filter? All of the other trucks I have ever worked on have 2 filters- one in the pan and one on the frame rail, but I can't seem to find an external filter so is there one that I just can't find?

Also, I need to replace the thermostat but the guy behind the counter sold me the orange ford coolant but when I later looked in the owners manual it says to strictly use Ford Premium Gold( I believe this is the same coolant that I run in my 6.0) Should I return the coolant and exchange it for the premium gold?

 

You have all the right stuff. There is only one filter and the coolant should be orange not green.



Also if this is the first fluid change don't be alarmed when you find a yellow plug in the pan. It is a throw away part. It was a plug for the dip stick hole

 

My '05 XLT 5.4 uses the gold coolant, I got it at NAPA when I changed mine, Zerex G-05, and Mercon V in the trans. I would only use exactly whatever the owner's manual calls for.

My cooling system took right at 2 gallons of coolant to be 50% and the trans doing a fluid and filter change took 5 1/4 qts.

 

Orange? Isn't that the naughty DexCool GM uses in their systems? I've heard that coolant clogs up cooling systems over time?

 

Thanks for the quick replies. I got the coolant from a ford dealership but the guy was clueless so he just gave me a bottle of the motorcraft orange coolant and after looking in the manual I just wanted to double check that I should be using ford premium gold coolant and not this orange stuff.( I just looked at the coolant in the truck and that appears to be yellow in color)

 

Yep, gold or yellow, I just looked at the manual for the '04 and it specifies Mercon V, not sure why they gave you SP?

And it looks like it will take 2 1/2 gals coolant for 50%, its been a while, I guess that's how much I put in mine.

http://www.fordservicecontent.com/Fo.../04f12og5e.pdf

 

At first I thought SP replaced mercon V but I just checked and you are right! They still make mercon V because that's what I use in the PS system of my 6.0 so the ford guy definitely gave me the wrong trans fluid. Also, about the trans flush, after I add 5 quarts through the dipstick hole do I need to drive it around through all gears and then check the fluid level while the truck is running in neutral?

All I can say is I better not be charged a 15% restocking fee because I gave him the vin# and he sold me the incorrect trans fluid and coolant.

 

Dexcool orange is okay on GM vehicles where spec'd. but I would stick with the gold for Ford. The problem with Dexcool comes with precipitation of the contents when exposed to the atmosphere or non-distilled water. In a properly-maintained cooling system its fine and lasts at least for the 5-year recommended service life. If you get a leak in the system and don't take care of it right away, air gets in when the engine cools and the coolant contracts. It draws air in at the leak site and the problem can occur. Also if you add any non-distilled water to it. 'Precipitation' amounts to cloudiness and settling of by-products that can clog the radiator. When this happens, the protective qualities of the coolant are gone and an acidic condition can follow. Anybody with Dexcool in their vehicle would be well-advised to go strictly by the book with it.