Hey guys,

My truck just hit 110k on the clock, and i've never had the transmission fluid changed. Is this something that I am past due on changing or early? I don't know when it is supposed to be changed. If so is it something that you can do yourself?

Thanks

 

Welcome to the forum! To better help you, can you provide some additional detail on your truck? What year? Is it an F-150? What engine? Your manual would be the best bet to check service intervals but we can assist her as well.

There are several schools of thought on changing the fluid, though it may be best to have a shop do it using an exchange machine to ensure all the fluid is removed - replaced. If you drain it from the pan, you will only get about a third of the fluid that is in the system. There are also some "do-it-yourself" flush methods that I'm sure will be mentioned shortly

 

Agree with above on the details of your truck, but.....

I have a 2011 F-150 EB. I believe Ford recommends at 60k and this is the number I have heard in the past. I just had mine flushed by my dealer at 66k. I am under the Ford ESP so I figured I should try to stay on their regular maintenance schedule.

 

Actually, the trans service is recommended at 150K miles, towing or not. I'll have mine done at 100K with the coolant flush and mostly likely the transfer case as well. The axles are also recommended for 150K miles.

However, peace of mind is priceless and us older guys like myself are used to more frequent maintenance schedules.

 

Guess I didn't read far enough in the manual and fell for the Dealer's Service Department recommendation. 60k trans flush is for the 5-speed TorqShift tranny. 150k is recommended for all other automatics per the manual.

Live and learn on that one.

 

That's all well & good and following the intervals in the manual should be okay, but my gut says no way will I let the fluids in my truck go that long. Trans, transfer case, diffs, coolant, etc. will all get done WAY sooner than 150k. More like every 50-60k or so for me, which is about 4-5 years. Letting fluids go that long makes me very nervous. 150k is over 10 years for me.

 

IMO trans fluid should be changed every 30-60k miles. If your are towing or do a lot of city driving, 30k. Mostly highway, 60k. I was in transmission class and the instructor said the only reason Ford says 150k is to reduce total cost of ownership to be more competitive with other makes. In no way shape or form is LV trans fluid good for 150k miles. Do you think Ford will help you if the trans craps out at 120k due to fluid failure? Nope.

 

Exactly. And I'm sure the coolant is the same. I made the mistake of letting coolant go long because of the interval in the manual and nearly lost an engine back in the early 2000s -- never again! GM with Dexcool, BTW.

 

You know, the 2003 and 2004 Expeditions with the old four speed had a 30K mile service interval. Magically in 2005 Ford changed it to 60K miles and yet, the fluid nor the equipment changed.

I called my dealer on this. He said to follow the owners guide. When I questioned them about the change in 2005, he admitted that the fluid was good for 60K miles but they can't misrepresent the Ford's recommendations for certain model years. I settled my 2004 Expy into a 45K mile interval and now have 105K on the clock. No issues.

The pre 2015 Tundra trucks have a 100K mile service interval, that's a reasonable point to start for me.

 

Yup, as others have mentioned the owners manual states 150k miles for regular service. I've read a lot about this on various forums, including here and BITOG and the best I can tell is the Mercon LV that is no in use really does hold up to these drain intervals. I don't know if I will go the entire 150k but I do plan on waiting until at least 100,000 miles before worrying about it.

That said, it did get a pan dump when I had the TSB 11-11-11 performed under warranty. A few months later a UOA from Blackstone labs indicated that my fluid was in exceptional condition with appropriate viscosity characteristics and very low wear particles.

 

I have the 6R80 and was thinking of doing a pan drop at 60k. Apparently it's near impossible to do a flush on these due to the thermostat on them. Anyone else have thoughts?

 

Good thread.... I tend to do at 60-75k in past. Maybe this one I'll upper to 100k depending on how much I use my travel trailer in next few years. I wouldn't wait till 150, as the general rule of TLC does make difference.

 

I bought a 2009 F-150 last fall with 85000 miles to pull my boat. This spring I took it to my Ford dealer to have them flush the radiator and tranny. They recommended not flushing the tranny since it stirs up debris and usually results in tranny issues. Instead they did a filter swap and added new fluid. I have asked a few auto repair shops and they too suggest a tranny service rather than a flush.

 

You can change the fluid yourself. There is a great video on YouTube that shows you step by step how to do it. Very straightforward.


Good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

This is one case where I'd like a few minutes alone with whoever decided to not put a standard dip stick & tube on these. What an ******!! Serously, what a PITA!! Especially after having a factory drain plug in the pan on my last truck.