Possibly, but he could also be going on tradition and old school ways.

I too was taught those old school ways, and until I started reading Mark Kovalski's post regarding the 4R100, I too had the mantra of don't change the fluid if it's old.

That got me thinking about my old auto shop teacher and the mechanics I used to work with at the garage when I was a teenager and I realized, the "tradition" was passed down from mechanic to mechanic due to anecdotal evidence of transmission failures after a fluid change, not direct evidence.

What dirt? Dirt aint gonna be sticking to the clutches in the trans. That's like saying dirt will stick to brake pads.

If there is so much foreign material (dirt) in the trans and the filter hasn't caught it, then there are bigger problems waiting to happen to that trans, and the fluid should be changed immediately in order to try and keep if from failing sooner.

If a person is worried about clogging the filter, then after a trans flush, drop the pan and change the filter.

It's all about preventive maintenance, whether it's been 60k miles, or 260k miles between flushes.

+1.

Stewart

 

By DIRT, I mean the material that is sticking to all the parts. Not sure what it is, other than some dark to medium color gray material and when in the filter, it is darker. You know, when you drop the pan, rub your finger on the internal surface of the pan and there is a residue. That is what I meant by dirt and this stuff doesn't stick to the clutches, it sticks to the surface of all non wear part surfaces. Put new fluid to it and it can start to break this stuff loose and put in suspension until the filter can catch it. Whatever it is, it does stick to all internal components. Assume the particles in the filter and on the surface must be from the wearing clutch materials. Not sure what all the moving parts are in a transmission since I have never torn one down or seen one taken apart. Also not sure how abrasive it might be.
For sure, I am not an expert, but just going on my experience on what I have seen personally....not just a mechanic's word. I use their word as advise and go from there to make my own decision, but also trust their experience. Even if they are from old school, they are still working and still repairing transmissions. One of the GM mechanics was near retirement, he rebuilt my GMC transmission. Took it back to see why it was sticking and his son which was working in the same dealership was the one to diagnose it and we talked a bit about the technical working of the different transmissions.
It was very clear on what his dad's thoughts were from what he learned in school. Heck, he wad only really knowledgeable on the newer electronic transmissions. Didn't know dookie about the 1991 non electronic transmission I found out as we were driving with the analyzer hooked up which wasn't going to tell him nothing. Duh.
But got back to the shop and he talked to his dad, in which made him realize he was wasting my time since my trans was not electonic.
Dad said, go out and kick her to the floor a few times hard and see if it fixes the problem. Guess what, that was it. He said that when they rebuild the transmissions, it is rare, but on occasion some very small particles of debris can get lodged in the solenoid and it can cause it to stick some and cause weird or delayed shifting. Normally, this gets caught by the filter.
I trusted him, and it fixed the problem. 10 years later, transmission is still going strong!

 

The dark gray matter is clutch material. Clutches wear and the gray crap in the bottom of the pan is from clutches. It is normal wear. Now large amounts of aluminum is a problem. I bought my 2000 Ex with a clunk when the TC locks. Changing the fluid per Mark's recommendation fixed the problem. Mechanics don't want you to change the fluid because they want to sell you a new transmission.

Perry

 

Change the fluid.

 

so i was due for a transmission fluid flush and decided to get everything in line and use the steps provided on fte by mark, which seemed to be the standard. i did have two bolts that i noticed were stripped but was able to search fte and find the solution: helicoil kit, worked great. my next prob was when i had i had the trans pan reinstalled, fluid replaced from the pan, and the tubing over the trans return line from the cooler and started my truck. fluid was gushing out of the pan where the return line was removed. i had a neighbor help me as i placed my thumb over the hole from where the return line. seemed to work and the fluid was flushed out, but i didn't notice anyone else having this problem or any mention. anyone have an answer?

 

I had the same issue and resolved it the same way when I did mine. I don't know if it is tipical or a normal occurence, I just assumed it made sense.

 

Mine didn't do that during my flush.

 

I had enough come out to make a 10" circle on the floor, about 3oz.

 

I never had this problem with 4 changes so far.

Almost sounds like the pan is overfilled?

When I drain, I pour into a bucket with measurements on it in quarts. I only put back in, what I take out. When I get finished, I am almost always at exact fill line even after each cycle of pumping with line into bucket.

That is the only thing I can think that would cause this.

 

i did measure the fluid after draining the trans pan (7qts) and added the same amount of new after the trans pan was reinstalled. each time i pumped the trans i measured and added the same amount. when all said and done i used about 20 qts including 1 qt for top off (figured that's how much came out of rear cooling line opening). i would recommend using some kind of male plug, but i don't know what size. thanks to fte now i'm going to try some front end work that seems to need service.

 

Hmmm, interesting. No idea why it would push it out. Should be pulling fluid from pump into cooler lines. Pressure should be coming back into tranny from return line.
Unless, the filter seal is not seated or there?
One of the cautions if I recall was original seal could get stuck and not come out. If there are two in there, then you could have an issue. Did the new filter have the seal and did you install it? This could cause blowback. Other than that, no clues.

 

the old trans filter gasket did stick and i had to pull it out with a pick, the new filter did have a gasket which i felt it snap into place when installed.

 

Did you get the right filter? There are 2 differnt ones. "Supposed, difference is 2 or 4 wheel drive." But its the depth of the pan. I dont know if the long filter will still let the pan go on or not, but thats another thought. Best bet, is when you take your filter out take it with u to make sure u get the right one. To lat now, but for others reading.

Oh, another thing. The depth of the pan has NOTHING to do with 2 or 4 wheel Drive. My 99 F350 CC 4wd has a Shallow pan and according to the Puter, should be the Deep.....

Take it from a Long time parts guy, DON'T ALWAYS TRUST THE COMPUTER! Or if your not the original buyer of the vehicle........ If Possible, take the old part with ya! 2 parts side by side and a decent pair of eyeballs don't lie.

Just my 2 cents or .75 in todays econonomy.

 

When I first started to go out and get filters at various autoparts stores, none of them looked the same as pics I had from some posts I had before I started this project.
So, I went to Ford and got my first one. Then, I knew I had the right one and knew what it looked like. Next time, I went to autoparts stores and 2 different stores had filters that were not the same as the original Ford design. So, went back to Ford and got mine and it was same as what came out of it.
I dunno why this is the case, but for this filter, I had bad experience with getting the right one.
So, I don't bother on this filter and just go to Ford to get it. Not that expensive and peace of mind.

Not sure if you compared them closely or not, but if any doubt, I would drop the pan and get another filter and check the seal for sure.

 

I didn't have a prob when I changed my fluid. But I didn't need to change my filter. But I did do all my research before I started. I had both filters with me when I changed it, so it didn't matter, but like posted in other post, almost never need to change the original. But its not uncommon for the aftermarket parts to look differnt. Makes no diff. But if I were u, unless Ford told you that the fluid leaking out intake line is normal, I would be worried something up in there is wrong. Buts thats me..