Drain a torque converter?
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Drain a torque converter?
Hey everybody,
I have a '97 F150 with an E40D (I think) and it has 112,000 miles on it. I want to do a transmission fluid change. Does my torque converter have a drain plug? If it does, how do I get to it and get it in a position to drain properly?
Thanks,
Kyle Campbell
I have a '97 F150 with an E40D (I think) and it has 112,000 miles on it. I want to do a transmission fluid change. Does my torque converter have a drain plug? If it does, how do I get to it and get it in a position to drain properly?
Thanks,
Kyle Campbell
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I have a 97, and it has a drain plug. There is an article in the tech section on doing this. I'm taking a break from changing mine right now, I've been trying to line up the plug for over an hour, had it SO FRIGGIN CLOSE 4 times. I'm gonna finish tomorrow. I'm doing it single handed, and getting the flywheel in the right place is driving me nuts!!
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From: So Cal
As far as I know the E4OD does have a drain plug. There is an access cover at the bottom of the bell housing. Remove that and have a helper "tap" the starter when you say so. I had my wife "tap" it and it took maybe 1 minute to line it up. Just gentle taps will do it, don't rotate the engine at cranking speed. Alternatively you can use a big screw driver to turn the flywheel. But tapping it is way easier, at least in my case.
Good Luck,
Jim Henderson
Good Luck,
Jim Henderson
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I was doing it the hard way... I went outside, frustrated at the effort, and just got a socket for the front pully, layed under the truck from the front, and with my left hand felt for the drain plug, and with the right turned the engine slowly. It took about 15 seconds to get the plug lined up! Everythings back together, filled and washed at the carwash. No leaks, better shifting and no chatter!!
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From: N. Gwinnett
Glad it worked - that really is the easiest way.
It's amazing what a full fluid & filter change will do. If I'd known how easy it is, I would never have paid to have it done.
I've been trying to eliminate a driveline vibe in a '94 F250 with 220k mi & praying it ain't the trans. When I bought this truck, I was told that the trans had been "flushed". I also know that T-Tech (maker of flushing systems) has a TSB out about premature trans failure if you only flush and don't change the filter.
Even tho my ATF was properly colored & didn't smell burned, I wanted a peek inside the pan. I dropped it & changed the filter, but didn't drain the TC. This changed 7 of the @17 quarts in the system. Judging from the crud in the pan, the filter hadn't been changed in 60k mi. With less than half the ATF changed out, I had an immediate improvement in the vibe, which I now think is converter shudder. I'm going to give the detergents in the "refreshed" fluid some time to work - thru a clean filter - and then drain the entire system & change the filter again. 2 filters and 1-1/2 ATF changes= less than $60!
It's amazing what a full fluid & filter change will do. If I'd known how easy it is, I would never have paid to have it done.
I've been trying to eliminate a driveline vibe in a '94 F250 with 220k mi & praying it ain't the trans. When I bought this truck, I was told that the trans had been "flushed". I also know that T-Tech (maker of flushing systems) has a TSB out about premature trans failure if you only flush and don't change the filter.
Even tho my ATF was properly colored & didn't smell burned, I wanted a peek inside the pan. I dropped it & changed the filter, but didn't drain the TC. This changed 7 of the @17 quarts in the system. Judging from the crud in the pan, the filter hadn't been changed in 60k mi. With less than half the ATF changed out, I had an immediate improvement in the vibe, which I now think is converter shudder. I'm going to give the detergents in the "refreshed" fluid some time to work - thru a clean filter - and then drain the entire system & change the filter again. 2 filters and 1-1/2 ATF changes= less than $60!
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I've seen a big improvement too, smoother shifts and absolutely no chatter. Mine was the original fluid and filter, the trucks been in the family since new. It's used to pull a travel trailer and my mother (previous owner) never changed it. The fluid was almost black and smelled bad. There was just normal metal particles on the magnet though, and I guess the coolers worked well. I also used a lint free cloth to wipe a very thin coating of gunk off of the parts I could get to indide the pan area. Huge difference!!!
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Well, I finally did the transmission service today. I used a socket to spin the engine (it's an 18mm if anyone's interested and you had better use a standard length instead of a deep one) and it took less than five minutes to align the drain plug. The plug is not very large so it doesn't drain very fast.
The rest of the fluid change went smoothly, with the exception of the rubber o-ring which came off the old filter and stuck in the transmission. A small, flathead screwdriver did the trick, though.
The transmission takes about 11 1/2 quarts to refill it. I put in twelve and it's just a little overfilled.
Thanks to everybody,
Kyle Campbell
The rest of the fluid change went smoothly, with the exception of the rubber o-ring which came off the old filter and stuck in the transmission. A small, flathead screwdriver did the trick, though.
The transmission takes about 11 1/2 quarts to refill it. I put in twelve and it's just a little overfilled.
Thanks to everybody,
Kyle Campbell
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Glad you got it done with no problems. Did you find that little popcicle looking thing in the pan?
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I'm not sure what you mean. Do you mean something loose in the pan? I didn't see anything out of the ordinary. This was my second E40D transmission service and they were exactly the same.
It's still hard to adjust to the fact that there are electronics almost completely submerged in fluid in those transmissions!
It's still hard to adjust to the fact that there are electronics almost completely submerged in fluid in those transmissions!
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From: Remsen, NY
The "popsicle thing" is a plastic plug that they put in the dipstick hole to seal it before they put it in the truck and actually put the dipstick tube in. They just push it into the pan, it does no harm. If you find it you're changing the fluid for the first time.
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No, I didn't find that. The truck has 112,000 miles on it, the fluid was still pretty red, there was not a lot of residue in the pan, and the filter did not say "Ford" on it. So I'm pretty sure the transmission had been serviced.
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