I would like to drop the transmission pan and empty the fluid out of my E4OD, so I can replace it with Trickshift or Lucas.

I have always been a bit confused about automatic transmissions. I know that by dropping the pan, you are only changing a small part of the overall fluid. I believe that the rest is in the torque converter.

My question is a) how much fluid will come out when the pan is dropped; b) will changing that small amount to TrickShift/Lucas make much of a difference, and c) can I easily drain the torque converter if I decided to replace all of the fluid?

I had the transmission pan gasket replaced at about 100K, the truck was in the shop for other reasons and we noticed the pan gasket leak, so we fixed it at that time. The fluid that was changed because of that made the trans shift better (regular fluid was put back in). So I think that doing that again with Trickshift/Lucas could make a difference.

Facts about my current E4OD with 128K - the trans shifts fairly well, no real problems to speak of. The fluid is red and does not smell burnt; nor does it leak. I do not want to go with a power flush, like at Jiffy Lube, since I don't know when, if ever, all of the fluid was changed before. I'd have to go over all the receipts from previous owners, but I don't recall seeing it last time I looked at them.

There is no definite consensus about power flushing old trannies that have never been done. Some say that it will wreck the trans. Others say that it won't wreck it and the shifting can be much improved. However, I am not going to do it because I don't have the cash to rebuild the tranny if it did get wrecked from a power flush.

So I decided on a nice gentle drain and refill of the trans with QuickShift/Lucas. Another question - is it true that I can remove one of the pan's bolts, and the fluid will drain out from there? It would be a lot easier . I'm sure that the shop cleaned any filters or screens when they dropped the pan; that's how they do things there and the gasket is fine and does not need replacing.

Like I said, my current tranny shifts well enough, but there is always room for improvement. If I decide to do this, what do you guys think is better, the TrickShift or the Lucas?

Thanks, JB

 

Just did my 93, about 6 qt. if just draining pan only, draining pan and tc about 12 qts.I removed all trans. lines and blew out cooler and let every thing drain for 24 hours and put back in 14 qts.(I would suggest replacing filter and cleaning magnet in pan and use all Lucas or all Trickshift, or all Mercon III, don't mix)Remove bolts toward one side-corner where you want the fluid to start draining from- suggest large drain pan.93 uses cork gasket, but I think my 95 uses reusable gasket. which I would replace anyways. And if a lot of metal is found in pan that is TROUBLE!!!!

 

You mentioned a gasket, and then you said to remove the bolt where I want it to drain, so I am confused. Can I drain the pan without removing it?

Then, how would I drain the torque coverter if I want to do that too?

Finally, if I only drain the pan, and have the Mercron still in the torque converter, can I go ahead and put the TrickShift/Lucas in and have half and half? The labels of these products say that they are compatible.

 

My 93 126,000 miles started to do the torque converter shudder (lockup clutch slipping) after fluid change 12 quarts. I ended up having it rebuilt. The theory on not changing the fluid on old automatics is the old fluid contains worn off clutch material wich acts like grit and helps the clutches hold. New tranny fluid without clutch material is more slippery . End result is slipping tranny after new fluid I've had to rebuild two trannys after changing fluid. Maybe just drive til it needs work or acts up. The shop said my E4OD was ok other than the torque converter but couldn't say how long it would last.

 

No drain plug- when you unbolt(bolts) pan fluid pours over pan and whatever type of gasket is used on your year Bronco.Mixing of fluid reduces benifit of buying Trickflow fluid. Not draining all fluid is like changing oil filter and not changing the oil, why bother?Remove 1 1/2 in rubber plug from bottom of bellhousing and turn crank untill you see 7/16 wrench size plug, remove to drain tc.

 

I added 2 bottles of rear axle friction modifier- helps with shudder and trailer hitching.

 

theres a drain plug on the torque converter... drain that first... now remember therre is something like 8 quarts left and no more drain plugs. So where you loosen screws, fluid will come out. I took my time on this and still managed to get t-fluid everywhere... do this somewhere u can spill a little and not get yelled at by dad or the wife. Eventually u have to take all of the bolts out and balance that pan in your hands with 6 quarts in it and dump it manually, all while lying under your truck. Go to pepboys they will tell you exactly how much fluid to get and spend 30 bux for the filter and gasket. Also there may be some metal shavings in the pan, make sure you get all of that out.

BTW i did mine a little while ago and i wish i had put the shift improver kit on it i wanted then. If you are at all interested in a shift kit get one to install while it is off.
Also many shops will put a drain plug in there for you(in the pan) unless you feel you can do it, have a drain plug placed in the bottom of the pan. This will make it easier for you to do it next time(another thing i wish i had done the first time.).

good luck

 

If I do this then I will install a drain plug at that time.

I don't understand about the torque converter - if I drain it from the hole that is visible after removing the rubber plug, how do I get fluid _back into_ the torque converter? Do I just put it in the regular trans. fluid filler tube under the hood, and somehow it gets into the torque converter?

I don't like the sound of 93BigBlackBronco's post though - I can't afford for that to happen at the moment. Considering that my tranny shifts fine now, I will probably just leave it be. It just shifts a little slower than I would like it to, but I think that that is how it is supposed to shift from the factory, for gas mileage.

But I still want to understand the procedure for doing this.

Thanks again, JB

 

yes the fluid will get pushed to the torque converter...just fill it all through the little fill thing in the engine bay...make sure you put the plug back in ....