Ahh, sorry for the misunderstanding dean. M5ODs and ZFs are all I really know when it comes to manuals

 

If you take the boot off you will have to take the shifter off too. That's only 3 or 4 bolts. But you will still want to take out the fill plug so you don't over fill it. It's just easier to fill it from the top.

 

10-4 thank you, i plan to do this this weekend, thanks for the advice.
allen t

 

ok i got it done, i did go through the top, but i did have the plug out to drain overflow. any way i have a few ?,s first off the fluid wad a deep red, is this normal, it was also a liitle thick feeling and smelt a very, very bit burnt. also the upper plug was damaged, it looks like that the po used a hammer and punch on it, i guess they did not have a 3/8 socket wrench. the ? is is it just a pipe thread and can i use a pipe plug on it or do i need a plug made just for it. thanks

 

I have the M5OD as well, and personally, I'd vote for getting an OE plug from a stealership, or a parts house if they carry it. I have no idea if the threads are NPT or not, but really wouldn't want to risk destroying the housing and ultimately generating a permanent leak. How much can the plug cost, compared to the $1200 for a new/reman M5OD? Hopefully, the bottom plug is not damaged/lost/replaced with an imposter. That one has a magnet on it. That's the one that tells you what's going on inside your tranny. When you pulled it out, did it look like a giant hair ball, or just a little metallic residue stuck to it? If it looked like a hairball, then that's parts of your gears stuck to the magnet. Some is inevitable (missing a shift, pulling heavy load, etc), and will certainly be worse if the tranny hasn't been maintained. The dark color of the fluid is not a real disaster, because there are no pumps inside that transmission nor any clutches to burn it, and likewise, no cooler to keep it cool. It's a dip-n-sling kinda thing. It's just shearing the oil as it passes through the gears, and will eventually break the lighter oil down. It's what Ford designed the M5OD to use, which I learned the hard way, and really don't understand why. Recommended service interval on the tranny is about 30,000 miles. After I learned this, I went to every 6th oil change (18000) just to keep fresh fluid in it. I now have 152,000 on a tranny that most people told me wouldn't last 50K. Maintenance is the key, on ANYTHING.