Transmission flush

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Dec 2, 2008 | 09:47 AM

dblake37

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Transmission flush

I have a 2001 F150 4x4 4 door with a 5.4.

Some times especially when its hot outside my transmission doesn't want to shift into overdrive. once or twice last summer it would not shift into the next gear when I was going real slow. I would need to let off the gas then get back in it it. It only happened a couple of times so I didn't worry too much about it. It hasn't done that in a long time. My biggest problem has been when I'm driving down the highway at 70 and i climb a hill it will down shift fine but when I get over the hill and start going down hill I can let off the gas and it wont shift back up. It will after I run the RPM's up and down a few times.

I bought the truck with 70k and now it has 145k. I have been reluctant to have the tyranny flushed because I have heard that if you wait too long before you do it it could make things worse by flushing the gunk out that has actually been sealing everything in there.

what are your thoughts Flush it or don't and why?

Dec 2, 2008 | 02:20 PM

galaxie641

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From: SE Wyoming

Mine more or less will do the same thing. A lot of times after I get over the hill I need to shift into drive manually then shift back out and it will up shift. I've recently developed, what seems to be a torque converter problem that may of had something to do with that up shift problem. Any responses to what causes that up shift issue will be interesting.

As for the flush as long as the current fluid is red and doesn't smell burnt you won't hurt anything. It is when the fluid is already ruined and you flush the tranny that problems arise faster than they would have originally. I let mine go twice as long as yours has for the same fears and finally after researching and talking to some competent Ford techs I was reassured that flushing after a long period of time is fine as long as the fluid is fine to start with.

Jul 22, 2009 | 02:51 PM

dblake37

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can you natice any improvement in gas milage after flushing the tranny?

Jul 22, 2009 | 08:34 PM

SSG VA BEACH

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From: va beach

I had mine done around 148k after noticing some shifting hesitation. It was done at service station on a machine that also runs a cleaner and maybe some sort of extra treatment through it. That fixed the shift problem fine.

Jul 22, 2009 | 09:10 PM

fordmerc

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Just change the fluid yourself. Yours should have a toque converter drain and you can drop the pan and change the filter. I just did this to mine and was able to get around 12.5 quarts of new fluid into it. It is also a less invasive method for the trans if you do it this way rather than a machine flush.

Jul 23, 2009 | 09:17 AM

puggs

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tranny flush

I just read a service buliten on this site that stated Ford techs use a procedure that uses a heated solution during the flush procedure that removes contaminates that have the potential to be missed with other metods of flushing. The TSB states that repeat tranny failures can be reduced using this method. Sounds worth the money to have Ford do it. I found it under F150 LD TSB's

Jul 23, 2009 | 09:25 AM

Bear River

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Joined: Nov 2004

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From: Salt Lake City, Utah

I agree let Ford do the flush. The flush will not hurt. May people insist that the flushed damage their transmissions, and maybe some are true, but you have to keep in mind, most people who had their trans flushed are already having problems. Those problems certainly aren't going to go away by ignoring it. Most people who report the flush damaged their trans had a trans that was on deaths door anyway. More often that not, the failures are due to incorrect replacement fluid, excessive pressure from the flush machine, reverse flushing, etc. In many cases too, shops will use the flush machine to change fluid without dropping the pan to replace the fluid. If the filter is plugged and is not replaced the trans can starve for fluid and can be damaged from that.