I was calling around to see how much a filter change and flush was on my transmission. A couple guys I talked to said I didn't need to do the flush for routine maintence just a filter change. Anyone knw for sure?

 

I talked to the ford dealer today,
he wants $130 to power flush the tranny,but they do not change the filter.
It just does not seem correct to me,it's like taking a bath and putting on dirty shorts! it will look good from the outside,but you know it's not wright. He stated that you can not drain the fluid from the converter as there is no drain plug!!
I too just do not know what to do.
Some one will help us i'm sure.
Russ

 

you do not need to do the filter, when ford does a tranny flush they spin the motor backwards hence flushing out all the gunk, i just had mine done it is completly correct

 

Wow, $130 for 14 quarts of ATF. You could do it yourself for a lot less and still change the filter. Especially if you have the transmission cooler. Do a search there are some real good instructions how to do it.

 

Ford told me $119 without filter change $169 with filter change.

 

I can say that not all trannies can be flushed. I am not sure what tranny you are talking about, but pushing fluid backwards threw the tranny I dont beleve so. Trying to push past checkballs and valves ??? doesnt seem reasonable.

I think they simply hook up the coolerlines to there sytem, and cycle out the old and in the new. SImple as that. My E4OD tranny had a drain on the converter. Rubber plug on dust cover, look up and see the plug. what a design.

My opinion, and what I do is. My buddy at the shop liftes my truck van car whatever. drop the pan clean it out, change the filter, put pan and new filter in. fill with fluid, and hookit to the machine. I got well over 365000 miles out of an AOD with this practice.

My new torqueshift has an inline filter, and cannot be flushed. But does have a drain plug on the pan

 

Sad but true they don't even go through that much work. All is done by dipstick exchange system made by OTC. It is a machine that recovers used fluid and exchanges the same amount for new fluid. It works by sucking out 1 quart at a time of old fluid then adding back a quart of new fluid. Then it lets the new fluid circulate for 24 seconds and starts the process over again. You can adjust the machine from 4 to 26 quarts to exchange. The process still leaves a lot of old fluid in the trans. No drain plug on the torque converter anymore. That has been gone since 2002. Filter changes are considered not needed as its not a filter but a screen to keep particles larger than 90 microns out of the trans. If the screen is plugged you have a lot more to worry about than changing it the trans is done.

 

I was curious about the filter and went down to the parts counter at the dealer The Transmission Fluid filter for the 04 F-150 2 Wheel Drive is a real filter material filter and not a metal screen. Is this different for the 4x4 or something?

THanks,

Dave

 

I would instead change the filter and the fluid that is drained when the pans removed, and do so on regular intervales.

My trucks have this done year after hard year of use and the transmisions last well.

If annualy you replace about 30 percent of the fluid and instal a cleen filter is better than older and maybe pluged filter with a change of perhaps 80 percent of the fluid every 3 years.

 

How many quarts will the pan hold?

 

I usually just drop the pan and replace filter, although a few used cars I have bought in the past that needed a trans rebuild, I have had them drill and thread 2 plugs in the converter while they had it out. One on top, and one on the bottom, pull one, rotate 180 degrees, pull that one, and all the fluid comes out. A lifelong trans builder once told me that if everyone changed their fluid at least every 2 yrs, he would be out of a job.