anyone changed transmission fluid in a 2010 and how hard is it to service with no dipstick installed, i would like a new 150 but can not stand not having a dipstick in the tranny

 

The transmission is sealed and should be serviced by the dealer or a transmission shop. The tranny uses an LV type fluid which is good for 100K miles under normal driving and 60K miles under severe duty such as towing.

I wouldn't sweat it. Buy the truck and drive her normally and you'll be fine.

 

I think Ford did away with the dipstick to stop people from over filling the trans or from adding trans addatives that won't work well with the new fluid type, causing more warranty repair costs to them...

 

A very astute observation.

I also believe that this in one big step towards a maintenance free vehicle where only the dealer will be able to service anything drive train related.

 

Nahh. You can drain/fill/check this transmission yourself. The two plugs are accessible from the bottom. You'll have to follow a strict procedure to check it.

My 1999 Audi A4 doesn't have a tranny dipstick either, you have to check it at a certain temperature and see if oil is dribbling out the fill hole. Obviously it's not as easy as pulling the dipstick, but it does help keep dirt from creeping in.

 

I've been reading my owners manual and noticed there are no instructions for self-service items such as changing the oil....checking yes, but not doing the work yourself. Every other car I've had included the simple stuff.

 

For many of these vehicles, if your laying on your back in the driveway changing your oil, you almost have to be a contortionist to get the filter out. What are they thinking about when they design these things?

I'm pretty intrigued with no transmission service.

 

I for one disagree with a transmission only needing service at 100000 miles, my wifes 07 explorer had 40000 miles on it and I had the trans serviced at dealer due to the pan leaking, and even she could tell a difference in the shifting of the transmission, the shifts were a lot firmer which means the clutches inside are wearing less than before the fluid change, I am just very concerned about any trans going for 100000 miles without being serviced, I for one like to put a bunch of miles on a vehicle before putting it out to pasture, but when the explorer started leaking I had no easy way of checking the fluid level

 

$Simpleman76, I would not consider the difference of shifting performance to be attributed to the new fluid. You have to remember that these transmissions have an adaptive strategy in them and adjust to your driving style. When the transmission was serviced typical protocal is to clear out the adaptive tables, and perform a drive cycle on it to verify that it shifts correctly after the repair has been performed. This is why you feel a difference in shifting. They may have even updated the calibration of the transmission to a newer level when you had it in too.

Your clutches are not wearing on 40,000 miles, if they are there is a problem not related to the fluid. If your clutches were worn out, it would have shifted worse before because the strategy of the PCM/TCM is to increase line pressure in the event of a slip, which would cause firm engagement. This would also cause a check engine light and store a code in the TCM.

Another reason for the dipstickless transmisisons is the fluid. LV fluid by nature is a very dark fluid. When it has 5,000 miles on it, it is brown and gross looking. Any customer who gets a new vehicle and pulls the transmission stick on it without knowing what LV fluid is supposed to look like would immediatly question the condition of that vehicles transmission. If I saw that fluid, my first reaction would be "this thing is way overdue for a flush". Plus it is easy enough to check anyway. Crawl under the tranny, it still has a dipstick on it, however you have to unscrew it and pull it out from underneath.

 

I had a '96 that ran for 251,000 miles with no service. It was still running good when it was wrecked about 4 months ago. I have a '10 now and I wish it shifted a little firmer. The way to get smooth shifts is to slip the clutches, if I remember correctly. The ones that shift hard last the longest.

 

Slipping clutches=friction=heat=dead dead tranny. I would get a tuner of some sort right off of the bat. Increase the shift firmness a little bit.

 

Ford's transmission philosophies are starting to confuse me.

I just took delivery of a 2010 Focus yesterday and the "dipstick" reads, MERCON LV only. No problem, however the dealers are using the BS line of "if your transmission as a dipstick then it's not sealed and therefore can get contaminated" as a scare tactic to get you to get it flushed NOW.

Someone here who more about this than I needs to educate me.

 

I would say it is a BS line. The transmission is not sealed any differently. Essentially all they did was remove the long metal dipstick tube, and just more or less put a plug in the hole with a short dipstick on it.

Did you take a look at the mercon LV? What did you think of it?

Also keep in mind that ford sells MANY fleet vehicles. When a company searches for a new set of fleet vehicles, they look at OVERALL costs including maintenance. So if Ford says you have a "sealed for life" transmission, there is no maintenance that needs to be performed, and Ford has a greater chance of getting the sale. Same with brake fluid flushes and stuff. If ford recommended a tranny flush, brake flush, coolant flush, etc at all low mileage, no company would ever buy that vehicle because of the added maintenance costs.

Probably why you see alot of these things going to "sealed for life" etc... Now they can play that sappy commercial that says "Lowest overall cost of ownership".

 

Have you noticed, the oil filter is above a stone guard plate ,so you have to reach down between the electric fans and the hot block with 48" long arms to change it

 

That's wierd, I have a trans dipstick and y'all don't????? Then again I have the 4 speed auto in mine.....