ATF Quandry
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Joined: Apr 2010
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From: Texas
ATF Quandry
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What to Do? What to Do?
I have an '02 PSD EXcursion w/ the (usual) 4R100 Tranny. I bought the vehicle w/ 132,000 miles on it. The dealer could not tell me if the Trans fluid had been changed or not. He changed the oil but that's all. It does not smell burnt , is not 'cloudy', and appears to be fine and I only have 138,000+ on it now - but..........
I have a new 31 row 6.0 cooler to install so I want to change the Trans fluid since i have to open the system & I don't know the real mileage on the ATF. I do tow (see sig) but not alot. Here's the problem.
Do I use MERCON or MERCON V? (don't see the need for synthetic)
I'll flush the entire system with new fluid so regardless of what is in there today, the new fluid will only mix with a very small amount of residual fluid if at all. I've decided not to drop the pan and change the pan filter as I don't want to risk gasket problems.
Any suggestions before I blow $100 on 6 gal of ATF??????? Thanks, Dw
What to Do? What to Do?
I have an '02 PSD EXcursion w/ the (usual) 4R100 Tranny. I bought the vehicle w/ 132,000 miles on it. The dealer could not tell me if the Trans fluid had been changed or not. He changed the oil but that's all. It does not smell burnt , is not 'cloudy', and appears to be fine and I only have 138,000+ on it now - but..........
I have a new 31 row 6.0 cooler to install so I want to change the Trans fluid since i have to open the system & I don't know the real mileage on the ATF. I do tow (see sig) but not alot. Here's the problem.
Do I use MERCON or MERCON V? (don't see the need for synthetic)
I'll flush the entire system with new fluid so regardless of what is in there today, the new fluid will only mix with a very small amount of residual fluid if at all. I've decided not to drop the pan and change the pan filter as I don't want to risk gasket problems.
Any suggestions before I blow $100 on 6 gal of ATF??????? Thanks, Dw
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Joined: May 2007
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One other quick note...Your Ex should have a reusable rubber gasket for the tranny pan. It is black and reusable. No leakage should happen IF you don't torque the heck out of the bolts. Don't be a gorilla with the tightening of the bolts!
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Joined: May 2004
Posts: 29,380
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From: Central Coast of CA
Merc V is what you want.
Ford no longer licenses Dex III/Merc, so the manufacturer can use any variation of formulation for the ATF they want.
Merc V is now the recommended ATF for the 4R100 and it's what you should use.
Also, don't be afraid of pulling the pan. The gasket is reusable. However, if you're just flushing the trans, you don't need to pull the pan anyway, and you certainly don't need to change the filter. Those filters last a loooooooooooooooooooooong time.
Stewart
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From: Texas
Thes ATF "debate" elicits some strong opinons from folks just like tires, schocks, etc. 
Manufacturer's reccomendations are usually conservative and "risk adverse" so I am going to go w/ Ford's reccomendation and use the Mercon V.
Since even Ford does not indicate the change of the Pan Filter is a normal manentance item, I just can't see justified in the extra time, expense, and labor to drop the pan.
My thanks to all that read and those that repsonded both here on FTE and over at Powerstrokers.
Shared Knowledge (or opinions) usually leads to better decisions.
Dw
Manufacturer's reccomendations are usually conservative and "risk adverse" so I am going to go w/ Ford's reccomendation and use the Mercon V.
Since even Ford does not indicate the change of the Pan Filter is a normal manentance item, I just can't see justified in the extra time, expense, and labor to drop the pan.
My thanks to all that read and those that repsonded both here on FTE and over at Powerstrokers.
Shared Knowledge (or opinions) usually leads to better decisions.
Dw
Elder User
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 782
Likes: 1
From: Olympia, WA
I'll give you my opinion since you asked for it.
I say drop the pan and swap the filter. It's an easy job, all of the bolts are easily accessable. Worst case you make a little mess. You came on here to post because you were unsure what to do on the fluid, doesn't it make sense to swap that filter and then you can be sure from here on that it had a new filter at 138K?
I probably throw away good fluid and filters because I change mine every 40K miles or so. But, in that amount of time I likely burn around $10K worth of gas, I'm fine with spending $100 to maintain my transmission, and I always know what's been done and how many miles ago. I can see how much crap the filter caught, and how much metal is on the magnet, etc. and compare to last time as a crude indicator of transmission health.
Just another opinion to consider.
I say drop the pan and swap the filter. It's an easy job, all of the bolts are easily accessable. Worst case you make a little mess. You came on here to post because you were unsure what to do on the fluid, doesn't it make sense to swap that filter and then you can be sure from here on that it had a new filter at 138K?
I probably throw away good fluid and filters because I change mine every 40K miles or so. But, in that amount of time I likely burn around $10K worth of gas, I'm fine with spending $100 to maintain my transmission, and I always know what's been done and how many miles ago. I can see how much crap the filter caught, and how much metal is on the magnet, etc. and compare to last time as a crude indicator of transmission health.
Just another opinion to consider.
Junior User
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 96
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From: Boulder, CO
I'll throw in my 2 cents.
I dropped the pan on Monday and swapped out the filter.
Here is why I did it:
1. The vehicle mileage is at 140K
2. I just bought the vehicle and have no history on it.
Here is what it cost me:
1. $20 for a new filter
2. $30 for 6 qts of Mercon V (since the existing fluid looked to be in great shape, I didn't feel it was necessary to drain the torque converter.)
3. About three hours of my time
Here is what I got in return:
1. Witnessed that the transmission fluid was in good shape
2. Able to clean out the magnet on the bottom of the pan
3. Get a general sense of the health of the tranny (pan was clean, as was the fluid.)
4. Peace of mind before my cross-country trip with the family next month.
Here is what I plan in the future:
1. Monitor the fluid closely
2. Change fluid as appropriate (but not power flush)
I dropped the pan on Monday and swapped out the filter.
Here is why I did it:
1. The vehicle mileage is at 140K
2. I just bought the vehicle and have no history on it.
Here is what it cost me:
1. $20 for a new filter
2. $30 for 6 qts of Mercon V (since the existing fluid looked to be in great shape, I didn't feel it was necessary to drain the torque converter.)
3. About three hours of my time
Here is what I got in return:
1. Witnessed that the transmission fluid was in good shape
2. Able to clean out the magnet on the bottom of the pan
3. Get a general sense of the health of the tranny (pan was clean, as was the fluid.)
4. Peace of mind before my cross-country trip with the family next month.
Here is what I plan in the future:
1. Monitor the fluid closely
2. Change fluid as appropriate (but not power flush)
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 1,388
Likes: 2
From: Greensboro, NC
The filters will rarely clog but it's a good idea to drop the pan and see what the magnet looks like and clean it off. The filter is such a small expense it certainly wont hurt anything to change it.
While most will agree that Mercon V is the way to go - I'll throw another kink - synthetic vs. conventional. I'm running Amsoil ATF in mine now and have run Mobil 1 ATF in previous trucks with great results.
The Jabsco pump works well for transmission work and I use one in my shop for a variety of tasks. It will drain ~5-6 qts through the dipstick without having to remove any hoses or dropping the pan in about 10 mins. This is a great maintenance item to add to the 1-2 yr mark depending on your mileage.
Jabsco pump link: JABSCO Oilchange at West Marine
While most will agree that Mercon V is the way to go - I'll throw another kink - synthetic vs. conventional. I'm running Amsoil ATF in mine now and have run Mobil 1 ATF in previous trucks with great results.
The Jabsco pump works well for transmission work and I use one in my shop for a variety of tasks. It will drain ~5-6 qts through the dipstick without having to remove any hoses or dropping the pan in about 10 mins. This is a great maintenance item to add to the 1-2 yr mark depending on your mileage.
Jabsco pump link: JABSCO Oilchange at West Marine
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Senior User
Joined: Apr 2010
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From: Texas
Everyting added makes sense. I did check with Ford and they say change the Pan Filter at 150k so I'm pretty close on that anyway. I'm going to order a pan filter today since (as most eveyrone noted), I will have a good benchmark moving forward as to where the tranny is.
I have one of the Jabsco pumps that I used to transfrer fuel oil during a Gulf Crossing. it is a handy little pump and as long as you have the right impellet in it, can be used for many different fluids. I had not though about it for the tranny but since I have a drain plug and will be droppng the pan now, i hopefully won't need it.
On my Expedition (which I used for towing as well) , I changed the tranny fluid every 30K and will likley do the same for the EXcursion (it just takes a lot more fluid).
Better safe than sorry. Reps to everyone
Dw
I have one of the Jabsco pumps that I used to transfrer fuel oil during a Gulf Crossing. it is a handy little pump and as long as you have the right impellet in it, can be used for many different fluids. I had not though about it for the tranny but since I have a drain plug and will be droppng the pan now, i hopefully won't need it.
On my Expedition (which I used for towing as well) , I changed the tranny fluid every 30K and will likley do the same for the EXcursion (it just takes a lot more fluid).
Better safe than sorry. Reps to everyone
Dw
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