i have an 01 150 with the 5.4 and 4r70 tranny. it runs great and i am not having any problems with it, but it's time to flush it again. should i take it to a shop to have it done, or should i do it all myself. i have never done it on this truck, so i wouldn't even know where to begin. i know the pan itself gets messy. and wha'ts the deal with the torque converter. there's some kind on plug on it, or what? should that fluid be changed out too.
doing it yourself is much cheaper, and it's not all that hard.
if its the first time you'll need 1 1/2 or 2 hours MAX to do it, if you have a real hard time and you're doing it yourself. with two people its a breeze really.
i changed my fluid myself after the tranny started to shift hard, and not messing with the torque converter at all, it shifts like new again. if you want to get the old fluid out of the torque converter, change the fluid again the next time you change the oil. that should get most of the old burned up stuff out and leave you with almost new tranny fluid. You don't need to do this for routine maintenance
all you have to do is loosen the bolts one at a time. only back the bolts toward the rear out a turn or two, letting the bolts out a little farther as you move toward the front. basically tip the pan so the fluid can flow out. it sounds really messy, but if you have one of those big oil drip containers, it isn't bad (lay newspaper down for the drips).
once it stops dripping, let the pan tip a little and then take the rest of the bolts out (with the second person holding the pan level to keep it from spilling).
make sure you clean the pan out , it's supposed to be silver (mine was pretty dark) and be sure you get the round magnet located on the bottom of the pan - that will be covered in greasy, fine metal shavings. that's normal. I recommend a can or two of brake parts cleaner (its about $.77 a can or less around here) for this job, works like magic. cleaning the magnet takes patience - it sucks the grit you get off back out of the rag (took me a while to figure out why i couldn't get it clean...)
take the old filter out (it should just pull out - make sure the gasket comes with it. if not, your job just got harder since you're going to have to get the old filter gasket out without gouging the inside of the tranny). it may still be full of fluid so watch it when you take it out. The filter for the 4R70W transmission is in the auto zone computers for the 4.6 L transmission for some reason - let me know if you want the part number for the filter i used. if you can buy the filter after you have the old one out you can reduce your chances of having to return an incorrect one (Save your receipt if you buy it without knowing for sure if it's right! came in handy for me for sure)
If the transmission pan gasket is original, it should be rubber covered metal. as the pan probably says, this gasket is re-usable and after looking at the gasket that came with my filter, i opted to re-use it. clean it off (But NOT with brake parts cleaner, that stuff can get mean on plastic and rubber!). With this gasket you shouldn't have to worry about torquing the screws down a certain way as it won't bunch up like a solid rubber or cork gasket might, and re-installing the transmission pan is MUCH easier than trying to align the really floppy gasket that came with your filter. Don't use grease or any kind of sealer on this gasket, it doesn't need it.
Once you've allowed a few minutes for the old fluid to drip its way out, put your new filter in (dry), put the magnet back in its place in the pan(don't ask how i know you need to double check this...), place the gasket on top of the transmission pan, and finger tighten all the screws. go back and torque them - not too tight. There's a point where they just sort of stop turning, don't force it past this point. i'd hate to strip one out!
I don't know about a plug on the torque converter, but like i said, unless you're having serious problems i wouldn't bother with it. For normal maintenance it should be fine.
your transmission needs Mercon V fluid - do NOT let the people at the desk sell you mercon/dextron III, it is NOT what you need. You can put Mercon V in a Mercon/Dextron III transmission, but NOT(!!!) the other way around. check your transmission fluid dipstick, it should say. you have the same tranny i do, so unless something changed since 1999 you should need the same things i did.
Mercon V is a bit more expensive than Mercon/Dextron III, and i had a hard time finding it for whatever reason. I THINK i used about 6 quarts, but i'd buy 8 just in case. the computers at wherever you go should have something in there about capacity.
The haynes manual confused me a bit on that, it said i needed 16 qts - that measurement includes the torque converter you aren't draining.
after you change it, turn the motor on and shift between gears a few times, and it wouldn't even hurt to rev it a little sitting still. you just want to make sure you get fluid through that new filter and into the parts that got drained before you go 90 again. check the fluid level again, then check it again the following morning or a couple of days later just in case. check the pan again and make sure you aren't leaking or dripping fluid.
edited for ape fingers
Last edited by crimson shrew; 06-02-2005 at 02:08 AM.
it sounds a lot harder than it is, and i'm long winded to begin with. i haven't done that much work on this vehicle yet - in fact my experience was changing oil and engine coolant. I didn't have a hard time with it, although i did have someone experienced double checking what i did.
and like i said, i'm LONG winded. i had to add this last paragraph to a new reply - it was over 5000 characters with it
edited to add - just in case you don't have one yet, get a haynes manual for your vehicle. it takes you step by step through almost anything you can imagine doing to you car and it's pretty clear - tells you what to expect and how to avoid screwing up. Well worth whatever it costs
Your '01 has a drain plug for the torque converter, so it's easy to drain. MOST of the fluid is in the converter. You'll need 12-13 quarts of fluid to do a complete change, of which about 5 drain from the tranny. 5 quarts of new fluid won't do much to clean the dirty 8, so you should drain the converter when you do the job.
There are a lot of threads on this board about how to do it. Drop the pan (messy), pull the filter. Remove torque converter access plug and rotate the engine so that torque converter plug is accessable and remove. When it's done draining, put a new plug in the converter (I don't have torque spec handy, but don't overtighten), replace the filter and pan. Pour 4-5 quarts in the transmission and start engine, and slowly add fluid until it checks at the proper level.
It is a waste of time to just do the pan. You might as well Drain the torque converter if you are already under there. It is the easier step to do anyway.
Ok Ok you cured me from touching mine...I'm getting the Ford Dealer man to change mine...I will get them to remove all the oil and give me the 13-16 guarts deal...
But...Thanks for the good job of telling me what's invovled to do this myself...
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Ok Ok you cured me from touching mine...I'm getting the Ford Dealer man to change mine...I will get them to remove all the oil and give me the 13-16 guarts deal...
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