How difficult is it to do, and can I buy the filter, fluid and pan gasket at a regular auto parts store? Jiffy lube charges around $90, will it be much cheaper to do it myself? Thanks

 

filter should be done at 60k and you may have a reusable gasket

 

no offense, i wouldnt trust them changing my wiper blades. tranny fluid job is not hard.pick up a haynes manual. pretty good step by step instructions. run into any problems sure folks here can help ya.ive heard to many blown engine ,blown tranny storys from those quick lube places.

 

My friend and I changed it last night. Everything went perfectly.

 

Did you have a torque converter drain plug?

Adrianspeeder

 

Not sure, it was my buddy under the truck. It took 5 quarts to fill up. By reading around I realize now that I should have drained the torque converter. I'm not sure if my truck was made after the cutoff date for the drain plugs or not.


Also: Please tell me I didn't do a bad thing..... I used dextron/mercon III instead of V. Is that going to cause any problems?

 

You did a bad thing.
At least you only changed 5 quarts, not everything. MERCON won't prevent shudder, MERCON V will. Your trans may develop a shudder pretty soon, and if it does, you may need to replace the torque converter.

If it were my truck, I'd follow these directions and change the fluid the right way, and use MERCON V fluid. Do it soon!
http://www.ford-trucks.com/article/i...nsmission.html

 

I used an additive called Lubegard platinum. It is supposed to convert normal dextron/mercon atf to mercon 5. I have heard good things about it so far. So hopefully it will work as promised and my trans will be ok.

 

Good luck.

 

I have a hard time believing the claims of those additives. For the cost of the fluid, and the fact that you only changed about 1/3 of it anyway, I'd follow the advice above and do a complete flush and refill ASAP. Right now you've only wasted about $15 of trans fluid. Wait, and you could be looking at several hundred dollars in repairs. Up to you, though.

Andy

 

That thread says don't use Mercon V so what's the deal?

 

Does the additive you used also claim to change ATF plus 3 into ATF plus 4? (Chrysler Corp. vehicles)

 

That thread is specific to the E4OD and 4R100 which use Mercon III. If his dipstick says Mercon V, then he most likely hast the 4R70W, which requires it.

Andy

 

Don't follow that bullchit thread that posted unless you want to totally compromise you trans , I have a 98 E4OD and thought we went through all this - that's a bad post and I personally experienced the repercussions. In 1997 Mercon V was introduced . Earlier E4OD transmissions 97 and before could not use Mercon V for a long time - they can now . Transmissions built in 1998 and on could always use Mercon V. The reason was that Mercon V use to blow the seals - THAT was the whole problem with the fluid , it wasn't until 1998 that every ford production transmission had upgraded seals . It doesn't matter now that the fluids made seal safe for all and is recommended. There was a time when it was not. If you follow that thread you might get away with it if you have low mileage , but I didn't and I did it RIGHT as instructed per that thread and that did nothing but contaminate the new filter that as per those instructions - is the first thing you change out . Don't Liston to that idiot telling you to follow those or you may go threw the same problems I have . Some people never learn and don't care because it's not there transmission thats in the balance. I fixed mine finally after all that contamination - I had to use AMSOIL w/ a friction modifier which two old timers that worked on transmissions all there lives told me to do. They also said that you flush the lines and cooler separately. I wish people would stop guiding others in the wrong direction - it's bull!!

Additionally I used Mercon Dextron III the first time around, which is commonly called Mercon III . Mercon III is not the correct name, but it is called this by many and find it petty to point out so adamantly when the name MERCON and III is still on the bottle you can purchase in stores today (funny even the old timers called it Mercon III)- okay so in slang people call it Mercon III - big fricken deal!! What you transmission guys should really be focusing on is the problem with people who want to flush there transmissions themselves and pointing them in the RIGHT direction. I 'm glad I could bring this out in the open , also lucky that I met some real trans guys who shed this light so that I could save myself from a major exspense from bad info recieved from a certain poster on this site directing me to yet another site as it turned out to be a bad resource of information.

 

Having recently gone through similar questions in another thread, I have to agree that the routine referred to seems to be counter-productive in that you do run dirty fluid through your just-changed filter.

I looked through the '01 service manual, and don't find a procedure to change the trans fluid. For my '99, Ford states to drain the pan and clean it, drain the torque convertor, and then flush it and the cooler (via special procedures).

In your '01, if you still have a drain plug in your torque convertor, you should be able to drain the pan, and clean it (and the magnet), drain the T/C, and if you have an auxillary cooler, pull the lines on that and drain it, too. You'll still have some fluid in the lines and valve body, but I'd guess you'll get, what, 80-85% of it this way? Then put in your new filter, bolt up the pan, pour in 5 quarts of fluid, run the truck a minute or two while slowly rowing through the gears, then 5 more quarts, repeat, and then carefully top off.

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong in suggesting this procedure, but it seems to me this would get you mostly fresh fluid with minimal fuss (and any contaminants in the cooler and t/c shouldn't be knocked loose any more than they would have by the old fluid).

If you have no T/C drain plug, then the Ford flushing procedure looks like the best bet.

Either way though, drain and re-fill or full flush, I'd get the standard Mercon out of there pronto if it was mine.

Andy