I am going to replace the trans fluid in my 97 Expedition before the upcoming car show season starts. I am getting conflicting stories if I need to get a trans pan gasket. Some say yes and others say that the gasket is reusable. Does anyone know or has anyone done this fluid change?Also how many quarts does the trans take? Thanks for your help?

 

Honestly no more than what that gasket will set you back, the age of the original gasket and the ease to replace while your in there, I would just get a new one.

 

I did mine 3 times same gasket its a steel core robber gasket much better than cork,if i were tou i would drain the converter and go with synthetic it made mine shift smoother at 75,000

1997 F150w 120,000mi. Mobil 1 syn. trans fluid

 

If you drain the conv.put 4qts in and startup runthrough gears, then add 4 more, start, then 4 more start,take a ride to warm up oil and check level, add if neccesary to get between the lines.
thats 12gts before checking

 

Synthetic (Mercon) fluid?????Should I get the gasket or not?I tow my Cobra about 8-10 times a year,and I need the Expedition to last for a while.How hard is it to change the converter fluid?

 

Yes synthetic mercon i used MOBIL1,the gasket should be fine,if not you do get a cork one with the new filter.
The plug is in the conv, remove the rubber plug on the bottom of the bell housing. Then using a 15mm socket on the crank pulley,rotatethe engine while feeling inside the housing for the 10mm plug to come around then stop above the opening and remove plug. There is about 8 qts in there so use a large enough pan.
Then reinstall plug and start engine place in gear momenterally then shut off and remove plug again, Now you can drop the pan without making a mess because it will be empty,I used teflon tape on my plug and reinstalled it,some say to replace the plug,

 

Yes synthetic mercon i used MOBIL1,the gasket should be fine,if not you do get a cork one with the new filter.
The plug is in the conv, remove the rubber plug on the bottom of the bell housing. Then using a 15mm socket on the crank pulley,rotatethe engine while feeling inside the housing for the 10mm plug to come around then stop above the opening and remove plug. There is about 8 qts in there so use a large enough pan.
Then reinstall plug and start engine place in gear momenterally then shut off and remove plug again, Now you can drop the pan without making a mess because it will be empty,I used teflon tape on my plug and reinstalled it,some say to replace the plug,

 

I don't have the owners guide to my Expedition. What Fluid should I put in there? I saw above Mercon, but they have a few different types. This is my first shot at draining the whole thing and doing the torque converter too. I drained the pan on the Lightning when I did the FTVB, but that was it.
The gasket is RE-USEABLE. It says this on the pan, and is designed to be used for the life of the vehicle.
Make sure to clean the pan out and clean the magnet off.

 

The MOBIL 1 I used said on the back of the bottle that it was a replacement for MERCON.

 

The '97's didn't require synthetic. They use Mercon/Dexron III. Not sure what year they went to synthetic. If you go the synthetic route, you have to drain the torque converter also.

I have an E40D. Maybe when they went to the 4R100 in '99(?), they require the Mercon V or whatever.....