I have 2000 F-150 4x4 with 86,000 miles. According to the previous owner he had never changed the transmission fluid. I have been told that it would be dangerous at this stage to change the fluid if it has never been changed and that I would be better off just replacing the filter and pouring the old fluid back into the tranny. Anyone have any thoughts on the subject?

Thanks,
Bear

 

Drop the pan, change the filter, and top off with new fluid.

Guys....do the 2000's have a Torque Converter drain?? If yes, you can drain, and refill that too.

 

Replace the fluid. And yes the 2000 does have a TC plug. That stopped in 2002.

 

There's no danger replacing the fluid with only 86K on the truck and do not put the old fluid back in. At a minimum drop the pan, clean the pan, change the filter, reinstall the pan and top off the fluid. For this you'll need one filter, don't worry about the gasket its reusable, and 4-5 quarts of Mercon V fluid. This is a basic transmission service that will do no harm and will freshen the fluid (you're only changing about 1/3 of it) and get a new filter in the unit. If you can drain the torque converter you'll get nearly all the old fluid out, except what's in the transmission lines. If you drain the TC go ahead and buy a case (12 quarts) of Mercon V. Finally, you could take it somewhere and have a fluid exchange done. This is where they allow the transmission's pump to push out the old fluid and replace it with new fluid, this replaces all the old stuff. Even with a fluid exchange I would still recommend having the old filter replaced. This type of service is usually around $200.

 

Thanks for all of the information. It is greatly appreciated. I will change the fluid myself this weekend and install a new filter. Thanks again!

Bama Bear