i changed my trans fluid today and filter. i dropped the pan and drained the tc. put mercon v like it says. 12qts topped it off. man i didnt know what a diff it would make. was like a new trans. my old fluid was not to terribly dirty but worthy of change and the filter too. the shifts are faster and o so smooth.

by the way. i bought the truck with 90k on it it now has 122k and i changed it not knowing how it has been treated previously.

ryan

 

was it doing anything abnormal before you changed it? or was it just shifting hard

 

no it seemed fine to me. not so much shifter hard except on down shifts it was a little. the biggest thing was it was not shifting as quick and also the torque converter would not unlock like it should sometimes when going up hills.

o and i had that torque converter shudder like most people. fixed that up

 

looks like I"m gonna change the fluid in my tranny this weekend....

 

What did you do to drain the TC? I should ask, how did you get to it.
Thanks

 

I believe your 2000 has a drain plug in the TC. If you drop the inspection plate and turn the engine over by hand, it should appear.

 

as your laying under the truck. look at were the flywheel would be (in between the engine oil pan and trans oil pan) on there you will see a rubber gromut (spelling) pop that out and you will see the torque converter and the teeth to the flex plate. just spin the flexplate with a screw driver until you see a bolt sticking out and that drains it.


they stopped making the tc drain plug in late 2001 if im not mistaken.

 

yeah it was messy but not too diff. took me bout an hour. hard to get the back two screws by the tranny mount. i didnt even jack my truck up but mine is 4wd.

advice. break loose all screws and pop the front six out. oil will start spilling so have your pan ready. let it drain then work your way back letting it drain little by little as you take out bolts moving toward thea back of the truck. then hold he pan and get the back two bolts. easy

 

Bang for the buck, a little TLC is the hands down best performance mod you can do...IMO!! Great success story.

 

I have dropped the pan in the past and I really appreciate the advice. I have not taken the time to look for the drain plug and I really appreciate the direct approach there. I am certain I will be doing it this weekend then. I wanted to get the friction modifier (anti shudder additive). Does Amsoil carry a similar product?
I had the tranny flushed 35k ago, and then I replaced the filter not too long after (Ford MerconV).
Any suggestions?