I have an 04 F150, 4.6l. Just turned 60k mi. 30k mi w/ a 6in lift, 35's and 4.56's. Wanna get the tranny serviced. For a full fluid exchange I've gotten quotes from $140-200. Not including filter change. Are these estimates accurate? Tranny temp running in the high 160's to low 170's on avg. Usually only got as high as mid 150's.

 

i would never take mine anywhere for service again. my last transmission went out 2 months after taking it to get flushed (4R100 w/ 60k).

if you do get a flush, do yourself a favor and go to the dealer. hopefully someone there will know what they're doing...maybe.

i would suggest dropping the pan yourself and just replacing the filter & fluid. when you replace the pan, get an upgraded B&M pan if you got the money with a drain plug. just my 2 cents

edit: oh...and those prices sound roughly bout right. dealer's probably closer to 200...

 

I am also curious about this.

 

I have a Mag Hytec pan with cooling fins and a drain plug. I works like a charm. Very simple to drain the pan and then top it off at the dipstick.

 

Dropping the pan only drains about 1/3 of the fluid. You need to use an exchange machine to get the fluid out of the torque converter.

 

I know that the 4R70W transmission also has a drain plug in the torque converter so you can drain all of it. My 2000 F150 5.4 had one. My 2002 has one. My 95 Mark VIII 4R70W had one. My son's 2000 V6 Mustang has a 4R70W and its torque converter has a drain plug.

You can also go to your local parts store and buy a drain plug kit for the transmission pan. Just drill a hole in your pan where the plug doesn't interfere with any internal stuff and install it. I use an oil pan drain plug washer to keep it from leaking. It's a steel washer with a rubber ring inside the circle. I had one leak with the nylon washers that came with the kit. Also, our transmissions come with a very good reusable gasket.

 

What does Ford recommend? Flush or pan drop?

 

All the dealers use the machines now I believe. Saves time for them and they make more money.

 

It is obvious that since a pan drop only replaces 5 quarts, and a flush replaces all 14 quarts, that a flush is better. However, don't forget the filter. Depending on mileage, it would be a good idea to drop the pan, change the filter, then hook up the flush machine.

 

They discontinued the torque converter drain plugs in 2001 or 2002 sometime. An 04 won't have one.

 

Like I said, my 2002 torque converter has a drain plug. Don't know about an 04.