Are they suggesting a no pan drop/ exterior line flush?

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2000 F-150 XL,RC,LB,5.4,4R70W,3.55LS,
Class III tow/Payload #3/Convenience pkgs.,
4-wheel disc/ABS,Chestnut/Parchment 40/60,
Ford bedliner & gas/wheel/spare locks,
3" cold air box modification,Superchip,
Dynomax ultra-flow welded 3" cat-back.

 

The two dealers I've talked to seem to prefer the trans. fluid flush over the pan drop/filter change. I don't know if they just don't like to fool with the pan drop (which is messy) and prefer it over the flush (which is less messy). One dealer also told me that flushing the fluid also conditions the seals. Is this possible or just hogwash? Which is better for my trans?

 

I've seen 2)flush machine methods. 1)drops the pan and flushes from the pickup. 2)removes the exterior lines only and flushes from there. Of these 2) methods I prefer 1) since you can observe the filter, pan debris, etc. I prefer my exterior lines left alone. I like to use the traditional method of dropping the pan, inpection, filter, draining torque converter, & new fluid. All three are effective in changing fluid, which is the most important factor. This is my opinion only. I hope this helps some.

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2000 F-150 XL,RC,LB,5.4,4R70W,3.55LS,
Class III tow/Payload #3/Convenience pkgs.,
4-wheel disc/ABS,Chestnut/Parchment 40/60,
Ford bedliner & gas/wheel/spare locks,
3" cold air box modification,Superchip,
Dynomax ultra-flow welded 3" cat-back.

 

They way I do it (the way my father taught me) is to basically do both. I flush by disconnecting the fluid line at the trans cooler, run the transmission (with engine running) through park, drive etc...and let the old nasty fluid pump in to a 5 gallon bucket. What's important is to keep filling the transmission throughout this process. Then drop the pan, change filter clean pan and magnet. Has always worked great.

Jerry.

 

I'm new to the board so please be patient.

I've searched through the previous posts on this but could never come up with a definative answer on the following question. What are the pros vs. cons concerning changing the transmission fluid & filter (dropping the pan, etc.) versus flushing the transmission fluid from the tranny and torque converter? The two dealers I've talked to about this say that flushing is just fine until you get over 50,000 to 60,000 miles. They also don't seem very keen on manually draining the torque converter as has been previously described on the board. My '99 5.4 has 26,000± miles on it right now. Any other opinions on this subject?

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1999 F-150 SWB SuperCab XLT Oxford White, 5.4L Triton, Auto, 3.55 Ltd. Slip, Pendaliner, UWS Xtra-DEEP Toolbox, Yaesu FT-8000R Amateur Radio Transceiver, Larsen NMO-2/70 Antenna.

[This message has been edited by FirstOnRaceDay (edited 07-14-2000).]