Fluid change advice
 

I have 98 4wd 5.4 with EOD4 tranny and 46,000 mi. I have not touched the trans fluid yet and have had no problems. My owners manual doesn't indicate fluid change interval. Any opinions on change interval and fluid type? I hear synthetic Mercon V Mobil 1 is good stuff...... Also do you use gasket or silicon on the tranny pan?

I have a '99 F150 with the 4.6. I change the tranny fluid at 38k. I used Valvoline blended sythetic Mercon V. Unless they added it, Mobile 1 was only Dexron III and Mercon III. Make sure you look at the label!
It took about 13 qts to change it out. Don't forget to drain the torque converter. There's a 10mm plug that you can get at via an access hole in the bottom of the bell housing. When you drop the pan, a yellow mushroom like looking piece of plastic will fall out. Your trans is not falling apart. It's a plug the factory puts in to plug the dip stick hole during transport.

With the synthetic fluid, my mileage has increased about 1 1/2 mpg. Your trans temp should also go down up to about 45 degrees. All of this will add to the life of your transmission. As I recall, the transmission has a lifetime gasket.
Good luck and have fun.

If you have an E4OD (4R100), the "lollipop" will be red, not yellow.
The 4R70 has a yellow one.

Factory Tech - I have a Califoria 5.4 auto ORP and I have a yellow top on mine. I thought all California 5.4s had the 4R100. It's a 2000.

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2000 F150 XLT SuperCab, Short Bed, 4X4, ORP, 5.4L, Auto Trans, 3.55LS, Captains Chairs with power drivers seat, rear slider, class III towing package, remote entry with alarm and just about everything you can get on this truck. Added a Ford bug deflecter, floor mats, a Dynamax Race magnum muffler and 3" mandrel bent pipes, Superchip, K&N FIPK Gen II, Bilstein shocks, Redline Synthetic oil, Kenwood stereo system and an MTX Thunder 204 4 channel amp.

He did not mean the top of the dip stick. He was refering to the plug that will be inside the pan of the transmission. When they are built before installation in a vehicle the tube used to add transmission fluid has a plug in it. When filled that plug is pushed down inside the trans and discarded at the first fluid change.

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97 F-150, 2WD, Reg Cab,Flareside,Dk Toreador Red, Windsor 4.6, Magnecor 8.5mm wires, Bosch Plat +4s, 3.55 LS, EGR Bug Deflector, Gaylord Bed Cover, Bed Liner, XL Full Length Running Boards, Air Aid Kit, Gibson Single Out Cat Back, Superchips, TransGo Shift Kit, Hellwig Rear Sway Bar, Hellwig 2500# Overload Springs,Energy Suspension Polyurethane Front Sway Bar Bushings, 265 70 16 tires, Rancho RS9000 shocks

Thank you.

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2000 F150 XLT SuperCab, Short Bed, 4X4, ORP, 5.4L, Auto Trans, 3.55LS, Captains Chairs with power drivers seat, rear slider, class III towing package, remote entry with alarm and just about everything you can get on this truck. Added a Ford bug deflecter, floor mats, a Dynamax Race magnum muffler and 3" mandrel bent pipes, Superchip, K&N FIPK Gen II, Bilstein shocks, Redline Synthetic oil, Kenwood stereo system and an MTX Thunder 204 4 channel amp.

Mobil 1 is MERCON rated, not MERCON V. That's good for your E4OD. It is only supposed to use MERCON, never MERCON V. I think Mobil 1 is about the best ATF you can get.

The pan gasket is reusable. Don't put anything on it, just put it back on as is.

Mark

Where can I get the Mobil 1 stuff? I can't find it locally!

-Jay
98 F150 SC ORP
K&N air filter
33x12.50 Pro Comp AT's on stock wheels
1" torsion bar lift up front

Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF is Dexron III / Mercon rated, not Mercon V rated. My '98 calls for Mercon, so I put Mobil 1 in. The stuff is expensive ($5/quart at Autozone) - If anybody can find it cheaper on Internet let folks know, since fluids for the change are gonna set you back 80-85 bucks. I changed fluid and found some black gunk around magnet, only 1 metal shaving big enough to feel. Filter in fair shape (could blow air through it without too much strain). There was no "lollipop" plug in my fluid, and I looked twice. Gasket is definitely reusable. Have plenty of newspaper for this job, its messy. BTW, you can rotate torque converter with a screwdriver, much easier than trying to get drain hole alignment by hitting starter. I drained tranny cooler by removing tubing connecting at radiator and using rubber hose to blow air through supply line and heat exchanger. Move your bucket for heat exchanger drain to torque converter drain hole. On refill I got ~ 15 qts in my dipstick hole before the ATF started running out the overflow on top of tranny housing - this makes a huge d*a*m*n mess, especially if you already pulled up all your newspaper thinking the messy part was over. I guess that's why they say "do not overfill".

Seeker, if you run the engine in Park only, for about a half a minute, after you put in about half the amount of ATF, the pump will refill the torque converter, and it won't come out of the top vent. There are quite a few quarts usually in the converter, and having an air bubble thats converter sized means its going to overflow.

The final level needs to be checked with the converter full, trans warmed up, etc. etc. I measure what I drain out to give me an idea how much can go in, before starting to be carefull not to fill beyond.

Thanks granpa. I just spent 20 mins with a mirror looking for the tranny overflow (compulsive worrier). My fluid level is still a little high, and the underside of my truck is well lubricated with synthetic ATF due to last nights 80 mph / 20 min break in.

Will this make it go faster? https://www.f150online.com/f150board/wink.gif

Sure will! And its a nice splash-on rust preventative, too! That synthetic should banish rust forever! https://www.f150online.com/f150board/smile.gif https://www.f150online.com/f150board/smile.gif