So the transmission fluid in the F150 (91K) has never been changed. Should it be? I have never done it on any car and I have never had any problems. TIA for your opinions!
Never changed Transmission fluid
- Thread starter renegade_987
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Most owners manuals say every 100K under normal driving conditions.
Yes, change it. One of the leading reasons for transmission failures is ATF that has degraded to the point of poor lubrication and increase heat in the transmission. There are those who claim as you do of never changing ATF, but transmission shops will tell you of all the pre mature failures they see where the fluid is never changed.
Originally Posted By: renegade_987
So the transmission fluid in the F150 (91K) has never been changed. Should it be? I have never done it on any car and I have never had any problems. TIA for your opinions!
Buy a case of Mercon V and replace it all along with the filter.
So the transmission fluid in the F150 (91K) has never been changed. Should it be? I have never done it on any car and I have never had any problems. TIA for your opinions!
Buy a case of Mercon V and replace it all along with the filter.
If you plan on keeping that bad boy for many more happy miles to come. Change it!
Agree with them ^^^.
I once heard it said that if people would simply maintain their transmissions/transaxles properly, half the transmission shops in the country would go out of business.
Remember, too, that manufacturers have been in a race for many years now to see who can claim their cars need the least routine maintenance. I can see there may be cases where a transmission WILL last 100,000 (or more) miles with no maintenance, but I'll bet dollars to donuts there are MANY more that will not, and I don't want to be one of them.
Change the fluid.
I once heard it said that if people would simply maintain their transmissions/transaxles properly, half the transmission shops in the country would go out of business.
Remember, too, that manufacturers have been in a race for many years now to see who can claim their cars need the least routine maintenance. I can see there may be cases where a transmission WILL last 100,000 (or more) miles with no maintenance, but I'll bet dollars to donuts there are MANY more that will not, and I don't want to be one of them.
Change the fluid.
I'm in the same predicament. I recently got an Intrepid with 140k on it and it has a receipt of a trans service at 30k. The owner's manual says to replace fluid and filter every 48k if operated under severe and no mention under regular service.
Seeing how there is no drain on the pan and I've read of the gaskets not working right making the need of a special RTV/glue in place of the gasket needed. I've settled on siphoning out a few ounces a week of ATF+4 until it is red enough. I'll do this since the reports of dropping the pan after neglect has caused problems and the fact that my use will be severe duty since I will drive prolonged periods at high speeds above 90F. I do suppose 70mph for 2 hrs qualifies it.
It it was a MT I would show it more love, its just I hate automatics. Not that I want the car to die, I will try to make it to 200k the best I can. But in an AT, if you try to get spirited and use the engine a bit, the transmission absolutely protests. Every automatic I've driven shifts ok and light throttle and low rpms, but when you try to do something it just bangs around. Whereas in a manual, you pick your gear and give it gas. No chance of damage at all. In the 4spd, you speed up and bam. It always seems to shift when you don't want it to. Its fine for tooling around, but if you got an idea on your mind, forget about it. Whose idea was an auto in a sports car.
I will give the auto this. It 'did' work well in a 69 Ford 360ci, the 3 speed. You could give it a little gas without it freaking out and hunting gears. But alas, after 42 years and 110k miles it is showing water on the dipstick.
A few other things I don't like about autos. While cruising down the interstate, every time you lift your foot from the accel pedal it comes out of gear. So when you reapply your foot, the rpms rise then shift back into gear a moment later. Not a big deal right, well somehow I'm sure this is accelerating the wear a bit. And I don't know if this is common amongst autos since this is the first I've had in a while. When the cruise control is engaged and your falling down a hill, it will kick out of gear to slow it down instead of just letting it coast. But maybe that extra bit of wear is justified as it may save you a ticket.
When in doubt, change it out.
Seeing how there is no drain on the pan and I've read of the gaskets not working right making the need of a special RTV/glue in place of the gasket needed. I've settled on siphoning out a few ounces a week of ATF+4 until it is red enough. I'll do this since the reports of dropping the pan after neglect has caused problems and the fact that my use will be severe duty since I will drive prolonged periods at high speeds above 90F. I do suppose 70mph for 2 hrs qualifies it.
It it was a MT I would show it more love, its just I hate automatics. Not that I want the car to die, I will try to make it to 200k the best I can. But in an AT, if you try to get spirited and use the engine a bit, the transmission absolutely protests. Every automatic I've driven shifts ok and light throttle and low rpms, but when you try to do something it just bangs around. Whereas in a manual, you pick your gear and give it gas. No chance of damage at all. In the 4spd, you speed up and bam. It always seems to shift when you don't want it to. Its fine for tooling around, but if you got an idea on your mind, forget about it. Whose idea was an auto in a sports car.
I will give the auto this. It 'did' work well in a 69 Ford 360ci, the 3 speed. You could give it a little gas without it freaking out and hunting gears. But alas, after 42 years and 110k miles it is showing water on the dipstick.
A few other things I don't like about autos. While cruising down the interstate, every time you lift your foot from the accel pedal it comes out of gear. So when you reapply your foot, the rpms rise then shift back into gear a moment later. Not a big deal right, well somehow I'm sure this is accelerating the wear a bit. And I don't know if this is common amongst autos since this is the first I've had in a while. When the cruise control is engaged and your falling down a hill, it will kick out of gear to slow it down instead of just letting it coast. But maybe that extra bit of wear is justified as it may save you a ticket.
When in doubt, change it out.
Change it if you want it to last. The filter needs to be changed also. An inline filter would also be a good idea.
Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
Seeing how there is no drain on the pan and I've read of the gaskets not working right making the need of a special RTV/glue in place of the gasket needed. I've settled on siphoning out a few ounces a week of ATF+4 until it is red enough. I'll do this since the reports of dropping the pan after neglect has caused problems and the fact that my use will be severe duty since I will drive prolonged periods at high speeds above 90F. I do suppose 70mph for 2 hrs qualifies it.
I can't imagaine other ATs would be really any different, but I have some interesting observations of AT temps after my recent temperature gauge installation. Sender was located on the cooler line coming out of the transmission to the radiator. Transmission is a U151E on a 2006 Sienna. Observations were both with trailer in tow and without. Highest temps, peaking around 230F occur under extreme load, while towing and climbing a mountain. Also causing high temps are stop and go traffic, or coming to a sudden stand still after cruising at high speeds, peaking around 215F. Temps also climb quickly when accelerating under any condition, and if the torque converter unlocks.
If cruising on flat or downhill for extended periods at 70 mph+, and no high heat condition occured beforehand, temps would often stay surprisingly low, even once say it dip to 130F.
So a 70mph drive (provided fairly level terrain), is probably one of the easiest drives you'll do for the transmission. City driving and mountainous driving would be the really killers.
Are only a few ounces at a time all you can siphon out of this transmission? Some kind of fluid extractor might possibly help? I don't know anything about your particular transmission, but extractors are commonly used on transmissions without drain plugs.
Seeing how there is no drain on the pan and I've read of the gaskets not working right making the need of a special RTV/glue in place of the gasket needed. I've settled on siphoning out a few ounces a week of ATF+4 until it is red enough. I'll do this since the reports of dropping the pan after neglect has caused problems and the fact that my use will be severe duty since I will drive prolonged periods at high speeds above 90F. I do suppose 70mph for 2 hrs qualifies it.
I can't imagaine other ATs would be really any different, but I have some interesting observations of AT temps after my recent temperature gauge installation. Sender was located on the cooler line coming out of the transmission to the radiator. Transmission is a U151E on a 2006 Sienna. Observations were both with trailer in tow and without. Highest temps, peaking around 230F occur under extreme load, while towing and climbing a mountain. Also causing high temps are stop and go traffic, or coming to a sudden stand still after cruising at high speeds, peaking around 215F. Temps also climb quickly when accelerating under any condition, and if the torque converter unlocks.
If cruising on flat or downhill for extended periods at 70 mph+, and no high heat condition occured beforehand, temps would often stay surprisingly low, even once say it dip to 130F.
So a 70mph drive (provided fairly level terrain), is probably one of the easiest drives you'll do for the transmission. City driving and mountainous driving would be the really killers.
Are only a few ounces at a time all you can siphon out of this transmission? Some kind of fluid extractor might possibly help? I don't know anything about your particular transmission, but extractors are commonly used on transmissions without drain plugs.
Hello, Get on it!, You kidding me?, Nothing lasts forever, Time's a wastin', It's your nickel, You have everything to gain and nothing to lose, Do you want that vehicle to last?, You run burned, blackened fluids in all your machinery?, Get the wife to change it for you. Kira
Like others have said, I would do a cooler line flush and replace the ATF. What trans is in it? Either Dex/Merc or Merc V will work fine.
Originally Posted By: Donald
Change it if you want it to last. The filter needs to be changed also. An inline filter would also be a good idea.
Ditto. John--Las Vegas
Change it if you want it to last. The filter needs to be changed also. An inline filter would also be a good idea.
Ditto. John--Las Vegas
My 98 chevy truck has a drain plug in the transmission pan and I drain and refill the transmission every other oil change. This changes out about 3 qrts every 6,000 miles. I have 120,000 miles on the original transmission and it still shifts great.
Wayne
Wayne
I just flushed a transmission on a 07 Yaris with 92k on the original Toyota WS fluid. The old fluid was darker than any motor oil I've seen and had some grit at the bottom of the pan. Went through 11 quarts of WS at $8/qt and the fluid is now red-- and the transmission shifts great. So yes, flush the fluid.
^ you say the trans shifts great. is that before and after the fluid flush?
I'm just looking for more info on the people who NEVER change their fluids. I have friends who dont like to listen to me but oddly enough none of them have any issues and they are all in the 70-110k range with OEM fluids, mainly [censored] cars.
I'm just looking for more info on the people who NEVER change their fluids. I have friends who dont like to listen to me but oddly enough none of them have any issues and they are all in the 70-110k range with OEM fluids, mainly [censored] cars.
Originally Posted By: The Critic
I just flushed a transmission on a 07 Yaris with 92k on the original Toyota WS fluid. The old fluid was darker than any motor oil I've seen and had some grit at the bottom of the pan. Went through 11 quarts of WS at $8/qt and the fluid is now red-- and the transmission shifts great. So yes, flush the fluid.
Its well worth doing it but costs nearly the same as doing it at a shop and more time. Im about to go through the same exact thing in my Civic. Not excited and very excited at the same time.
I just flushed a transmission on a 07 Yaris with 92k on the original Toyota WS fluid. The old fluid was darker than any motor oil I've seen and had some grit at the bottom of the pan. Went through 11 quarts of WS at $8/qt and the fluid is now red-- and the transmission shifts great. So yes, flush the fluid.
Its well worth doing it but costs nearly the same as doing it at a shop and more time. Im about to go through the same exact thing in my Civic. Not excited and very excited at the same time.
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