To change trans fluid or not?

[Whimsey]

Originally Posted By: ArcticDriver
No need for a pan drop and filter change.

Just drain the fluid and refill to the correct level as per your owners manual.

Lets keep this in perspective.

Its an old Ford Escort, folks, it was free.

Is there a drain plug for that transmission? Most older Ford's need the pan to be dropped to change the fluid. And if you drop the pan you might as well change the filter.

Whimsey

 

[Olas]

It only takes a couple hours at most and doesn't cost a lot of money.
The list of benefits, and potentially avoided costs, is huge.

 

[doitmyself]

I helped maintain a few Escorts for my kids years ago. The trannies I did had the screen type filter, not filter media. I also had one or two pan bolts snap off because they had seized in, so be mindful of that.

 

[sonofbumperbolt]

I would definitely do it.
Quick story: Wife and I bought a 2003 Focus with 94K on it a few years ago. Nice 1 owner car. I never even thought to look at the ATF before I bought it. As soon as I got it home I did an oil change, etc. Much to my dismay, the ATF was black on the dipstick. I immediately did a full fluid change via the cooling line method with a fresh dose of Mercon V (Castrol, I believe). The used ATF coming out looked as bad or worse than any used engine oil you could imagine. Since then I changed it at 30K intervals and the used ATF always looked nice and red like it should. I sold the car with 195K on it and the trans still worked great.
I always believe it's better to get fresh correct fluid in anything that may have been neglected.

 

[CT8]

I would not laugh.

 

[Kestas]

Free is no reason to neglect the car. Maintain it, change the trans fluid, and it'll be "free" for a long time.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Change it. If your transmission doesn't have a drain plug, get the Dorman pan that has one.

 

[pbm]

Originally Posted By: JamesBond
I have a 97 Tracer (same car) and I use a $5 harbor freight transfer pump to change 2 quarts of fluid from the dipstick tube every year or so. The pan bolts look rusty and even though there is a drain plug on the transmission case, I'm more comfortable doing it this way.

This car has a hard 1-2 shift when the transmission fluid is hot so I use Castrol import multi vehicle transmission fluid because it meets merconV specs but is a little thicker than other merconV fluids. This fluid has helped with the hard shift.


From what I read the F-4EAT is prone to that hard 1-2 shift as they get some mileage on them (mine was doing it at 73K when I purchased it so it doesn't have to have high mileage for the symptoms to show)...one forum said that Ford/Mazda (it's originally a Mazda designed A/T) used an aluminum washer(rather than brass) which causes the issue as it deteriorates...The Castrol IMV is on the thicker side and the Maxlife is on the thinner side and as I said previously..the thicker fluid helped (but didn't totally cure) the hard 1-2 shift. I would change the fluid (even if you use the siphon method and do it 2 or 3 times) and use Castrol IMV or MerconV fluid and don't beat on that tranny (as it doesn't seem to be very stout)....

 

[xtell]

Change the transmission filter and then do a "line flush" with new fluid.

 

[Ammofirst]

I was going to respond but I can't stop laughing . Seriously, who cares how old it is. Too bad Ford is turning into a foreign car company though.

 

[ArcticDriver]