DIY Transmission Flush or Drain and Fill

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I have a 2009 Ford Escape, 6 speed auto. I want to replace as much atf as possible, while diluting the least amount possible. I have two options but I'm confused about which to do.
Option one is to pull the transmission cooler line and let it pump 2 quarts out at a time. I'm not too comfortable with that but can do it.
The second option, the one Ford recommends as a "flush" is to drain it from the plug and refill it a few times.
The transmission holds 9 quarts. The first drain and fill I did, I got about 5 quarts out. So would it be just as good to drain and refill it twice? Do I have to shift through gears or is it better to drive it after each drain? I feel like draining it is just diluting it.
There's no accessible filter and no pan, just a drain plug.
I decided against using Royal Purple from the mixed reviews on using anything other than Mercon LV. I'm buying a case of 12 quarts but I don't want to waste them by diluting it into old fluid.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!
 
When I did my transmission flush this year I did the 1-1/2 to 2 quarts at a time method until 16-18 quarts were pumped through the system. Best way to get it all out at once. A local shop did it previously about 30K miles ago.

5 quarts out of 9 leaves you with 45% old fluid. If you do that a 2nd time, it would be about 20% old fluid. One advantage to that method is if the fluid has never been changed and you want to induce a smaller chemical change to your system. It's certainly safer. After one drain and refill, wait until having driven a few days to a week, then do the next one assuming things are all operating fine.
 
Just drain and fill a gallon of maxlife aft, or whatever mercon lv every year, for $17 it's an easy, cheap solution.
 
agree that if you aren't experiencing a problem then just do the next drain fill at your next oil change.

the fluid is always going to age so there's no point in draining all of it.

if you feel a need to drain all of it, what you are really saying is this means you're draining too late and you are already on bad fluid.
 
3 x drain & fill over a couple of weeks
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Originally Posted By: Olas
3 x drain & fill over a couple of weeks
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+1 or even over a couple of days. Once you drive it the fluid is going to mix through.
 
When I have drain plugs - I dump and replace the 4-5 quarts once a year during motor oil change ...
 
Rochev you never stated how many miles as that's about as important of a piece of information as any. If one is doing a change past 90k one has to be carefull about flushing. If 60-90k should not be an issue. My Transit that I bought this summer with 180k seems to have had no service what so ever and needed a extensive overhaul including the valve body. The Xterra manual stated to do a all fluid change at 90k.
 
According to an ATF drain/refill replacement ratio calculator based upon 9 qts. total capacity and replacing 5 qts. each change:

Change #1 55.56%
Change #2 80.25%
Change #3 91.22%
Change #4 96.10%
Change #5 98.27%
Change #6 99.23%
Change #7 99.66%
Change #8 99.85%
Change #9 99.93%
Change #10 99.97%
 
Do what everyone else is saying. I don't fool around with a flush or worry about old fluid. My schedule on my 05 is every 4 years drop pan replace fluid and filter. Every 2 years in between, pump out of dip stick and replace with new fluid. My fluid is always like new pink.
 
I do a drain and refill every third oil change. Every 30k I pop the pan off and change the filter also.

Conservative perhaps, but I don't have to worry about a fluid related failure that way.
 
Depends on the vehicle how simple an exchange through a cooler line is. I would look into doing an exchange rather than drain and fills.
 
I would drop the pan and change the filter if it's got one. See if that improves the shifting. You could do another drain and fill within a week or a month or leave it alone.

Then every year do a drain and fill unless you don't drive much in one year. Every third or fourth year you can drop the pan and change the filter. I did that on my Sienna and it worked like a dream. On that tranny i started with Mobil 1 ATF, then switched to Max life ATF.
 
Do a flush and get it all out, No point driving around with a half dirty fluid Unhook a coolant line and fush into a pail. That tranny has a filter, but you cant change it unless you dismantle the tranmission
 
Yah if I had the old Chevvies you have, I'd be conservative too. Before I found BITOG I used a 3k or less OCI. It works! ATs will last forever as long as the flow isn't restricted by gunk. The gunk is band particles. I clogged a 727's filter, so bad it wouldn't move the car. A pan drop filter and fluid got the Grand Wag going again.
 
^^That story points to the condition of the fluid in the first place. In that case it was dirty-dirty.

Similarly, the fluid in a friend's trans was soooo filthy it was brown and lumpy. Pumping out as much of that horror as one could is what I wanted to di but the kid needed to get the car home. It was shifting well.

I did a drain & fill and gave him fluid to do it the minute he got home (230 mile highway drive) and he did.

We did the next D&F about 6 months later and the exiting fluid wasn't that bad. Ya-hoooo!
 
I recommend to my customers to do a drain/fill every 30k.

Have a customers truck that the trans went out in around 130k. I asked how often the fluid was changed and he followed the "filled for life" instructions. That was about a 4k lesson for him.
 
The whole concept of 100k lube seems directed at how long most folks own a vehicle on average and don't want to be bothered with PM. Not enough people decide upfront how long they will keep something. So BIL did - and started BG program at 50k (don't scream at me) and got 400k from 4L60e ...
 
It has 98k miles. When I bought it the fluid wasn't very dark but had lots of bubbles- no foam. I drained it around 80k and the fluid is still pink.
This fluid turns black after a while so someone changed it prior to me owning it.
If doing a few drain and fills is fine I'll do that since I don't have issues with the fluid.

I've been lurking on here for years but I'm glad I joined! Thanks everyone.
 
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