Cooler line exchange questions

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dsmith41

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I have a few questions. I have 40k miles on the current ATF fill in my Ranger. The truck has the 5R55E transmission and I have never done an ATF change in my life.

I want to try the cooler line method so tonight I went under the truck to plan my attack. The only lines I found coming out of the transmission were metal, not rubber has I had expected. Is this correct? I followed them to the front of the truck and they appeared to enter the bottom of the radiator. Since they are metal and cannot be easily moved, it will be more difficult than I was hoping to attach some tubing and do the flush.
mad.gif
My other question is which cooler line should I use to do the flush and how do I know which is which?

I saw at O'reily's tonight that they are running a special on ATF where I can get Valvoline Mercon V for $3.99/qt. This seemed like a good price to me and it has the Mercon V spec so it must be decently good stuff for another 30k miles, right? It is not the Maxlife stuff.
 
Though I can tell you, but get ahold of Panthermike. He just did a service on his ranger. It made a big difference even at 24k miles on his. PM him if needed he's a goodfella. If you still have questions let me know
 
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Thanks for the kind words Shawn :)

Put this link into your address bar and tell me if yours is the same(the setup is towards the bottom). http://rockledge.home.comcast.net/~rockledge/RangerPictureGallery/Tranny_Fluid_Change_5R55E.pdf

My cooler lines were also metal, I used the bottom line(on the radiator). It was a bit messy but a success. I used a 1/2" hose on the line itself(3/8" would be perfect but there's a flange at the end of the line). I placed a short piece of 3/8" hose into the radiator itself w/ a plug at the end so that it wouldn't spray everywhere.

Like I said, it still spilled ATF, but I just had the hose routed to a jug and right next to it, a pan to catch spillage. A little cleanup after which wasn't bad. Also, I recommend using a jug w/ 1/2qt increments marked so that it's easier to know how much fluid to put back in(maybe put in a tad less than measured at first, to not overfill).

Don't forget, pumping out around 3qts prior to dropping the pan makes for no mess
happy2.gif
 
For others who debate which is which line ...

The line exiting the front (closest to) should be the outbound line on a RWD transmissions. Also, if you look at how it's fastened there, it may be a better/easier disconnect at the RETURN line at the trans. It was much easier on my son's AW4 (jeep Chero) due to the quick production pinch connects to just pull the return line to the trans and do it there.

This could be easier on the pickups/SUV than at the rad.
 
I was going to PM Panthermike today but he beat me to it.

Mike, thanks for the link to the .pdf file. That is how my transmission cooling system is set up and it will be a big help. So looking at the diagram should I disconnect and pump the fluid from the fluid cooler tube (Item 3) or fluid cooler inlet tube (Item 4)?

Also, is the Valvoline Mercon V fluid good stuff at $3.99/qt? I really don't see why there would be anything wrong with it since it meets Mercon V. Does Mercon V have to be synthetic?
 
Just a suggestion. If you have any fears of disconnecting lines etc, get a fluid extractor, or a suction pump that looks like a grease gun. You can draw out about 2 qts of ATF via the dipstick, replace with fresh fluid and drive a short distance, then repeat a few times. I've done that many times on cars with questionable cooler lines. Disconnecting a line is best but sometimes it can be more trouble than it is worth. Especially if you are new to the job. JMO
 
I have a pump and I plan to pump out some fluid before I drop the pan just to keep from making a huge mess. But I think I can handle the cooler line method. I can do anything if I put my mind to it. Lol.
 
Looks like #4, which is the bottom line on the radiator.

I'm sure the Valvoline stuff will be fine since it has the spec.

As for pumping out fluid w/ a pump beforehand, unneccessary. Instead, disconnect the cooler line and pump out about 3qts. Then you can drop the pan and presto, only around 1-2qts remaining in the pan
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Colt- Why does it have to be a blend? Is that the official Ford recommendation?

Mike- Why not just drain the pan using the drain plug? Also, why drop the pan at all?

I don't own a Ford, but my brother does and we'll be doing his transmission flush this summer, so I need to learn what I can now :)
 
Originally Posted By: hate2work

Colt- Why does it have to be a blend? Is that the official Ford recommendation?

Mike- Why not just drain the pan using the drain plug? Also, why drop the pan at all?

I don't own a Ford, but my brother does and we'll be doing his transmission flush this summer, so I need to learn what I can now :)


Yes, it has to have the Merc V spec, which is at least a blend I believe.

No drain plug on these pans. He can replace the filter plus clean the pan and magnet.
 
Originally Posted By: panthermike
Originally Posted By: hate2work

Colt- Why does it have to be a blend? Is that the official Ford recommendation?

Mike- Why not just drain the pan using the drain plug? Also, why drop the pan at all?

I don't own a Ford, but my brother does and we'll be doing his transmission flush this summer, so I need to learn what I can now :)


Yes, it has to have the Merc V spec, which is at least a blend I believe.

No drain plug on these pans. He can replace the filter plus clean the pan and magnet.


OK, I see what you're saying, it must at least be a blend to pass the Merc V specs. I thought my brother told me he had a drain plug on his 05 Ranger, I'll look tomorrow so I'll know what I'm up against.
 
Mercon V specifies performance of the fluid. It's up to the manufacturers and blenders how they meet the spec. If they can do it with regular fluid or even peanut oil, fine. But as panthermike said, it probably has synthetic in it.
 
Make the flush easy:

Buy a couple of hose barb unions and 10' of appropriately-sized clear vinyl tubing at a hardware store. Cut into a cooler line, and plumb the tube in. Have somebody crank the engine, and watch the "bubble movement to determine flow direction.

Next, move the tubing so it will pump fluid out into your container.

If you have good light and maybe a piece of white cardboard as a background for your clear tubing, you can easily see when your new fluid starts to come through as you do the flush.

Try not to make a bloody (looking) mess like I did.

Kaboomba
 
Good idea. Since the lines are metal, you wouldn't really need/want hose barbs, just cut out a piece of the metal return line tubing and push a piece of rubber hose over each end with a good clamp. That would make it much easier to service later on as well.

I've noticed that the return line to the transmission from the cooler( on any transmission ) seems to always be the one positioned above the other line connected at the transmission. That would make sense because the cooler supply line ( lower one ) is more likely to have a better supply of fluid at the lower level of the transmission, and the upper one ( the higher one ) is simply dumping fluid back into the transmission from the cooler.
 
I always undo a line and tickle the ignition to find which direction the mess went. If I'm ambitious, I'll draw an arrow on one of the fittings to save the trouble next time.
 
Here's one way to go--
--Disable the engine so it'll crank but not start. You can pull the coil center wire or pull the fuel injection fuse, or whatever works on that engine.

--Disconnect one of the transmission cooler lines and put temporary tubing on both open ends and direct them to a jug or bucket.

--Crank the engine. You'll see which tube puts fluid into your bucket and know how to proceed.

--Set up the engine to run. Run the engine in Park and pump two quarts of ATF into your bucket. Stop the engine. Refill the transmission with two quarts of new fluid. Pump out two more, refill, etc., etc., until your job is done. Draining and refilling the sump before disconnecting the cooler lines speeds things up.

--Install an inline Magnefine or SPXFiltran filter, noting the correct direction of fluid flow.

--Connect everything, correct the fluid level, take a short drive, correct the fluid level again.
 
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