Flush,drop the pan,or both?

[BlueOvalFitter]

2007 F150,4.2V6,auto transmission
I'm wanting to do a transmission service at 15k miles.For warranty reasons Ford will be doing the work.Any suggestions or opinions on whether or not to just drop the pan,flush,or both? Either way i'm putting a Ford pan with plug back on it for future drains.

 

[Lonnie]

In fleet service we’ve tested a lot of different maintenance plans and have settled on frequent drain and fills. It does not get it all but that’s apparently ok. We could never prove that the complete exchange of fluid showed an advantage and had some problems with power flushing. I think the idea of simple is better applies here. Flushing takes skill and care and shows no advantage that we could discover. The drain and fill has now migrated to the use of a vacuum pump in many applications.

 

[salvageyardteen]

Get a flush done at the dealer.

 

[Donald]

At 15K all you need to do is freshen up the fluid so dropping the pan and a refill is fine. Consider synthetic fluid. I'll bet the dealer has it. As long as the synthetic fluid meets the Ford spec, it will be fine under warranty. Remember under Federal law, Ford cannot require Ford fluid to retain the warranty unless they provide it free.

 

[unDummy]

Yep, 15k pan drop and refresh is all that you need if it is a daily driver. If you work the truck, then you should consider a flush OR shorter pan drop intervals.

There are NO warranty reasons to only go to the dealer.

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

Quote:

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There are NO warranty reasons to only go to the dealer.

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You're correct,but I only trust my local Ford dealer.I know alot of the techs there and they treat me very well!

 

[JTK]

What I've experienced is all your blue oval service depts will have a different take on it based on the trans in question. They typically consider a pan drop and filter change a "full service" on an AX4S/4N for example. No flushes or transfusions on those. Your trans might have a nice reusable metal/rubber pan gasket which makes a pan drop easier. I personally like to drop the pan for a cleanout prior to 36Kmi. You will have a a fair amount of stuff in the bottom of the pan and on the magnet(s) by then. Like Lonnie says, does it help to get it out of there? Who knows. It can't hurt though. Just more time and resources.

Joel

 

[Dick in Falls Church]

When they drop the pan, have them add a drain plug.
That gives you the option of doing an inexpensive partial fluid change with no hassle.

 

[Donald]

The guy doing fluid changes at a dealership is probably a junior mechanic.

 

[Steelers]

Go with the pan drop, filter change, refill. If you want them to use a synthetic fluid you'll need to bring it to them otherwise they will use Motorcraft Mercon V. To save some money in the future using a hand pump to easily empty the pan and refresh the fluid. You'll get about 4 quarts out and if done every 15-30K should keep the transmission happy. Consider Mobil 1 Mercon V and Amsoil ATF for that unit.

 

[GT Mike]

I just did the transmission filter and fluid on my Explorer this past weekend, and it's kind of nice having a drain plug installed from the factory. Makes life a little less messy when pulling the pan down.

Filling this transmission (5R55S) is a bit bizarre though...You fill it from the bottom thru a plug within the drain plug. It takes some time, and it's a bit messy, but more or less idiot proof as you really can't overfill it. Any excess will drain out the fill port.

I used Castrol Mercon V, which I've gathered here is pretty decent. I plan on doing a quick drain and refill when it comes due for an oil change just to ensure I got most of the old fluid out of the torque convertor, etc. Now that I got the hang of it, it should go pretty easily.