To change trans fluid or not?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Sep 1, 2008
Messages
5,947
Location
Southeast Texas
Just got a 2000 Ford Escort. Before anyone laughs, it was FREE to me. Its a little beat up, but it only has 86K miles on it. Most of its life it was owned by a "little old lady" that barely drove it, then a guy who used it like a work vehicle, hauling around tools in it because he didn't have a truck.

ANYWAYS, it looks to be mechanically sound. The engine is tight. It has several newer parts, including fuel injectors. My question is about the Trans fluid. It looks to be between light brown, grey and pink. Not the worst, but definitely not the best. Should I change it?

Some one advised me to "leave it alone" and some one else said definitely change it. FWIW, I won't really travel in this car. It will used as a third vehicle, just to make short neighborhood drives. Please advise, thanks!
 
Why would anyone laugh at you? I see no problem in changing the fluid and using the correct fluid.
 
+2 for drain and fill. I would vote to drop the pan and replace the filter as well.
 
Originally Posted By: JustN89
+2 for drain and fill. I would vote to drop the pan and replace the filter as well.


+1 "almost" -

the filter really never gets anywhere near filled up (it actually filters better "used" than when new), so IMHO just changing the fluid is perfectly fine.
 
Free is good. Escorts were a decent econo-box. Yah, do a drain and fill. I'd crawl underneath to check the brake lines too.
 
I would change the fluid and use the recommended fluid.
My 2002 Escort Zx-2 (most likely the same transmission) is the only vehicle that didn't respond well to Maxlife ATF.(although it was probably the fault of the tranny and not the fluid...thicker fluid seemed to help lessen the rough 1-2 shift on that F4-EAT (I think )...
 
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.
grin.gif
 
There are no issues with changing old fluid. It's better to have fresh fluid with a fresh add pack.
 
Fee is good. Free is valuable - why? Because you're ahead of any book value and maintaining a free car means
you don't have to layout cash now to buy.

Change the tranny filter too, they're small and intended to load up and create shift problems,
so changing it protects your free car!

For yrs in the 70s to 2012, I maintained and drove cars with no book value and it paid off big time, all the money
I never spent at a dealer was put put to good use elsewhere!
 
Thanks for all the positive replies. The guy who was adamant about NOT changing it out was an adviser at a indy Trans shop. He sincerely believed it would be more risky than it was worth. I appreciated his honesty.

I don't know much about Trans, but unless the fluid was BLACK, (and mine is definitely not) I too though at least a pan drop, filter and refill would be good PM.
 
Originally Posted By: gfh77665
Thanks for all the positive replies. The guy who was adamant about NOT changing it out was an adviser at a indy Trans shop. He sincerely believed it would be more risky than it was worth. I appreciated his honesty.

I don't know much about Trans, but unless the fluid was BLACK, (and mine is definitely not) I too though at least a pan drop, filter and refill would be good PM.


I would never attempt to guess his own personal motives but doesn't he earn his money when transmissions break and require his services?

I don't really see old ATF draining out black.

The problem with ATF is that it had certain additives added to it and these additives become depleted with miles of use. The internal components of your transmission require these additives. Certainly, a very dark ATF needs replacing but even a lighter colored ATF could need replacing if it is old and the additives are used up.
 
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.
 
Originally Posted By: gfh77665
but unless the fluid was BLACK, (and mine is definitely not)


Oftentimes, Changing the fluid in a trans that has black oil, is usually a waste of money - it's done, and new fluid usually won't help at that point.
 
I'd do a drain/fill or two. Won't hurt anything and will definitely be beneficial.

^^ This ^^
 
I like the dipstick suction with a pump method, usually no mess at all, just suck a couple quarts out and put a couple fresh quarts in.

You can find hand pumps for less than $5, on a free Ford Escort I probably wouldn't worry about the filter unless it had shift quality issues. I've never changed the filter on my 150k+ Buick and it still shifts fine, I just change out a couple quarts via the dipstick every now and then.
 
Something I learned in the dealership when I used to work there is escorts at that model if it won't run there's a module underneath the air filter housing that is known to go bad, mechanic always swore by getting one off the same car/ vin number
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top