30k Transmission Service - Questions?

[KingRanchPSD]

Hey guys, my King Ranch has about 30k on it now and its time for the 30k service. I already changed the oil and filter, changed both fuel filters, lubed up the suspension, checked all of the other fluid levels, added some Stanadyne to the fuel tank and went over everthing else. Everything looks good and works good. I checked the tranny fluid, its still good and clean and red. But I do want to have the transmission flushed at the dealer as part of my 30k maintenance. I talked to the tech on the phone today, he said all they do is a heated fluid flush and exchange. But that they dont change the external filter. Is this something anyone else has changed? Too me it didnt seem like it made much sense to have the whole system cleaned out and still run the old filter. Anyone got any insight on this?

I would over maintain my truck and spend the extra money now than later on. Kinda anal about taking good care of my stuff.

[JK23112]

Changing fluid (oil, etc.) without installing a new filter is kind of like taking a shower and putting on dirty underwear.


Generally, I am from the "old school" line of thinking - and believe that preventive maintenance (especially fluid & filters) is cheap insurance that will help any vehicle or equipment last much longer.

Good luck!

[troid123]

Originally Posted by JK23112

Changing fluid (oil, etc.) without installing a new filter is kind of like taking a shower and putting on dirty underwear.


Generally, I am from the "old school" line of thinking - and believe that preventive maintenance (especially fluid & filters) is cheap insurance that will help any vehicle or equipment last much longer.

Good luck!

I disagree...I am also from the old school where they say "if it aint broke, dont fix it"

[JBHT]

My "Old school" said, "Oil is cheaper than metal"...

[TxFireman1972]

I ran into this too. The manual clearly states to change fluid and filter and 30,000 miles. But when I took mine in, the dealer told me all they do is flush it, with no filter change. He told me he didnt even know how much it would be if I wanted the filter changed. He said he would have to look into it and call me back. I ended up doing just the flush. I just pulled my receipt out, they charged $149.95 for the flush and 15 quarts of tranny fluid. I'm curious to see what others have to say about this. I'll be watching this thread because its almost time for my 60,000 mile tranny service. I definitely want to do more than just a flush this time.

[blowhole]

How hard is it to change the external trans filter? Anyone done this themselves? And how much does an external trans filter cost?

Thanks.

[bad_blue_oval]

Filters are easy to change. 22MM (i believe) socket for the cooler line filter. I would suggest droppin the pan, replaceing both filters and refilling with Mercon SP fluid. If you do that every 30K, you will be good to go.

[bismic]

I found that an impact wrench makes the changing of the external tranny filter a little bit easier. Wrenching on it by hand sure caused a lot of things to bend more than I was comfortable with. You do not lose much fluid in this process - I add a little back in, but probably do not have to.

[bad_blue_oval]

Originally Posted by bismic

I found that an impact wrench makes the changing of the external tranny filter a little bit easier. Wrenching on it by hand sure caused a lot of things to bend more than I was comfortable with. You do not lose much fluid in this process - I add a little back in, but probably do not have to.

Right, but you also need to drop the transmission pan and replace the internal filter. With that you will get 6 some quarts of fluid out.

[bismic]

The internal screen has some pretty large openings - it is not designed to stop fine particles so it does not plug up quickly or easily (unless something has broken inside). FWIW - Ford does not specify to change the internal screen with the 30k maintenance (flush or fluid change). Sure doesn't hurt though, but I doubt that it is necessary.

The flush gets essentially all of the old fluid out. Dropping the pan only gets half of the old fluid out. The full system capacity is 18 quarts (apprx).