Changing your transmission fluid
Changing your own transmission fluid is almost as easy as changing your motor oil, just a little messier the first time, and even THAT can be fixed. Just obtain a factory replacement pan with built-in drain plug from Dennis Reinhart or Ray (The Dealer). You can also install an aftermarket pan, available at Summit or Jeg’s, or install a drain plug kit, like the excellent one from B&M, available for under $10 from most speed shops. Doing one of these 3 options will make future ATF changes much easier and MUCH less messy.
Before getting to the nitty-gritty of actually doing the job, a few notes:
**NOTE** on choosing the right ATF:
Mercon V, as opposed to regular Mercon (w/o the “V”) is the ONLY ATF that should ever be put in your Marauder’s transmission (4R70W). Brand is not important, but don’t make me issue the caveat about staying away from brands you’ve never heard of.
As regards synthetic ATF, as of this writing (Sept. 2004), AMSOIL has the only synthetic ATF that is Mercon V qualified. Do not use any other brand of synthetic ATF unless it specifically states that it is Mercon V qualified…simply being synthetic is not better in this case.
**NOTE** on changing the filter:
The factory workshop manual states that the filter does not need to be changed unless the transmission has been repaired. Conventional wisdom, however, says that changing the filter every second or third fluid change is a good idea.
**NOTE** on ATF change intervals:
Ford’s scheduled maintenance guide specifies to change the ATF at 30,000-mile intervals. This is fine for an un-modded car that sees light or normal duty. If you drive your car hard, tow a trailer, or have done any power-adding mods, then a 15,000-mile interval is more realistic. Just like changing your motor oil more often, it’s cheap insurance.
OK, now on to the job at hand…
First, the tool list:
1). 10mm socket wrench
2). Ramps
3). A transmission funnel (or any funnel with a long thin neck)
4). A large shallow drain pan
5). Latex dishwashing gloves (you’ll see why later)
6). Torque wrench (optional, see text)
Then the materials:
1). 5 quarts of Mercon V
2). Motorcraft FT-105 filter (or equivalent: FRAM FT1167, Wix 58955, etc)
3). A can of brake cleaner spray (CRC in the green can is excellent)
Now on to the job at hand:
A) Prep:
Do I NEED to tell you to “put the car on the ramps”, or “chock the wheels for safety” and all that?
B) Drain the old fluid:
Start by removing the 14 10mm bolts around the transmission pan’s perimeter. Remove the rear-most bolts first then work your way forward alternating from side-to-side. There actually IS a good reason for doing it in this manner: fluid will start to leak out as you progress toward the front bolts. When you have removed all but the front-most bolts from the pan, loosen the remaining bolts one turn at a time, allowing the pan to tilt down at the back, to let as much fluid drain out as possible. When the pan has reached about 45°, use one hand to put the pan back into normal position, while you remove the remaining bolts. Carefully lower the pan (there’s still fluid in it) until you can pour the rest into your drain pan. At this point, you may see a plastic doo-dad that resembles a miniature version of a baby-rattle…or a ball with a stem…don’t panic…this is normal. It’s a dust plug from the dipstick tube that gets dislodged when the transmission is installed at the factory. It’s harmless…just throw it away. The transmission will continue to drip fluid for a while, so now’s a good time to come out from down under…take the pan with you.
C) Cleaning the pan:
Carefully inspect the pan and gasket…the gasket should not be crimped or torn, and is designed to be re-used, so just leave it in place. The pan should not have any large unidentifiable or suspicious chunks in it. If you DO find them, have the car towed to the dealer. A thin gray film over the interior of the pan is normal. You should next see a round magnet in the bottom of the pan. This is to collect any small bits of metal that could clog tiny orifices in the valve body. It’s normal for there to be a bit of gooey black sludge on the magnet. Don’t handle the magnet with your bare fingers; wear the dishwashing gloves (the sludge is very messy and hard to clean). Remove the magnet, clean it and set it aside. Wipe down the interior of the pan with a CLEAN rag…when you’ve gotten it as clean as you can, use the brake cleaner and thoroughly spray the pan both inside and out. Don’t worry, brake cleaner evaporates quickly and leaves no residue, so it won’t contaminate things. Once the pan is clean and dry, replace the magnet onto its dimple in the pan, and set the pan aside.
D) Removing the old filter:
OK, back under the car you go. The transmission should be about done dripping by now. Grasp the old filter with both hands, and pull straight down with a slight rocking motion. There are no bolts or clips to remove, the filter should just pop out. Careful: more fluid will drain out when the filter is removed. Check to see if the ring-shaped seal (grommet) came out with the filter (it’s on the end of the plastic intake tube); if it did, then good. If not, then pry it out of the valve body using GREAT CARE not to scratch the finish of the bore it’s stuck in. Don’t just leave it there, use the new one supplied with the filter.
E) Installing the new filter:
Installation is the exact opposite of removal. Some filters come with the new seal pre-installed on the intake tube, some make you do it. In either case, be sure it’s installed right-side-up, with the ridges facing the filter body. Lubricate the seal with a few drops of CLEAN ATF. Once the new filter is loosely in position, give it a bump with the heel of your hand to be sure the intake tube and seal are fully seated in the valve body. It should “pop” into place.
F) Re-installing the pan:
It’s pretty self-explanatory…hold the pan in position with one hand while you install a couple of bolts to hold it in place. Install all the bolts finger-tight to start, then tighten them around in a circle in 2 or 3 stages. Final tightness should be 10 ft-lbs (120 inch-pounds) if you have a torque wrench. If not, then be sure to not over-tighten them…firmly snug is adequate…don’t Superman them down, or you’ll ruin the gasket.
G) Refilling the fluid:
Install 4 quarts of your Mercon V, then start the motor. Run the shifter through all the positions, pausing in each for a few seconds, ending in Park. Check under the car to be sure there are no leaks, then back the car off the ramps. Check the fluid level with the dipstick. It should be just at the bottom of the lower cross-hatched area. If not, add just enough to get it there. CAUTION: do NOT fill the transmission to the top of the upper cross-hatched area at this time! Take the car for a good ride, to warm up the fluid. When you return, again check the level. It should be somewhere within the upper cross-hatched area. If it is, then you’re done. If not, add just enough to get it WITHIN the cross-hatched area; do not fill it to the top. Transmission fluid expands as it gets hot, and allowance for this must be made, otherwise fluid could blow out the vent when the transmission gets really hot. The correct fluid level is anywhere WITHIN the lower cross-hatched area when the transmission is cold, and anywhere WITHIN the upper cross-hatched area when the transmission is at normal operating temperature. The recommended level-checking procedure is in the owner’s manual. You should read it.
Congratulations! You’ve just done your car a huge favour, and saved a bit of coin in the process (the dealer will charge you in excess of $100 to do what you just did!).
Before getting to the nitty-gritty of actually doing the job, a few notes:
**NOTE** on choosing the right ATF:
Mercon V, as opposed to regular Mercon (w/o the “V”) is the ONLY ATF that should ever be put in your Marauder’s transmission (4R70W). Brand is not important, but don’t make me issue the caveat about staying away from brands you’ve never heard of.
As regards synthetic ATF, as of this writing (Sept. 2004), AMSOIL has the only synthetic ATF that is Mercon V qualified. Do not use any other brand of synthetic ATF unless it specifically states that it is Mercon V qualified…simply being synthetic is not better in this case.
**NOTE** on changing the filter:
The factory workshop manual states that the filter does not need to be changed unless the transmission has been repaired. Conventional wisdom, however, says that changing the filter every second or third fluid change is a good idea.
**NOTE** on ATF change intervals:
Ford’s scheduled maintenance guide specifies to change the ATF at 30,000-mile intervals. This is fine for an un-modded car that sees light or normal duty. If you drive your car hard, tow a trailer, or have done any power-adding mods, then a 15,000-mile interval is more realistic. Just like changing your motor oil more often, it’s cheap insurance.
OK, now on to the job at hand…
First, the tool list:
1). 10mm socket wrench
2). Ramps
3). A transmission funnel (or any funnel with a long thin neck)
4). A large shallow drain pan
5). Latex dishwashing gloves (you’ll see why later)
6). Torque wrench (optional, see text)
Then the materials:
1). 5 quarts of Mercon V
2). Motorcraft FT-105 filter (or equivalent: FRAM FT1167, Wix 58955, etc)
3). A can of brake cleaner spray (CRC in the green can is excellent)
Now on to the job at hand:
A) Prep:
Do I NEED to tell you to “put the car on the ramps”, or “chock the wheels for safety” and all that?
B) Drain the old fluid:
Start by removing the 14 10mm bolts around the transmission pan’s perimeter. Remove the rear-most bolts first then work your way forward alternating from side-to-side. There actually IS a good reason for doing it in this manner: fluid will start to leak out as you progress toward the front bolts. When you have removed all but the front-most bolts from the pan, loosen the remaining bolts one turn at a time, allowing the pan to tilt down at the back, to let as much fluid drain out as possible. When the pan has reached about 45°, use one hand to put the pan back into normal position, while you remove the remaining bolts. Carefully lower the pan (there’s still fluid in it) until you can pour the rest into your drain pan. At this point, you may see a plastic doo-dad that resembles a miniature version of a baby-rattle…or a ball with a stem…don’t panic…this is normal. It’s a dust plug from the dipstick tube that gets dislodged when the transmission is installed at the factory. It’s harmless…just throw it away. The transmission will continue to drip fluid for a while, so now’s a good time to come out from down under…take the pan with you.
C) Cleaning the pan:
Carefully inspect the pan and gasket…the gasket should not be crimped or torn, and is designed to be re-used, so just leave it in place. The pan should not have any large unidentifiable or suspicious chunks in it. If you DO find them, have the car towed to the dealer. A thin gray film over the interior of the pan is normal. You should next see a round magnet in the bottom of the pan. This is to collect any small bits of metal that could clog tiny orifices in the valve body. It’s normal for there to be a bit of gooey black sludge on the magnet. Don’t handle the magnet with your bare fingers; wear the dishwashing gloves (the sludge is very messy and hard to clean). Remove the magnet, clean it and set it aside. Wipe down the interior of the pan with a CLEAN rag…when you’ve gotten it as clean as you can, use the brake cleaner and thoroughly spray the pan both inside and out. Don’t worry, brake cleaner evaporates quickly and leaves no residue, so it won’t contaminate things. Once the pan is clean and dry, replace the magnet onto its dimple in the pan, and set the pan aside.
D) Removing the old filter:
OK, back under the car you go. The transmission should be about done dripping by now. Grasp the old filter with both hands, and pull straight down with a slight rocking motion. There are no bolts or clips to remove, the filter should just pop out. Careful: more fluid will drain out when the filter is removed. Check to see if the ring-shaped seal (grommet) came out with the filter (it’s on the end of the plastic intake tube); if it did, then good. If not, then pry it out of the valve body using GREAT CARE not to scratch the finish of the bore it’s stuck in. Don’t just leave it there, use the new one supplied with the filter.
E) Installing the new filter:
Installation is the exact opposite of removal. Some filters come with the new seal pre-installed on the intake tube, some make you do it. In either case, be sure it’s installed right-side-up, with the ridges facing the filter body. Lubricate the seal with a few drops of CLEAN ATF. Once the new filter is loosely in position, give it a bump with the heel of your hand to be sure the intake tube and seal are fully seated in the valve body. It should “pop” into place.
F) Re-installing the pan:
It’s pretty self-explanatory…hold the pan in position with one hand while you install a couple of bolts to hold it in place. Install all the bolts finger-tight to start, then tighten them around in a circle in 2 or 3 stages. Final tightness should be 10 ft-lbs (120 inch-pounds) if you have a torque wrench. If not, then be sure to not over-tighten them…firmly snug is adequate…don’t Superman them down, or you’ll ruin the gasket.
G) Refilling the fluid:
Install 4 quarts of your Mercon V, then start the motor. Run the shifter through all the positions, pausing in each for a few seconds, ending in Park. Check under the car to be sure there are no leaks, then back the car off the ramps. Check the fluid level with the dipstick. It should be just at the bottom of the lower cross-hatched area. If not, add just enough to get it there. CAUTION: do NOT fill the transmission to the top of the upper cross-hatched area at this time! Take the car for a good ride, to warm up the fluid. When you return, again check the level. It should be somewhere within the upper cross-hatched area. If it is, then you’re done. If not, add just enough to get it WITHIN the cross-hatched area; do not fill it to the top. Transmission fluid expands as it gets hot, and allowance for this must be made, otherwise fluid could blow out the vent when the transmission gets really hot. The correct fluid level is anywhere WITHIN the lower cross-hatched area when the transmission is cold, and anywhere WITHIN the upper cross-hatched area when the transmission is at normal operating temperature. The recommended level-checking procedure is in the owner’s manual. You should read it.
Congratulations! You’ve just done your car a huge favour, and saved a bit of coin in the process (the dealer will charge you in excess of $100 to do what you just did!).