Transmission fluid change interval

[blue_roster_cult]

I have a '20 Expedition. I'm accumulating parts to change my oil pan (installing a new pan with a drain plug), fluid (whatever is in the pan only) and filter at 35K. I plan to drop fluid only at 70K and 105K, I'll drop the fluid, pan, and filter again at 140K, and repeat. By doing this, I should maintain an average fluid life of less than 100K throughout the life of the vehicle.

Why? Experience.

My 2007 F150 5.4L 4x4 4-speed auto with Mercon V had a similar OEM recommendation of changing at 150K, which I foolishly planned on following....without research. The fluid lost its shear strength and clutches started to slip at 110K without any towing. I caught it soon enough, did a complete fluid and filter change and it recovered completely (I did the same again at 180K and have done no other transmission repairs). The truck is being driven by my wife at this moment with 207K and the transmission is the least of my worries.

BTW, I found that Rock had the best price on Motorcraft ULV and Motorcraft Trans Filter for the 10R80. Ford TechMakuloco has lots of good vids, including the 10R80 fluid/filter change vid.

I own a 2006 f150 2x4 with 253k, and I’ve never done anything except change the oil, one wheel bearing, and an alternator. Never even flushed the coolant, never touched the transmission. I drive it everyday and have pulled trailer loads of wood with it multiple times. Experiences can vary when it comes to these things. I personally think you’re crazy to go through that much trouble, but if it gives you peace of mind and you enjoy it…

 

[Herby]

I currently have a 2007 Expedition and change my tranny and diff fluids every 30K. Currently have 215K on the vehicle. Rather keep fluid clean and ready at all times. Just my preference. To go 100k on fluid is nutz!

 

[ROBERT BONNER]

I own a 2006 f150 2x4 with 253k, and I’ve never done anything except change the oil, one wheel bearing, and an alternator. Never even flushed the coolant, never touched the transmission. I drive it everyday and have pulled trailer loads of wood with it multiple times. Experiences can vary when it comes to these things. I personally think you’re crazy to go through that much trouble, but if it gives you peace of mind and you enjoy it…

Did you buy it new?

 

[blue_roster_cult]

Did you buy it new?

No, it had 50-60k when I purchased it in 2011

 

[ROBERT BONNER]

No, it had 50-60k when I purchased it in 2011

I guess my family is harder on vehicles. The valvetrain on my 5.4L will not make 250K...hopefully it will make it until my '22 PowerBoost is delivered.

 

[5280tunage]

So I'm gonna bring this back up after reviewing and searching the forum for any collective thoughts on something like a four-wheel service with tranny flush.

I'm not a heavy driver, meaning I don't tow two boats and a jeep behind this thing all the time, I do drive a lot of mountain passes up and down as well as a lot of in town driving, and I'm a little heavy on the pedal, but I don't try race every EV I pull up next to. That being said, every 4x4 I've had for the last 20 years, I was pretty meticulous about getting good 4 wheel services done every 3yrs or about 50k miles, regardless of driving, some times more often in my Jeeps when I took them offroad more. So with that said, there really seems to be a lot of consternation on here about not opening these things unless you have to. I've seen some on here say 100k between tranny/tcase flushes, I've seen 150k. Somehow that just scares me, given how complex these are and how prone they are to metal debris and wear.

Are we all really that afraid that these techs will do the service wrong, that we truly wait that long between cleanings? I used to even do some of these services myself, but something tells me it's a whole lot easier to service those older trannies and QD2 T-Cases. I know the procedure looks pretty terrible, lifting the tranny etc, but are the Ford techs really that bad out there that something this simple can't be done right? Preventative maintenance just shouldn't be this scary.

So what is everyone doing these days? Waiting that long, or hoping they get rid of their rigs before they do something like this? I'm okay with paying for it if it's done right, doesn't cause more issues than it fixes, and extends the life possibly. Would love some more recent feedback on what you are all doing. Wish I could add a poll here, for change intervals or just waiting.

 

[Hellwig]

So I'm gonna bring this back up after reviewing and searching the forum for any collective thoughts on something like a four-wheel service with tranny flush.

I'm not a heavy driver, meaning I don't tow two boats and a jeep behind this thing all the time, I do drive a lot of mountain passes up and down as well as a lot of in town driving, and I'm a little heavy on the pedal, but I don't try race every EV I pull up next to. That being said, every 4x4 I've had for the last 20 years, I was pretty meticulous about getting good 4 wheel services done every 3yrs or about 50k miles, regardless of driving, some times more often in my Jeeps when I took them offroad more. So with that said, there really seems to be a lot of consternation on here about not opening these things unless you have to. I've seen some on here say 100k between tranny/tcase flushes, I've seen 150k. Somehow that just scares me, given how complex these are and how prone they are to metal debris and wear.

Are we all really that afraid that these techs will do the service wrong, that we truly wait that long between cleanings? I used to even do some of these services myself, but something tells me it's a whole lot easier to service those older trannies and QD2 T-Cases. I know the procedure looks pretty terrible, lifting the tranny etc, but are the Ford techs really that bad out there that something this simple can't be done right? Preventative maintenance just shouldn't be this scary.

So what is everyone doing these days? Waiting that long, or hoping they get rid of their rigs before they do something like this? I'm okay with paying for it if it's done right, doesn't cause more issues than it fixes, and extends the life possibly. Would love some more recent feedback on what you are all doing. Wish I could add a poll here, for change intervals or just waiting.

The problem is 10R80 fluid level needs to be filled and then checked at 200ish F. Therefore, some, if not most, dealership techs wouldn't follow this procedure properly. Firstly, it takes time to drive until the temp rises to 200F. Second of all, it is dangerous for techs to check the fluid level when it reaches 200F because the super hot exhaust pipe blocks the access to the fluid level gauge. This is actually a Ford's design problem. Even popular Ford tech Youtubers just made their guess when they replaced the 10R80 fluid as I saw on Youtube.

 

[zak99b5]

I changed my tranny fluid out at around 70k. Followed ford tech makuloko's video. It wasn’t too bad at all. Got the fluid & filter from Rockauto, by far the cheapest place. Torque spec for the pan bolts is very low—felt light hand-tight at best. I felt they should be a bit tighter, but followed directions and have no leaks, so.

For the lion's share of the fill, I used a plastic tube with a funnel so I could fill it from up in the engine bay. Rest was a hand pump screwed into the bottle.

Reading that dipstick isn’t the easiest, and getting it filled shade tree style to the proper level was the longest part of the job. Lots of up and down, starting and shutting off the motor. And that exhaust pipe right there gets hot quick. By the time the fluid level was reading close to the marks, the fluid had heated up a decent amount. I put more in than came out, so I think it was a little under filled. Shifting was better after, and now I’ve put 3k miles or so on the new fluid and it’s all good, so I’m confident the level is correct.

 

[5280tunage]

So is it the consensus that we really should be doing sooner than the factory mileage, but it's either a huge pain in the rear or you risk techs not doing it right? Super frustrating also, as I can almost guarantee the dealer will require to leave your car for at least a day, rather than something that used be done in an express lube style service.

 

[SyndicateZ]

So is it the consensus that we really should be doing sooner than the factory mileage, but it's either a huge pain in the rear or you risk techs not doing it right? Super frustrating also, as I can almost guarantee the dealer will require to leave your car for at least a day, rather than something that used be done in an express lube style service.

Im pretty sure if you go to an express lube (Valvoline, Jiffy lube) they perform transmission services and can get u in and out in a jiffy. They advertise transmission service

 

[5280tunage]

@SyndicateZ I know many of them do, the problem is that if "factory certified" and trained techs can't possibly do this service right, in a reasonable time, there's no way I could remotely trust the 3rd party quick lube shops. previous trannies I could easily do myself, this one seems absurd. Anyone know if the 10r80 on the GM's has the same issues or was it implemented a little differently?

 

[Hellwig]

@SyndicateZ I know many of them do, the problem is that if "factory certified" and trained techs can't possibly do this service right, in a reasonable time, there's no way I could remotely trust the 3rd party quick lube shops. previous trannies I could easily do myself, this one seems absurd. Anyone know if the 10r80 on the GM's has the same issues or was it implemented a little differently?

GM's vehicles with 10L80 have air coolers installed to cool down tranny oil. They don't have a lot of issues with their version of the 10-speed transmission.

 

[5280tunage]

I mean technically mine has the small air cooler right in front of the tranny as well, I was more thinking about the filling procedure, maybe location of the filling hole and exhaust vs. our design.

 

[Hellwig]

I mean technically mine has the small air cooler right in front of the tranny as well, I was more thinking about the filling procedure, maybe location of the filling hole and exhaust vs. our design.

I assume what you saw is the coolant-media heat exchanger.

 

[zak99b5]

Im pretty sure if you go to an express lube (Valvoline, Jiffy lube) they perform transmission services and can get u in and out in a jiffy. They advertise transmission service

Just who you want servicing your trans—a pimply teenager who’s watching TikToks while he does it.

 

[zak99b5]

@SyndicateZ I know many of them do, the problem is that if "factory certified" and trained techs can't possibly do this service right, in a reasonable time, there's no way I could remotely trust the 3rd party quick lube shops. previous trannies I could easily do myself, this one seems absurd. Anyone know if the 10r80 on the GM's has the same issues or was it implemented a little differently?

It didn’t seem too different from other trans fluid changes I’ve done on modern-ish autos (not too many as I daily and prefer cars with three pedals). Sure, I wish it had a drain plug and a long dipstick & tube you could fill from the engine bay, but it’s not a bad or terribly hard job overall. As I said, the final fill procedure was more finicky than I’d like, but it wasn’t really difficult.

 

[SyndicateZ]

Just who you want servicing your trans—a pimply teenager who’s watching TikToks while he does it.

Haha , unfortunately the dealers arent much better IMO. Dealers have maybe 1 or 2 legit experienced master techs with the rest being as you described

 

[JasonH]

So is it the consensus that we really should be doing sooner than the factory mileage, but it's either a huge pain in the rear or you risk techs not doing it right? Super frustrating also, as I can almost guarantee the dealer will require to leave your car for at least a day, rather than something that used be done in an express lube style service.

Ford's service intervals are designed for convenience, not for long-term durability of the components. Having said that, I changed the fluid in my six speed at 137K and it's still going strong at 153K. But the 10 speed transmissions seems to have more issues. It's a pain since you have to drop the pan and spill fluid everywhere, but it's not really difficult. The refill process isn't that hard, just get it up to temp after the initial fill to ensure the fluid expands properly, then recheck the fluid level. Yes, the area around the dipstick is hot but if you fill with the correct quantity it should be ok. If you're not comfortable with DIY, a trip to a reputable shop every 3 - 4 years seems like a reasonable interval.

 

[Dice Roll]

I’m not sure any of these are making it long enough to wear down the clutches from worn out fluid. The hard parts seem to die before that would come into play.

 

[zak99b5]

Haha , unfortunately the dealers arent much better IMO. Dealers have maybe 1 or 2 legit experienced master techs with the rest being as you described

With the dealer, at least there’s a chance they’ll use the correct fluid. Places like JiffyLube, not so much. I’d bet they have one “universal” tranny fluid for all makes & models.