Transmission Service

[revv]

My 2023 Expy is at 73K miles and I'm taking it in for its scheduled service. Ford says they only replace the transmission fluid, they don't drop the pan and that Ford recommends this. An independent mechanic says he drops the pan, changes the filter, and puts in a new gasket. All Ford parts. Obviously the latter is more expensive.

Do I need to replace the filter or is this thing designed to just keep going with the same filter? For context, this used to be an ex rental that I bought cheap with the rental company was dumping these, so it has likely been driven hard.

 

[AWAR]

I would replace the filter on the first service.

 

[LG_123]

I had an independent shop replace our filter for its first service too. They also replaced the transfer case fluid at the same time. I noticed smoother shifting afterwards.

 

[bobward757]

Yes. Fluid, filter. DO NOT FLUSH!

I also do the differentials at this interval also.

 

[ZigZagFred]

As a good rule-of-thumb, ALWAYS replace the filter when changing fluids. This is true for oil, transmission, or whatever. One does not want to circulate nice, new, clean fluid through a dirty filter.

 

[jupiterfl]

I am looking into buying a 2019 Max Platinum (77k miles) with 4WD and 3.73 axle ratio and the overall condition looks good and it has had pretty regular service done. My biggest concern are the somewhat known problems with the transmission and camshaft phasers since I am right in the middle of where most of these issues appears to happen (50k-100k miles). I believe proper maintenance can prevent a lot of problems, but I am curious if there is any data on the transmissions that failed and if the transmission fluid ever was changed or not? What about the ones with similar mileage that hasn't failed, has the transmission fluid been flushed or drained/replaced? Strange thing is that Ford only says you should "inspect" transmission fluid at this point and doesn't mention to flush/drain (https://www.ford.com/support/mainte...k9YNI9k2CYXzlRtQXcCt-is4p_TlZ7Pxfz4fqnxdLH6yK). I had a Camry with 320k miles that I never touched the transmission on (Toyota didn't recommend to change trans fluid either) and my ES350 has 183k miles and no transmission issues so you would think the transmission would last at least 100k on a Expedition. I know some manufactures don't replace

Is a regular engine oil/filter change the best medicine for the camshaft phaser issue?

 

[Siriuz]

My 2023 Expy is at 73K miles and I'm taking it in for its scheduled service. Ford says they only replace the transmission fluid, they don't drop the pan and that Ford recommends this. An independent mechanic says he drops the pan, changes the filter, and puts in a new gasket. All Ford parts. Obviously the latter is more expensive.

Do I need to replace the filter or is this thing designed to just keep going with the same filter? For context, this used to be an ex rental that I bought cheap with the rental company was dumping these, so it has likely been driven hard.

Ford says the transmission is “fill-for-life,” so just changing the fluid is technically fine and the filter isn’t required. But since your Expedition was an ex-rental and likely driven hard, dropping the pan and replacing the filter and gasket is a safer move. It costs more, but it removes any debris and gives peace of mind for the long term.

 

[revv]

I forgot to update the thread. They found an issue with the transmission that requires a full rebuild, which is getting done now. I suppose swapping out that filter is part of the rebuild process?

I'm just happy I had the CPO Gold warranty on this car, plus the extended warraty from Ford that'll cover me well into 110K miles...

 

[jupiterfl]

I would think getting a new filter is part of the rebuild.
I am guess the transmission fluid was never changed? How much does the CPO Gold Warranty cost?
With regards to flushing the transmission fluid versus draining there are different opinions on this and some says it is better to just drain it to leave some of the old oil.

 

[revv]

I would think getting a new filter is part of the rebuild.
I am guess the transmission fluid was never changed? How much does the CPO Gold Warranty cost?
With regards to flushing the transmission fluid versus draining there are different opinions on this and some says it is better to just drain it to leave some of the old oil.

I'm not sure how much it costs. Mine came with the car. It was advertised and I didn't have to add it on. What I did add on was the ESP (Premium Care) until well after 100k miles. That was between $2.5-3k at the time of the purchase. The idea was to protect me from any issues with an ex rental expy.

 

[Alwhite00]

Why replace and not flush? I'm looking at doing mine. Just curious.

 

[Gary Waugh]

If it’s a 4x4 also change the transfer box oil.. I change differential oil (front & rear), transfer box oil and transmission oil (and filter) every 70-80k miles. Car is at 250+k miles, spent thousands of miles pulling our 8000 lbs RV trailer and never had a single transmission problem.. cheap insurance in my opinion.