10R80 Fluid Change Project Creep, New PPE pan.

[Wangle]

Hello all. 2018 Limited, 26k miles. I tow a 7k lb trailer, so severe duty schedule. I have always been a big believer in fluid changes at the earlier recommended intervals. The transmission temperatures were running a little high for my liking with shorter trip moderate use, 224° or so. I upgraded to the newer design thermostat, which is being sold as 190° down from 195°, but is marked as 90.6°C. (which is 195°F) I have noted this in another post. Small improvement in temperature, but I’ve only had one run. 218° spike, trying to run at 216°.
As everyone is probably aware, stock is a plastic transmission pan with no drain plug. I am generally lazy, so I want a freaking drain plug. Decided to upgrade to a PPE transmission pan, and replace the filter and seals while I was in there. I am also hoping the aluminum pan with the cooling fins will dissipate heat better than the stock pan. The PPE pan was too thick at the end by the exhaust to fit so I had to remove the transmission mount bolts to get separation. Nutshell, do everything in this AWESOME video!!

Ford 10R80 Ten Speed Transmission: Fluid and Filter Service Procedure

In this video we show how to change the fluid and filter on the Ford 10R80 Transmission.I Recommend these Fluid Service Intervals:First 30k Miles- Fluid Serv...

m.youtube.com

My transmission was between 1 and 1.5 quarts LOW on fluid from the factory, by dipstick and measurement. No leaks, and I had never checked it. I didn’t know if there was a drain plug down there. I recommend checking yours at the next oil change! 6.5 qts out, 7.75 qts in. This would certainly make it run somewhat hotter. I ended up leaving it sit for almost 24 hours with the pan tacked on to keep the dust out. To my surprise about one additional quart was in the pan when removed. So I recommend letting it drip/drain for a day when you change it. You are supposed to check the fluid level when it is at 206°. After completion I took it on a 20 mile test run, with a few quick stops for heat soak in 88° weather. The top temperature was 194° for just a few seconds. It wanted to run at 190°, so I never got to 206°, but close enough. I put the fluid level right in the middle of the “B“ range. I was surprised to learn that it was only 1/2 quart of fluid between the top and the bottom of the “B” range. Of note, this was the dirtiest looking Tran fluid I have ever drained. At only 26k!!
Here is what you will need.

(328053210) PPE pan. High capacity is also available.
7T4Z-7Z302-A, Filter Seal
FT-215 (L1MZ-7A098-A) Trans Filter
Save a little money and use this kit for your pipe seals.
5L7Z-7J302-AA
8 qts Mercon ULV

I am planning a 1500 miles towing vacation, and I will post results from the trip in a few weeks.

 

[5280tunage]

Curious, is the height on the new pan the same as the stock plastic or is it a bit taller if you will. Can't really tell on the pic you posted of them side by side. I hate the Patrick throw away mindset.

 

[Wangle]

It is a little bit thicker, because the aluminum is a little thicker than the plastic. It is hard to tell because of the contours, and I did not do a fluid test, but basic measurements comparing the two pans on the inside seem to be the same.

 

[kryichek]

How would you rate this job on difficulty? How long did it take minus the 24 drip period?

 

[RABAYL01]

Hello all. 2018 Limited, 26k miles. I tow a 7k lb trailer, so severe duty schedule. I have always been a big believer in fluid changes at the earlier recommended intervals. The transmission temperatures were running a little high for my liking with shorter trip moderate use, 224° or so. I upgraded to the newer design thermostat, which is being sold as 190° down from 195°, but is marked as 90.6°C. (which is 195°F) I have noted this in another post. Small improvement in temperature, but I’ve only had one run. 218° spike, trying to run at 216°.
As everyone is probably aware, stock is a plastic transmission pan with no drain plug. I am generally lazy, so I want a freaking drain plug. Decided to upgrade to a PPE transmission pan, and replace the filter and seals while I was in there. I am also hoping the aluminum pan with the cooling fins will dissipate heat better than the stock pan. The PPE pan was too thick at the end by the exhaust to fit so I had to remove the transmission mount bolts to get separation. Nutshell, do everything in this AWESOME video!!

Ford 10R80 Ten Speed Transmission: Fluid and Filter Service Procedure

In this video we show how to change the fluid and filter on the Ford 10R80 Transmission.I Recommend these Fluid Service Intervals:First 30k Miles- Fluid Serv...

m.youtube.com

My transmission was between 1 and 1.5 quarts LOW on fluid from the factory, by dipstick and measurement. No leaks, and I had never checked it. I didn’t know if there was a drain plug down there. I recommend checking yours at the next oil change! 6.5 qts out, 7.75 qts in. This would certainly make it run somewhat hotter. I ended up leaving it sit for almost 24 hours with the pan tacked on to keep the dust out. To my surprise about one additional quart was in the pan when removed. So I recommend letting it drip/drain for a day when you change it. You are supposed to check the fluid level when it is at 206°. After completion I took it on a 20 mile test run, with a few quick stops for heat soak in 88° weather. The top temperature was 194° for just a few seconds. It wanted to run at 190°, so I never got to 206°, but close enough. I put the fluid level right in the middle of the “B“ range. I was surprised to learn that it was only 1/2 quart of fluid between the top and the bottom of the “B” range. Of note, this was the dirtiest looking Tran fluid I have ever drained. At only 26k!!
Here is what you will need.

(328053210) PPE pan. High capacity is also available.
7T4Z-7Z302-A, Filter Seal
FT-215 (L1MZ-7A098-A) Trans Filter
Save a little money and use this kit for your pipe seals.
5L7Z-7J302-AA
8 qts Mercon ULV

I am planning a 1500 miles towing vacation, and I will post results from the trip in a few weeks.


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I thought there are aftermarket thermostats or even Ford Performance Thermostat at 165 degree F? I've been considering that... My 2018 Limited with HDTTP transmission temp runs nominally at 210 degrees F it got up to 221 during a 85 degree day and having the transmission shift a lot during stop and go traffic. Keep in mind, this is a new transmission since my first one was toasted.

 

[HILLY]

Just swapped out the stock thermostat this past Friday for an SPD 170* T-stat. Seems to be making a decent difference with this alone. My truck was running in the 215 +/- range normally. Driving around in traffic this weekend I didn't notice it pass 200*. Seems to be averaging 185-190. Yesterday was relatively cool and driving around I didn't go about 172*. With this alone I'm extremely happy for starters. This weekend it's a family trip heading down to Florida, so this will be a great test overall of prolonged highway driving.

I still have a project to complete where I installed the Mishimoto transmission cooler but still have to complete the lines and change/adjust the fluid. I may be going the PPE pan route as well after reading this.

 

[bshowalter]

@Wangle Awesome right up. This has been on my todo list and was wondering if anyone had done it. I have a 2019 with 45k miles and do a fair amount of towing.

I assume you just had to loosen the trans mount bolts to get the new PPE pan in place, then once everything was tightened up, no issues with rubbing?

 

[Wangle]

@Wangle Awesome right up. This has been on my todo list and was wondering if anyone had done it. I have a 2019 with 45k miles and do a fair amount of towing.

I assume you just had to loosen the trans mount bolts to get the new PPE pan in place, then once everything was tightened up, no issues with rubbing?

Correct. There is plenty of clearance after everything is laced back up. But loosening the transmission bolts was not easy. They were torqued down pretty good, and I had to use a u-joint to get in there. The whole job took me about five hours, but I had a couple of other complications and a tool run to get a short 6 point 3/8 inch 15 mm socket that would fit in the hole for the transmission mounts. To answer another post, I would say this job was medium difficulty, but very worthwhile. As far as what it should take to change your transmission fluid and filter, I would say it borders on ridiculous. LOL. I am looking forward to a cross country trip soon pulling our trailer. I finished out all of the fluid changes by completing the front differential. That took about a half an hour. Fluid wasn’t really too bad, as expected, compared to the rear diff and transmission fluid. I know, I know, being dirty doesn’t mean it was bad. But it does mean it was dirty. Interestingly, the front differential was three or 4 ounces overfilled! (Transmission 1–1.5 qts low)
I will post results of the transmission temperatures after my trip.

 

[Soliyou]

These pans are still very expensive but pretty cool! I still have couple of other upgrades before this one.

By the way, I always extract the fluid from the fill hole using a vacuum pump. I get around 6.5 quarts out using this method. Then dump the same volume back in.

 

[Polo08816]

These pans are still very expensive but pretty cool! I still have couple of other upgrades before this one.

By the way, I always extract the fluid from the fill hole using a vacuum pump. I get around 6.5 quarts out using this method. Then dump the same volume back in.

+1.

I will usually measure the volume of transmission fluid that I drain out of the transmission as a sanity check. Not filling the transmission with enough transmission fluid is one of the quickest ways to kill the transmission. Overfilling usually doesn't damage the transmission as underfilling.