Just bought a 2010 EL limited. Shudder, help.

[concreteavenger]

Hi

So beginning of this month I bought a 2010 EL limited and today a mechanic told me that I have transmission problems. He said he wasn’t a transmission guy so he couldn’t be for sure. But he was pondering it could be a solenoid. It shudders when shifting and makes an intermittent groaning noise from under the hood.

I’m terrified. It might not be the solenoid from the research I’ve done, it could be contaminated fluid, or a worn torque converter?

I think I want to get the transmission flushed and hopefully that fixes it. Is that a good idea? How much will it cost. I’ve never had a sealed transmission or have had to go to a dealer. Will Ford dealerships even exchange the fluid or are they just going to tell me I need a new transmission?

I’m scared.

 

[DeafBringer]

Take it to a mechanic that specializes in transmissions. They'll be able to tell you exactly what's going on.

 

[99WhiteC5Coupe]

Take it to a mechanic that specializes in transmissions. They'll be able to tell you exactly what's going on.

And have the transmission scanned for any stored trouble codes.

 

[Johnathan M]

If it has a lot of miles on it, it won't hurt anything to change the fluid. Some people think changing the fluid on a transmission that has not been changed in a long time can make the transmission fail, but that doesn't make any sense. If it fails, that means there was something wrong with it already, and the sludge that was in there was just keeping it from manifesting. However in your case, you're already having shifting issues, so there can only be good things to possibly gain by changing the fluid. There's a good chance the previous owner never changed the fluid. I would guess most people don't ever change their transmission fluid. My 2013 EL has 268,000 miles on it. I bought it at 210,000 with no records of whether the fluid had ever been changed or not. I just changed the tranny fluid 6 weeks ago and took a 3,500 mile trip with it right afterwards. No issues. I replaced the pan with an aftermarket one with a drain plug so in the future I don't have to drop the pan to change the fluid again.

You mention a sealed transmission. I'm guessing the 2010 is very similar to my 2013. They aren't actually sealed. They have a small dipstick on the passenger side of the transmission that is accessed from under the vehicle. That is where you check the fluid level and add fluid. If I was having your symptoms, I would definitely change out the fluid. If a solenoid is sticking, fresh fluid could clean things up and make things work properly. I had a 2007 BMW with 167,000 miles that started shuddering occasionally on shifts. I changed out the fluid with fresh tranny fluid and it completely took away the issue.

You definitely don't need to go to a dealer to change your fluid. Any mechanic should be able to do that. You should also be able to look up videos (if you don't have a repair manual for your Expy) to be able to do it yourself. It's not really a complicated process. FYI, changing the fluid as I'm talking about is different from a flush. A flush replaces all the fluid. A pan drop/drain fluid replacement only replaces about half of the fluid. However, that's a dramatic improvement over leaving the original, broken down fluid in there. That's all it took to resolve the problem I mentioned above in my BMW. You can always drain and fill again later on and you'll have 75% new fluid.

Keep us posted as to how things go. I wish you the best. Tranny issues are no fun.

 

[GaryH]

If you are going to spend thousands on a transmission build anyway, at least try this first. Nothing to lose but about 10 bucks and it might fix it.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002JMLQU/?coliid=ICTCAHQD0LJWM&colid=AWLOT5KHO12E&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1

 

[concreteavenger]

Thanks everyone. Going to Aamco on Thursday, praying I don’t need a rebuild. Getting a free diagnostic.

It’s getting a flush at least. Idk why valvoline told me they couldn’t do it and referred me to a dealer.

 

[Frank Wilson]

All transmissions are sealed. They wouldn't be able to fill them at the factory if they weren't. Just a marketing term.

 

[concreteavenger]

they tentatively said it was the torque converter during the test drive then said they just recommend a flush. Dropped the pan and the fluid was battleship grey but no debris. It’s running pretty good but haven’t had it on the freeway yet. Noises are gone, I think.

Am I in the clear?

 

[Johnathan M]

If your symptoms and issues are gone by simply doing a flush, and they don't come back, then I would say yes. You simply had fluid that was too worn out and thin to do its job.