Should I change my transmission fluid?

[Kylelwsn]

No, they put normal ones in after 2009

Thanks

 

[joethefordguy]

i thought the changeover was in '08?

 

[Trainmaster]

Change was made on Model Year 2008 with engine codes after 11/30/07. Engine date is on left valve cover sticker.

 

[07navi]

Change was made on Model Year 2008 with engine codes after 11/30/07. Engine date is on left valve cover sticker.

Good info......so late '08

 

[mcb345]

I know nothing about changing these fluids but to maintain an extended warranty you're required to change the transmission fluid before the 90k mile mark. If Ford requires this maintenance I’d stick to that myself for sure!

60k - engine air filter, 4x4 transfer case and differential fluid

90k - transmission flush, coolant flush, spark plugs, engine air filter.

 

[Trainmaster]

The 2008 and I assume later service manuals call for transmission fluid change at 150,000. I tend to do it sooner, but that's Ford's recommendation. They state that flushing is not possible due to the thermostatic valve in the cooler lines. It would have to be hot to circulate fluid to the cooler.

 

[Trey Harris]

When my 2015 XLT w 115,000 miles started shuddering a bit when shifting gears, I took it to the dealership. They flushed the tranny and it's been perfect ever since. I'm going to flush again after another 40-50K. Older tranny, $200 better than new tranny.

 

[Ramv36]

In October 2020 I bought a 2010 Eddie Bauer Expedition with 143k miles on it. Drives perfectly, but after addressing the other things I usually do when buying a used vehicle (change plugs/brakes/oil, start everything fresh on a schedule I know), I scheduled the transmission flush/clean/fill at a local major Ford dealership. Three week wait to get an appointment on the day I'm off, but only took them an hour, they had a nice waiting area, I know it's done correctly, and it was $238 after taxation. All in all not bad when I consider the pain in the ass it looked like doing without a lift, in winter.

Next up they advised both differentials need fluid changes, but that I can do myself.

 

[Steve Hartman]

I recently purchased a used 2010 Expedition with 80K miles on it. Transmission shifts fine but should I go ahead and get the fluid and filter replaced, since it's been 10 years?

Why not? The old filter will tell you if you have an unaware problem coming and you'll only be changing about a third of the fluid. It's easy to do yourself. Happy wrenching.... sort of! LOL!

 

[Aspen03]

I will be doing mine when it warms back up this spring, along w differential, will be coming up on the 60k mark since the last change. Nothing is wrong, just sticking to changes as the previous owner did. I won't be doing a flush though for same reasons as above.

 

[dcopeland]

I recently purchased a used 2010 Expedition with 80K miles on it. Transmission shifts fine but should I go ahead and get the fluid and filter replaced, since it's been 10 years?

Just had my 07 EB changed last week at the Transmission shop under $200. I have 147,000 miles, so far so good

 

[07navi]

Just had my 07 EB changed last week at the Transmission shop under $200. I have 147,000 miles, so far so good

How much did they put in it?

 

[rjdelp7]

It's a real messy job. You need something twice as big as the pan, to catch the fluid. I am sure there is stuff available, but I don't know of a pan that large. The transmission takes about 7 quarts of synthetic fluid, after dropping the pan. It's not cheap. That leaves 6 qts of dirty fluid in it. Forget flushing, because the filter needs to be changed. My local shop said they would drain/filter/fill, for $60, if I supply the fluid. One interesting thing I learned, Transmission fluid is dyed red. They actually make a red dye you can add.

 

[Kevin08]

I’ve read of people getting trans flush at the Ford dealer, but then watch Ford technician videos saying never flush these with the thermal valve, your being ripped off. Brian says trying to maintain the temp needed to hold the valve open during a flush is very tricky and risks damaging the transmission. I think he said it would involve monitoring the trans temp with a scan tool. He does a traditional pan drop fluid filter change on these models. What do you guys recommend for the fluid in the cooler and torque converter? If it’s very dark, drive couple thousand miles and change fluid again?

 

[justinp16ex]

I’ve read of people getting trans flush at the Ford dealer, but then watch Ford technician videos saying never flush these with the thermal valve, your being ripped off. Brian says trying to maintain the temp needed to hold the valve open during a flush is very tricking and risks damaging the transmission. I think he said it would involve monitoring the trans temp with a scan tool. He does a traditional pan drop fluid filter change on these models. What do you guys recommend for the fluid in the cooler and torque converter? If it’s very dark, drive couple thousand miles and change fluid again?

You could install a pan with a drain plug on it to make future drains easier after the initial fluid and filter change. The pans aren't very expensive.

 

[Gumbyalso]

The manual for my '11 says change at 150K. I changed it myself at 75K and 150K. It is messy to drop the pan without a drain plug. You just have to be careful and let down one corner first. Watch the videos. There is a dipstick. It's this tiny little thing on the right side of the transmission that goes in the fill hole. You have to be under the vehicle to access it. I have 198K now and no problems with the transmission.

My '00 EB 5.4L with the 4R100 tranny has a drain plug. I change that Mercon and filter every 30K per the owner's manual. I'm the original owner and have 328K miles on it. Never had an issue with the transmission. I'm still using the original reusable pan gasket and have never had a leak. It is far easier to change the tranny oil on the '00 than the '11 because of the drain plug and a full size dipstick & dipstick tube that you use to refill the transmission.

 

[Kevin08]

I want to get a traditional dip stick tube for this 6R75. I’ve seen couple different aftermarket ones on YouTube. Auto parts store claims only available from Ford. One was a B&M. It didn’t lock at the top of the tube though, not sure about it since these trans are pressurized. Or is it only a vacuum and not pressure?

Is that one reason they stopped with a tube? I had a vehicle, don’t remember which one, but I couldn’t get the trans dip stick out. Didn’t know why then, but now thinking it was the vacuum.

 

[ExplorerTom]

You could install a pan with a drain plug on it to make future drains easier after the initial fluid and filter change. The pans aren't very expensive.

This is what I did.

Using a transfer pump to pump in the new fluid wasn’t fun, but it worked. Slow process. I intended to do a drain and fill shortly after changing the fluid, but I never got around to it.

 

[07navi]

I want to get a traditional dip stick tub for this 6R75. I’ve seen couple different aftermarket ones on YouTube. Auto parts store claims only available from Ford. One was a B&M. It didn’t lock at the top of the tube though, not sure about it since these trans are pressurized. Or is it only a vacuum and not pressure?

Is that one reason they stopped with a tube? I had a vehicle, don’t remember which one, but I couldn’t get the trans dip stick out. Didn’t know why then, but now thinking it was the vacuum.

Forget the dipstick the damage is done, they got cheap and left it out but it's not that hard to check the level. No vacuum or pressure, it's vented.

 

[07navi]

I dropped the pan on mine but you can only change less than half of it, shame on the engineers. I am thinking it's best to just suck it out and put new in every 30k miles. The filters hold up fine unless you have a major problem. My last Ford truck manual said the filter was lifetime. Mine was squeaky clean when I dropped the pan and I left it in there. When I was a transmission mechanic they didn't even have filters.