When to change transmission, tranfer case, and axle fluids in 3rd gen

[07Expy4x4]

I bought a Ford Certified 07 Expedition 4x4 at 54,000 miles from a local dealer. I do not see any drivetrain fluid changes in the service record, so I assume that the scheduled maintenance on changing the drivetrain fluids is 60,000 miles or more. I am having trouble making sense of the Ford maintenance schedule that I found online. Can someone tell me when I am supposed to change the transmission, transfer case, and axle fluids? I want to replace all fluids with synthetic if possible.

Also, do I have to go to a Ford dealer to get these changed? I know that many newer Ford vehicles require a special fitting to change the transmission fluid. Can I change any of these fluids myself? Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[07Expy4x4]

Just spoke to the service dept at a local Ford dealer. They said the fluid change intervals are:
transmission - 30k
rear diff - 60k
front diff and transfer case - 90k

The price to change all these fluids is $509!!! The price to change just the rear diff and trans fluid is $315. That is just crazy in my book. They only use synthetic in the front and rear differentials. I need to do as much of this myself as possible. Anyone have experience changing these?

 

[One Mean Green]

This is why I call them stealerships. You will be much better off doing this yourself. Get yourself a Haynes or Chilton manual for you Expedition at a auto parts store and just save your receipts for your oil/filters and just note on them what the mileage was when you performed your service. They cannot force you to have work done at the dealership. And if you have it done elsewhere insist they do not flush your transmission out. Make sure the pan is dropped and filter changed. Flushing can spread around any metal shavings or clutch fibrers in the transmission or torque converter and lead to a possible early transmission failure. Yes, draining and changing the filter and fluid does not remove the fluid in the torque converter. Most transmission failures are from overheating or metal shvings or clutch fibrers getting into the very small orifices inside the transmission.

 

[07Expy4x4]

Thanks for the info. I didn't realize that flushing the transmission wasn't sufficient to get all the old stuff out. I will try to get a good service manual and see what all I need to do the job. If anyone has changed the drivetrain fluids on a 3rd gen, please share your experience so that we can all learn and save some money.

 

[One Mean Green]

All I am saying about flushing out a transmission instead of draining the pan and changing the filter is you run the risk of spreading metal shavings or clutch fibers throughout the most critical orifices of the transmission. Some people have good luck and nothing happens. I am not certain about the 3rd generation but somewhere I read that some transmissions have a drain plug on the torque converter that can be removed. You must install a new drain plug in the torque converter if you have one that can be drained.

 

[ExpeditionNirva]

Torque Converter

Maybe not on that drain plug. I'm new to the Expedition, but on my other Fords (which have tranny dipsticks) I would have a helper pour in new fluid as I drained from the tranny cooler. This pumps (engine needs to be running) the oil through the converter by using the tranny oil pump. First I would drop the pan and change the filter. This then would start me up with a quart or so of new oil in the pan. I knew when I had a mostly complete change when the color of the oil changed at the cooler line.

BUT, I haven't done this yet on the Expedition. Will be changing to AmsOil very soon, though.