mabrant61

I have a 03 F150 4.6 2WD ... a little over 29K on it. Which route should I go .. a Trans Flush and don't touch the pan at this time or just go "old school" and drop the pan / change filter / refill 5 qts or so ??

The truck has not done any hard towing / racing /etc. The fluid seems ok, but I guess Ford recommends a 30K service. I called the dealer where I bought the truck .... said they don't have the flush machine yet, but still will do the pan option. Although, he was not against doing a flush. They just don't have a machine to do it. Plus, on a 03 the torque converter does not have a drain plug any longer.

I went to another Ford dealer today and they push the flush for $139. That is the only thing they do. Told me Ford recommends this and the pan should not be removed. They warranty it ( I guess the flush process from any damage incurred by this process) ... plus they said (who knows if this is true) that it will benefit my extended warranty by having this done. I have the 6yr/75000 mile extended warranty and by following this type of trans service, if I ever have trans issues the extended warranty should never be questioned because I followed the Ford recommended service.

Just for the heck of it ... I called two trans shops in town and they both said just drop pan/filter/refill. One for $85 & one for $110.

Now if that doesn't make things more confusing. I agree with the drop pan method because that is what I have always done in the past and have always had good trans life with doing that at regular intervals.

I am really confused .... seems you can find a different opinion at every turn!! I guess I'm not "sold" on this flush process, but then again I am not that familiar with it. I would greatly appreciate your advice!! Thank You.

Aussiblue

Get hold of a Ford factory Workshop manual (perhaps ask to look at teh dealer's who is pushing this option) and I bet it says drop the pan and change the filter if you flush or not.

__________________
Regards Blue

Johnny Mullet

At our dealer, we hook up the machine and flush the entire system.

mabrant61

I did find this .....

Changing ATF Fluid in a E4OD and 4R100 transmission .: Articles

Other advice I have also received was Flush at 30K and Pan/Filter/Flush at 60K

Rikeye

Follow transmission shop recommendation .... the flush system is more hype than help.

JackDW

Do both. I have had trans screwed up by flushing the trash from the pan back throuth the trans. Now I have them drop and clean the pan, new filter and fluid and the flush the trans with fresh clean fluild. First time I suggested this my mechanic loved the idea (he did not like flushing the old trash through the trans and dropping the plan only gets part of the fluid). Worth the extra effort.

ymeski56

As the fluid continually circulates it re-heats & re-cools redundantly.Regular ATF fluid becomes Brittle, losses its molecular coheasion and fragment off free radicals. At this time, its lubricive abilities begin to be compromised as is it's capability to hold contaminants & solid particals in suspension especially when cooled down as it passes through the trans cooling coil. Also it continues to loose its ability to absorb & carry away heat generated by the functions of tranny, it builds a thermally insulative barrier on the inner surfaces of the trans. cooling coils, limiting the fluids ability to cast off much of the heat it did manage to arrive with. Now the fluid components become not only chemicaly unstable they start to recombine altering its PH to a state the is now chemically corrosive to metal. As you know, chemical activity increases exponentially as its temperature increases. If I was someone who was reading this post, this is where I'de think, "Ya, so what? If this guy has any point to make, better be now. So,The moral to my story is , "There's a product called TransTune the you add to transmission & then drive your truck while circulating through out your Tranny Sys. that neutralizes any corrosive PH conditions,breaks down internal varnish ,sludge deposits, metalic and other hard particals and holds cotangent in suspension for removal when drained prior to fluid flush &/or change. The amount of crap that drains out w/the fluid a lot more than you expect and its particle breakdown & suspension properties will make the flush procedure much more likely to eliminate contaminant deposit rather than just it's redeposition and flushing only has minimal effect in restoring the thermal transfer & dissipation abilities of the cooling coil tubes. Now that it is it in the cleanest operational state since new, DON'T just PUT THE SAME CRAP BACK IN IT!!!! Ford even says its ok change over gradually over multiple fluid changes as they're completely compatible but the benefits will only be proportional to the percentage it makes up of the total volume of fluid. One part Jack Danial's & One part Chivas Regal? I guess is better than leaving the Chivas bottle up on the shelf to stare at. But at 100% Syth. make up, the Op.Temp. of your Tranny is reduced 20 degree's F.