f7949f7949

Good info......Thanks

dloudy

I have a 2005 5.4 XLT 4WD....and I've noticed that black flat plastic "plug" in the flywheel housing. I've had one transmission shop tell me that I can't drain my torque converter, and another tell me that I can....exactly what you said above. I think mine has the 4R75 tranny in it and I am contemplating doing this myself, since it looks as if I can't trust a shop thus far. Any other advice?

Thanks!

XPerties

I have the same year and model as well as tranny and no you can't drain the torque converter.

dloudy

Who the heck knows.....I know I've been under my truck a zillion times and have seen that plug....even looks like it seeps sometimes. About every 3 or 4 oil changes, I wipe it off really good. I always wondered what it was. Guess the only way to find out is to pull the plug out and see for myself...

Is the pan gasket really re-usable, or is there no reason to even attempt to go down that path?

JorgeRod54

i dropped my pan and changed the filter not too long ago, but didnt do the torque converter. should i have done that also? at 30,000 my torque converter blew on my first transmission so ive been really careful with what i do now that im at 91,000

HokieFX4

I did this yesterday and this write up is perfect. My truck is the first vehicle I have owned that has an auto trans, so this made it really easy to do something that I had never done and knew nothing about. If you're like me and aren't sure if the fluid has been changed, do it...mine hadn't been (found the yellow plug) and it definitely made a world of difference in how my truck shifts and goes down the road

BrianH

This is how i do my own flush at home, takes about 13 qts. (and you really don't have to change the filter. The filter is to catch the really big stuff, Like clutch debris. At that point its a major malfunction anyway.) I first remove the line in to the cooler and connect a piece of hose to it, then start the engine and pump the fluid into a 5 gal bucket(use two buckets if you like)... Once the flow stops, shut it down and service the pan...When the pan is back in place, add 6-7 quarts, then start the engine and run until the color of the fluid flowing into the bucket changes to the new fluid... If it stops flowing before it changes color, shut it off and add 3-4 more quarts then run it again... Once you have finished, reconnect the cooler line, restart and add fluid as necessary...Leave it approx a 1/2 quart low till l it's up to temperature(30 min or more)and top it off... Done! P.S. I've done this in my '03 Marauder like this since i've owned it. Never had a problem, or mess yet.

Jmask

Which is the line in? Can you post pics?

Robmarine

If you're changing the filter and adding only the three or four quarts of fluid lost while draining the pan you're only changing 1/4 of the fluid in the tranny. When you change your engine oil do you change the filter and replace only the oil lost during the change without draing the pan? Why would you do anything less with your transmission?

The esiest way to find the correct line is to disconnect one of the lines at the cooler and start the engine. If it pumps out fluid you found the right line, if not, reconnect the line and disconnect the other line. What the trans pump is doing is pumping the fluid out of the pan and into the trans. After you pump out the 3 or 4 qts of fluid in the pan, drop it, clean it, replace the filter, don't forget to remove the factory plug in the pan, secure it back to the trans and add 3 or 4 qts of the proper trans fluid (very important). Start up the engine and wait for it to pump the pan dry again, repeat the proceedure till you see a noticeable difference in color as well as smell of the fluid. It should not take more than 15 qts to accomplish this. Re-attach the line back onto the cooler, start the engine, check the fluid level, top it off to bring it up to the full mark on the dip stick. Be careful not to overfill.

That is a transmission flush!

Fx4_04

Flushing the transmission IS A BAD IDEA!!!! i repeat BAD IDEA!! I work at a ford dealership and we do not have the equipment nor will we buy it or offer it or reccomend it, The reason being that all the old dirty fluid contains clutch material and matter also the filter has this matter and material in it. WHEN you flush it all of this is pushed out of the filter and recycled to the transmission!! If you are going to have it flushed better to change the filter first then have it flushed. YOU DO NOT WANT THIS CRAP IN YOUR SOLENIODS. I personally have replaced many solenoids on torqshifts due to this fact. ALSO the fluid you get from the auto parts store or dealership is NOT the same it is filled with at factory. They special blend the trans fluid from the factory I for one would like to keep some of this which may be the reason for no torque converter drain. The services we do at the shop are drop the pan, change the filter drain torque converter if possible and refill. NO FLUSHING. All i can offer is my experience with this. ALSO the plug IS a dipstick plug and when they shove the dipstick in at the factory it just goes into the pan.