Worried about my transmission!
02-11-2012, 11:33 AM
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Worried about my transmission!
I have a 1992 Ford F150 that I just bought in December last year. The transmission seams to have some tension when chaninging gears, I press on the gas when going up hill and the rpms tend to go to about 3000 before it switches to the next gear. I'm not sure of this is normal, but I've been notified that the transmission fluid needs to be changed by a mechanic. Will a transmission fluid change make my transmission shift a lot smoother, and will synthetic oil make a difference?
02-12-2012, 11:00 PM
#2
I guess it depends on how bad it is, new fluid could make a difference if your low now or the old is real bad. But i was told by a local transmission shop that if the fluid is burnt the clutches are burnt as well and new fluid would cause it to start slipping, so burnt fluid works well with burnt clutches. Also the difference between new motorcraft fluid and an aftermarket full synthetic would not be noticeable, the aftermarket would protect better and last longer though.
02-13-2012, 01:19 AM
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Okay thanks for that! I ended up getting a fluid change, and it seams to shift a lot better now. Hopefully it stays that way lol. The old fluid I had was black... And it was supposed to be redish.
02-16-2012, 06:01 PM
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Kiefer,
FWIW, I have installed transmission coolers on all of my vehicles for the last 30 yrs. Heat is the killer of auto transmissions/transmission oil. When the fluid gets hot, solids form in the fluid. This is a bad thing for the tranny. Especially since thermostats are now 195 deg F.
For example, I bought a 1999 Sable in 2000 (with almost 20K miles on it) and it had a Vulcan engine with a metric AOD. These transmissions are not know for their durability. I installed an external trans cooler downstream of the cooler in the radiator, mounted it on its own brackets which were not attached to the radiator. I changed the fluid twice before I gave it to my son at 112K miles over two years ago. My son is still driving the car, it has almost 150K miles on it now and has not had any tranny issues
That being said, old fluid should be replaced ASAP and any old school thoughts that say old fluid for old trannys is good is just bogus. Get that old stuff out of there. And keep it COOL.
Just my 2 cents.
FWIW, I have installed transmission coolers on all of my vehicles for the last 30 yrs. Heat is the killer of auto transmissions/transmission oil. When the fluid gets hot, solids form in the fluid. This is a bad thing for the tranny. Especially since thermostats are now 195 deg F.
For example, I bought a 1999 Sable in 2000 (with almost 20K miles on it) and it had a Vulcan engine with a metric AOD. These transmissions are not know for their durability. I installed an external trans cooler downstream of the cooler in the radiator, mounted it on its own brackets which were not attached to the radiator. I changed the fluid twice before I gave it to my son at 112K miles over two years ago. My son is still driving the car, it has almost 150K miles on it now and has not had any tranny issues
That being said, old fluid should be replaced ASAP and any old school thoughts that say old fluid for old trannys is good is just bogus. Get that old stuff out of there. And keep it COOL.
Just my 2 cents.
