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Bought my truck from a used car dealership back in 2010. It's a 2004(2003) f150 with 4.2 v6, auto trans, 2wd. It's been so long that I can't remember if the trans fluid was changed. I'm sitting at 140k-ish miles, and was going to do a pan drop/fluid &filter change. I've been told at this point it is a 50/50 gamble if the trans will fail after. Thoughts/suggestions?
Bought my truck from a used car dealership back in 2010. It's a 2004(2003) f150 with 4.2 v6, auto trans, 2wd. It's been so long that I can't remember if the trans fluid was changed. I'm sitting at 140k-ish miles, and was going to do a pan drop/fluid &filter change. I've been told at this point it is a 50/50 gamble if the trans will fail after. Thoughts/suggestions?
If you put it on a machine to flush it's a gamble. If you just drop the pan and refill you will be fine.
Drop the pan, change the filter, refill it and drive it.
Drain it again in a few thousand miles.
I drained mine and changed the filter @ 170,000 miles (shifted fine, had a mild "thunk" between 3rd and OD). I put a drain plug in when I did it (would just buy a pan with a drain plug if I did it again), so it was easier to drain and fill (I did it gain @ 170,500, 172,000, 175,000 and 180,000, and will do it every 10,000 miles from now on).
As said, if damage is done, it will not matter if you change it or not. If no damage is done, changing the fluid will prolong the life of it.
It 100% will die early death if you never change fluid...
When they fail...its because damage has already occurred and its hanging on only by virtue of crud keeping clearances tight enough to work
Gosh your only half right. Parts wear with time, so does the fluid, the trans is used to thinner fluid, putting in brand new fluid puts unneeded stress on internals sometimes causing premature failure. If it's got 140k on it already and it's not acting up. It's not worth the risk.
Drop the pan, change the filter, refill it and drive it.
Drain it again in a few thousand miles.
I drained mine and changed the filter @ 170,000 miles (shifted fine, had a mild "thunk" between 3rd and OD). I put a drain plug in when I did it (would just buy a pan with a drain plug if I did it again), so it was easier to drain and fill (I did it gain @ 170,500, 172,000, 175,000 and 180,000, and will do it every 10,000 miles from now on).
As said, if damage is done, it will not matter if you change it or not. If no damage is done, changing the fluid will prolong the life of it.
Not always true. Changing fluid could damage a weak trans.
It 100% will die early death if you never change fluid...
When they fail...its because damage has already occurred and its hanging on only by virtue of crud keeping clearances tight enough to work
This is when incorporate rear end friction modifier into the trans fluid. Little at a time until it starts working again, - as a last resort before rebuilding. It's a what have you got to lose situation, and a very old trick from way back lol.
FWIW, when I changed mine in August of 2014 (31,000 miles ago) it had pieces of the sprag in the pan. I thought for sure it would bite the big one right after I changed it. But we changed it and added Lubegard, and it's been perfect since. It is time to change it again though, and we'll see what treasures we find this go around.
It helps the trans to shift more smooth, basically. Some people call them a one-way clutch too. In about 99, Ford changed it to a diode (don't know why they called it that, except that it only goes one way), which is a much improved unit. Anyway, two of these zig-zag springs were in the pan, they hold pressure on the roller bearing, IIRC. It shifts great without those two though.
Trans fluid change, to do or not?
