aero86

i really wanna flush my transmission. we have a machine here at work, but its really a pain in the butt to empty out the old atf3 to introudce merconv into it. my question is, since we have bulk atf fluid, it would be cost effective to use it and add an additive. but, how do you guys feel about the additives you would have to add to it? dealer is quoting me 150 for the flush.

stags

Heres what you need.

Go to your local auto zone

Buy the following
2 ton jack/ jack stand combo ($50)
Set of twin 2 ton jack stands ($25)
High temperature thread sealant ($5)
Wheel Chocks ($5)
some kind of catch pan
A socket wrench set if you dont have one

Order 3 qts of Amsoil ATF from AM ($40)

Go to home depot and target, buy 3' of .5 inch line and a funnel

Throw that sucker up on jack stands. Drain the old fluid. Use the line and funnel to run a fill line to the tranny from the engine bay. Replace the drain plug, using sealant. throw all 3 quarts through the line, some will drip out. Plug the top up. Youre good to go. Dont dink with it again for 100000 mi.

Blue_steel

I agree with stags...it is not all that hard to do yourself.

JimC

Since Aero mentions AFT and MerconV, it sounds like he has an automatic. With an automatic you can't just attach a hose and funnel and fill it from the top because there is no fill from the top nor is there a dipstick on the 5R55.

The drain plug is a two part plug and you:

remove the inner plug, put in an adaptor, and pump fluid up into the transmission until it starts to drain back.

Then, you start the car, move the transmission through the gears and get it up to operating temperature.

Reattach the fill adaptor and pump more fluid in while the car is runnning. Wait for it to start to drain back again.

Let it run and go through all the gears again, and see if it will take more fluid. If it doesn't drain back or is just a slight drip/stream, you can put the adaptor back in place call it done. It will take about 7 quarts for the automatic.

Not something I want to do with the car on jack stands and laying on my back under the car.

There is a sticky on how to do the transmission fill on an automatic.

aero86

so a drain and fill is sufficient huh? i just recently bought the vehicle and i want to do everything to get it back up to good standards. also, we do have a flush machine at work, its just a major pain, since we flush with mainly atfIII, to flush the old stuff and refill with different, i didnt wanna mess with it.

JimC

How many miles do you have on the car?

I change my fluid at least once a year, and sometimes twice depending upon how many miles I've gone and how many trips to the track I make. But I have 178,000 on the car and put a lot of miles on a year. Every other fluid drop I change the filter which means dropping the pan as part of the drain process and swapping the filter (I don't know if the manual has a filter, never had a reason to look it up).

And do you have the automatic or manual? The manual is easier to change from what I've seen.

Blue_steel

you can however run a piece of hose through the engine bay to fill it.or buy a $5 pump that screws in to the top of the trans fluid bottle...

JimC

No, not on the 5R55. It doesn't have a trans fluid fill. There is no dipstick and nothing to fill on top of the transmission. The fill is done from the bottom of the transmission by pumping fluid UP into the transmission pan. The drain plug is also the ONLY fill point on this transmission. You can run all the hose you want from the top of the engine bay but you still have to find a way to pump it up from the bottom of the pan. Gravity won't get it in the transmission and trying to pump it with the long hose from that far overhead you won't be able to put a $5 pump into the bottle and hand pump it.

Nor will you be able to see when it starts to drain back so that you know it is time to start the car up and get the transmission to operating temperature and run it through the gears. THEN you have to pump more fluid in while the car is running and check to see when it starts to drain back out again. In order to check if it is draining back you have to remove the fill hose you are using to pump the fluid up from the bottle, otherwise you can't see it running back out. I use the hand pump on the bottle and even standing with the car on a lift it is a pain to pump the fluid up that short distance.

It's not like doing an oil change where you go to the low point of the engine and drain it, put the plug back in and go to the high point to fill it. On the automatic transmission the drain and fill (as well as the fluid level check - you add fluid until it comes back out) are both at the low point, the bottom of the transmission.

If you haven't done a transmission drain and fill then you really can't explain it. It isn't anything like an oil change or the way we did on older transmissions.

JimC

Here is a write up for the automatic

https://mustangforums.com/forum/2005...cs-no-56k.html

What he missed on the fill is the need to start the car up once you get about 5 quarts of fluid in and wait for it to get to operating temperature. Then pumping more fluid in after that - while the car is running and even better while it is in gear - to get the rest of the fluid in (about 7 quarts total if all you do is a drain and fill or drain, new filter, and fill).

If you just fill it without getting it up to operating temperature you will be low on fluid - I followed the write up and was about 1.5 quarts low the first time I did the service. The only way I knew was because the transmission slipped getting off the expressway the next morning and I had the Ford dealer near my office check it (no dipstick so you can't check it easily).

Blue_steel

well soooorrrryyy my bad.just trying to give my info.another reason to not get an automatic.IMO