After that it's just a matter of bending the tubing in the needed shape which is where I failed miserably, what should have taken about 2' of tubing all together took me about 5'. I forgot, I've worked on cars for 48 years and own an auto body auto repair shop for 30 years. The dealer never actually checked that so I imagine I would have had to sell a couple of my children to pay for it. It's leaking from one of the metal pipes that go under the front end of the truck to the trans cooling radiator. My truck is in the shop at this moment please contact me so we can contact ford for recall start up and help for the consumers.
With filter 6 quarts After refill check oil level. I'm just thinking that those would be easier to install than having to bend metal lines and that they'd be rustproof. Pan dropped: Underside of transmission: Note: Notice how the filter appears to be black in color, that is just debris from the fluid it wiped off clean to show the silver finish of the aluminum shell of the filter Factory installed dipstick plug: Now that you have the pan dropped clean up the magnet and the inside of the pan to remove all debris. This is the total amount of fluid that was extracted from the transmission -- almost enough to fill a 5 gallon bucket! About 20 minutes in, my 2004 Expedition slipped out of drive. I did some research on some of the more popular forums that discuss the 4R70W , , and found some people mentioning that they were able to use the cooler lines to perform a fluid exchange. My gut feeling is that this issue will raise it ugly head again. To keep the fluid and transmission from overheating, a transmission oil cooler located inside the vehicle's radiator continuously cools the transmission fluid when the vehicle is in operation.
I was personally frustrated with the lack of any useful information on performing the fluid change procedure, so I researched and researched and put together this guide. This is the line where fluid will come out after it has been cooled in the radiator. I didn't lose too much when I disconnected the lines but I started my repair the day after the damage to the lines happened so between sitting over night and limping my truck back home I lost about 3 quarts. To install the pan and gasket you will need a 10mm socket and torque wrench. Follow up procedures should go a lot quicker. Amsoil has been around since 1972 and for over 40 years it has had a great reputation for superior lubrication for your engine, less engine wear to save you costly repair bills and changing your oil less each year which saves you money and time! Then use a wire brush, in needed, to remove any remaining gasket material. While this does allow you to replace the filter and clean the magnet, you do very little in terms of changing out the fluid since most of it resides in areas of the transmission cooling system that are not accessible.
If you are not familiar with the way this transmission is designed in the F150, refer to the diagram below. The dealer rebuilt the transmission and the warranty covered it. Pull the dipstick out of the filler tube and set aside. I meant to do a write up on this a little while ago but been busy with work. This is what's was under the black plastic piece. Always expect the first time to take longer.
Pretty basic truck so I was surprised that it had it. Position the pan to the mating surface of the transmission and hand tighten all the transmission bolts. Catastrophic transmission failure is eminent and will occur very soon if it has not already failed. After that it's just a matter of bending the tubing in the needed shape which is where I failed miserably, what should have taken about 2' of tubing all together took me about 5'. Follow the vacuum hose to find it.
You'd definitely need a drain pan. You don't want to put all that junk back in the transmission when you replace the filter. Is that a stupid idea? Use a degreaser to clean the threads. Note: if your transmission has not had the filter changed before you will most likely find a yellow plug that has an o-ring on it within the pan. Note that Mercon V is not a brand, but a lubricant characteristic specification created by Ford Motor Company. I found a small spot in the frame cross-member where I was able to tuck the hose away. Thanks for the detailed writeup Mike.
I saw that online auto parts stores sell reinforced rubber lines specially designed for transmission fluid. To do this, remove the bolts from the front and sides of the oil pan. It was the dealers problem not Ford's. With filter 6 quarts After refill check oil level. Route the tubing around so it does not kink anywhere.
Some dip sticks not specifically for the 4R70W in a F150 have a cold-fill mark, but mine did not. I believe these are supposed to be used for mixing paint, but they work just fine. This part is where having a partner is helpful because someone can watch the fluid filling the bucket. There are myriad web pages on the internet for servicing the 4R70W, as it is the automatic transmission commonly used in Mustangs and in Crown Victorias, but very few resources when it comes to servicing the transmission in a truck. It just pulls out, there are no bolts that hold it.