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transmission flush


areohen

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I have an 08 Edge SEL AWD which I purchased used at about 33,000 miles. I go to a Goodyear dealer for regular service and maintenance and they said the transmission fluid should have been changed at 30,000 and they offered their transmission flush service. The funny thing is that they couldn't do it. The service manager (he recently bought an 08 Edge also) said they needed a special tool to get into the transmission lines and they are contacting the Ford dealership to acquire it. I don't doubt their word but I'm curious if any Edge owner-home mechanics have run into this problem, or anyone getting this service at other than a Ford dealer?

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I have the OTC line set that should do all tranny line,has worked well on A/C lines,and jeep tranny lines,the trans fluid change is a breeze,there is a drain plug on it drain and refill using the proper fluid on my 2010 it's LV,uses about 4.75 gts. I wouldn't use any fluid but OEM spec,Marty

Edited by Depiry
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I have the OTC line set that should do all tranny line,has worked well on A/C lines,and jeep tranny lines,the trans fluid change is a breeze,there is a drain plug on it drain and refill using the proper fluid on my 2010 it's LV,uses about 4.75 gts. I wouldn't use any fluid but OEM spec,Marty

 

Great post Depiry! Thanks for that info!

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just drained what came out the plug on the bottom and refilled back to full with new fluid using Mercon 5. Same process as what Depiry described. There is no pan to remove like on older auto trans. The filter is inside and is intended for lifetime, so you do not change it. Yes, only draining out some of the fluid is not a full swap of old fluid with new. But approx 5 qts of new is a lot better than none. If your trans is good shape, the partial fluid change is just good preventative maintenance. 5 qts ATF is cheap enough.

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I just drained what came out the plug on the bottom and refilled back to full with new fluid using Mercon 5. Same process as what Depiry described. There is no pan to remove like on older auto trans. The filter is inside and is intended for lifetime, so you do not change it. Yes, only draining out some of the fluid is not a full swap of old fluid with new. But approx 5 qts of new is a lot better than none. If your trans is good shape, the partial fluid change is just good preventative maintenance. 5 qts ATF is cheap enough.

 

Thanks to both of you, I appreciate your input. The mechanics at Goodyear figured out where to correctly access the transmission fluid lines and they flushed and refilled the transmission satisfactorily. All is well and tomorrow I'm driving down to Myrtle Beach for some sunshine and golf!

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Process is to find Transmission cooler line going INTO the radiator (flow-wise) and pull it making sure to have spare o-rings and clamps.

 

Put end in a bucket, start engine and let it run out about 1-2 litres and shut off engine. Make sure you shut it off if/when bubbles start to appear. I generally do it earlier.... about 1.25 liters in.

 

Fill the car with the same amount of ATF as removed. Repeat process until nothing but clean fluid comes out.

 

have a beer and enjoy the extra cash.

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Process is to find Transmission cooler line going INTO the radiator (flow-wise) and pull it making sure to have spare o-rings and clamps.

 

Put end in a bucket, start engine and let it run out about 1-2 litres and shut off engine. Make sure you shut it off if/when bubbles start to appear. I generally do it earlier.... about 1.25 liters in.

 

Fill the car with the same amount of ATF as removed. Repeat process until nothing but clean fluid comes out.

 

have a beer and enjoy the extra cash.

 

You can also fill a CLEAN 5 gallon bucket with new fluid and attach a rubber hose to the return line and submerge it in the bucket of clean fluid.

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Never flush an automatic transmission. It is often cited as a leading cause of automatic transmission failure. Not one auto company recommends the procedure; not one. The synthetic transmission fluid is good for a very long time and does not need to be changed unless the vehicle is used for pulling very heavy loads in hot weather. Perhaps a 100,000 mile drain and fill is good practice in any case, but never a flush. It is not recommended by Ford!!!!

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Never flush an automatic transmission. It is often cited as a leading cause of automatic transmission failure. Not one auto company recommends the procedure; not one. The synthetic transmission fluid is good for a very long time and does not need to be changed unless the vehicle is used for pulling very heavy loads in hot weather. Perhaps a 100,000 mile drain and fill is good practice in any case, but never a flush. It is not recommended by Ford!!!!

 

Urban myth. When this happens the tranny is already toast - flushing the fluid does not cause failures. I know a former Ford transmission engineer who gets his flushed every 30K miles.

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Urban myth. When this happens the tranny is already toast - flushing the fluid does not cause failures. I know a former Ford transmission engineer who gets his flushed every 30K miles.

 

Agreed.

 

Additionally, these "flushes" are just pump (trans) assisted fluid exchanges. Every fluid degrades over time (think oil) and will lose its protective and, in the case of ATF, hydraulic properties.

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The "flush" I was talking about is not a mere pump assisted fluid exchange, but a process whereby non-OEM chemicals are in fact flushed through the system and then typically, non-OEM transmission fluid is run through the system. Many chain oil change establishments offer this flush process, and it is that process that has been identified with transmission failures.

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If a flush kills your tranny it was already on its way out. The reason is tranny fluid is a detergent,it cleans and lubes. The detergent breaks down and stops cleaning, when you flush and add new fluid it starts cleaning again, breaking free junk wiping out your tranny. But kinda sorta if you have a trillion miles and have never changed the oil I'd keep running it.

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I've always followed Fords maintenance schedule, trans filter/fluid change every 30,000 miles, and have never had a problem.

Back in 2002, sold a friend my 1995 Explorer, with 145,000 miles on it. I always followed the maintenance schedule, and they just sold it with 200,000 + miles on it, with no trans problems, and original engine. All that they did was to keep up with scheduled mainenance.

Edited by JOEHIO
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  • 7 years later...

Mine is beginning to act up. so far this winter (PA) I've had to let it warm up for about 10 min before I drive. If I do not do this the trans seems to not want to shift or just plain does what it wants to. But only for a few minutes then it does what it is supposed to. Gonna give her a fluid change in the next couple weeks, 153000 miles on it.

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13 minutes ago, Ducati said:

Mine is beginning to act up. so far this winter (PA) I've had to let it warm up for about 10 min before I drive. If I do not do this the trans seems to not want to shift or just plain does what it wants to. But only for a few minutes then it does what it is supposed to. Gonna give her a fluid change in the next couple weeks, 153000 miles on it.

Yours sounds like a fluid change will do a whole lot of good,  compared to some who hope it would "repair" the transmission.

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