trans flush...on well my truck.. (does have lincoln on it ;)

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sykolincoln
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trans flush...on well my truck.. (does have lincoln on it ;)

Post by sykolincoln »

Ok while I pride myself on being pretty knowledgable on all things pretaining to vehicles... im not when it comes to transmissions...unless its in a motorcycle lol.

Question is my truck trans 97 f150 4.6 2wd auto has roughly 300k+ (dont know for sure now odometer stoped working at 210k) I wanted to do a flush on the trans as preventative matainence. I had one done around 150-60k and its always worked flawlessly, my truck hardly tows anything heavy mainly some atvs when we go ride is about it. But everyone is going on about that after a flush my trans may not even work, Ive heard these horror stories and while I dont understand hwo that can really effect it still worries me. I would hate to do what I think is just normal matainence and ruin my perfectly fine running and driving truck.

So trans gurus how about some light on this subject :smt006



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Re: trans flush...on well my truck.. (does have lincoln on i

Post by LithiumCobalt »

I'm a big believer in preventative maintenance. I've heard a lot of back and forth about what do in a circumstance such as this. I've heard transmission engineers say its perfectly fine and that any trouble that comes afterward is the result of a transmission that was already marginal to begin with before a fluid exchange is considered. I've heard mechanics say it dislodges buildup and causes failure. I surmise the truth is in between somewhere. With that kind of mileage, though, if its working well, I'd leave it be. If I got that many miles out of a vehicle, I wouldn't be doing anymore preventative service as its getting towards the end of its useful life. This another testament to just how good the 4R70W is.
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Re: trans flush...on well my truck.. (does have lincoln on i

Post by 2sasilverbullet »

Transmission fluid is not a lifetime fluid, it will deteriorate over time. Excessive heat is it's worst enemy. What fluid you put in also matters immensely.

Here's what Amsoil says you can put in it - (their products)
Signature Series Multi-Vehicle Synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) (ATFQT)
Torque-Drive Synthetic Transmission Fluid (ATD1G)
OE Multi-Vehicle Synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid (OTFQT)

I would go with this: https://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-product/ ... e=ATFQT-EA

When you change the fluid, don't go to a lube place, do it yourself. Just drop your pan, replace the filter and button it back up. The horror stories about trans fluid change are associated with the complete flushes from the lube shops. Oh, and their fluid they put in is cheapo.

Put in something good and you'll be glad you did!
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Re: trans flush...on well my truck.. (does have lincoln on i

Post by sykolincoln »

well I work at a dealership and I allready told the service manager that I would want a conventional flush (dropping pan, new filter drain TC) and not the machine flush. And I would be purchasing my own trans fluid (a high quality brand- truck always ran on full synthetic for engine oil and gear allready)
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Re: trans flush...on well my truck.. (does have lincoln on i

Post by LithiumCobalt »

From what I have been told, the flush machines do not use any higher pressure than what normal operating pressure is. If that's true, I don't see any reason why people should shy away from a flush. On the other hand, opening up the trans and replacing the filter along with draining the fluid gets pretty much the same amount of fluid out anyways, so it's six to one, half dozen to another. The flush is simply cleaner because u don't have to open anything up.
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Re: trans flush...on well my truck.. (does have lincoln on i

Post by sykolincoln »

also with the flush... they dont replace the filter... im just not buying into that it cleans that filter well enough to continue use... plus im not using the fluid they use. It still comes down to... what are the chances that my trans will go to trans heaven when I let my truck off the rack? :?
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Re: trans flush...on well my truck.. (does have lincoln on i

Post by onedollarbob »

As long as the trans has a regular history of fluid changes and service, there shouldn't be a reason to worry about changing the fluid. Neglected transmissions have a build up of clutch material in the old fluid that actually creates the necessary friction to keep worn clearances functioning, which is why changing for new fluid on a neglected trans can result in sudden malfunction.

I change fluid at the pan, in addition to cleaning the screen. Flushes are a different and more controversial thing.
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Re: trans flush...on well my truck.. (does have lincoln on i

Post by 66Lincoupe »

A conventional trans oil change should not hurt anything. And like you said, you can change the screen. The 4R70W is a very good transmission. Almost as venerable as the C series... If you keep the guts clean and freshly oiled you should get lots more miles out of it. If there is a ton of black goo around the magnet when you drop the pan that's when you might have to worry about issues after the change - that stuff is the mix of metal and fiber from the clutches and bands. An automatic transmission won't last forever, it's just the nature of the beast. You can, however, keep it working for a darn long time!

I started my career at Ford just as the 4R70W was coming around. The biggest failure point on them is the solenoids that control the forward shifts and torque converter lockup. Give the harness a good look when you get under there. And when you have the pan down visually inspect the circuit board and the solenoids. If it shifts properly now that should do it but if you're having issues pull the connector and check resistance through the solenoid coils - should be 20-30 ohms. Less and the coil is shorted, more and the wiring is broken. Either way it's time for new solenoids.

You have your act together and seem to know what you're doing - but if you have any questions give me a holler!
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Re: trans flush...on well my truck.. (does have lincoln on i

Post by sykolincoln »

I think Im just going to do it myself next weekend or so at the shop, as I just think I need to change it to keep it going this truck has been the best vehicle ive owned to date and no new vehicles give me any interest in getting into so I want to keep this one going untill well... the end of the world happens. But when I drop the pan I will do a thourough inspection and take eveyones advice into consideration while its off. Now what would be a good quality fluid to replace mine with?
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