I changed the transmission fluid in my Ford Ranger Saturday and had a question. Only about 4 quarts of fluid drained out of it, [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img] but the manual says it is 10 quart capacity. Is that normal to only change out less than half of the fluid?
The remaining fluid is still in the torque converter and also in some of the passages of the valve body. That's why it's important to do regular fluid changes - you never get all the old fluid out at one time. At least the filter is being changed and that's a good thing. Also, don't be alarmed if you see some light metallic glitter in the pan - that is normal wear and tear of the clutch packs. Too many crooked folks out there who bring the pan to you and tell you that you'll be lucky to get 100 more miles. Just laugh at them and tell them to put the friggin' pan back on. [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]
To do a thorough flush the easiest way is to disconnect the tranny cooler lines that run to the radiator. One brings fluid to the radiator cooler, the other takes it back (usually cooler to the touch but be careful - they both can get HOT). If you place the return line (to tranny) into fresh fluid and the line from the tranny into a sealed container, you can simply pump the old fluid fluid out, but that can get really messy. If you do regular fluid/filter changes, especially if you tow, you'll be OK. Heat is your biggest enemy - any heavy duty use (towing, city stop and go driving), invest in an additional cooler.
Thanks Chevdog.
It just seemed to me that at least half of the fluid should have drained out, but I'm no mechanic and had not done this before and so was not sure.
Thanks again.
Wil
To change all the fluid, one needs a special machine. My dealer has one of these. They disconnect the trans cooler lines and reconnect them to the machine. Then, they start the car and run until the output runs clean. The trans does all the pumping. Cost about $75 the last time I had Mom's car done. 130k on a trans notorious for problems. Not bad I'd say... [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
You don't have to have that machine but it does keep that fluid off of you - nasty stuff. Worth the cost too. The machine does essentially the same thing I described above.
You are fortunate that a transmission with 130k miles did well with the fluid change. In many cases, if the unit has that many miles on it, a fluid change sometimes does more harm than good as it winds up dislodging a lot of the varnish and general debris that has accumulated inside. That stuff winds up getting stuck in the small orifice openings inside the valve body, causing the transmission to be in worse shape then before. Hard to believe but common - in many cases a shop will specifically tell you they are not responsible for future transmission operation if they change the fluid on a high mileage unit.
Of course, I figure that if the unit is acting up anyway, then you can't hurt anything by changing that fluid [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]
The change was done on the regular timetable... I think it's every 30,000 miles... Come to think of it, it's overdue. [img]/forums/images/icons/blush.gif[/img]
Has pretty much sold me on auto trans maintence. The trans is starting to get weaker, if one really has to go for it in traffic, it slips a little on a hard gear shift. With normal driving it seems fine.
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