Transmission fluid change using an extractor?

[Mosey]

Has anyone done a tranny fluid change using only an oil extractor? Yes I know you will not get all the fluid out, but if I can simply replace half of it with fresh I would feel better. My thought was to extract as much as possible via the “dip stick” tube and simply refill with the exact amount removed. I am not ready to do this yet, just wondering if this is a viable option.

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[Calson]

I know that the transmission flush machines have badly damaged the seals in automatic transmissions. I also know that for light truck transmissions the fluid is only to be changed when the transmission needs to be repaired.

Even with my V-8 diesel engine the Allison transmission fluid change interval with TES 295 ATF is every 4 years or 150,000 miles, whichever comes sooner. The Allison transmission also had an external filter that was replaced along with the ATF.

 

[Jersey devil]

I know that the transmission flush machines have badly damaged the seals in automatic transmissions. I also know that for light truck transmissions the fluid is only to be changed when the transmission needs to be repaired.

Even with my V-8 diesel engine the Allison transmission fluid change interval with TES 295 ATF is every 4 years or 150,000 miles, whichever comes sooner. The Allison transmission also had an external filter that was replaced along with the ATF.

This may be true but not sure I'd "never" change the trans fluid. I usually like to do it every 36K miles just for piece of mind

 

[PPK]

I have done a lot of oil changes with pumps.. on rear ends and crankcases. i always try to setup so that the suction tube is at the lowest point of the case. That may mean jacking up the truck to position it for max capture of the old oil. That stock fluid in the 10 sp is a LV fluid. Low viscosity.. otherwise thin.. anyway I will do my tranny at 20 k miles or so. That fluid is always running hot..

 

[HANCOCK]

ford change the LV to ULV .Believe they changed it in 2020 .. ultra-low viscosity trans fluid now in the 10r80 Definitely know in 2022 it is ULV

 

[lrequa92]

Just changing the fluid and not changing the filter is a waste of money in my opinion. I recommend dropping the pan and replacing the filter. Yes the 10r80 is definitely ULV transmission fluid. Do not use LV.

 

[tony72cutlass's']

anyone know what the dealer is charging for this kind of stuff?

 

[RobertD]

Has anyone done a tranny fluid change using only an oil extractor? Yes I know you will not get all the fluid out, but if I can simply replace half of it with fresh I would feel better. My thought was to extract as much as possible via the “dip stick” tube and simply refill with the exact amount removed. I am not ready to do this yet, just wondering if this is a viable option.

You have an interesting idea. I would normally drop the pan and change the trans filter with the oil. FYI - this will not get all the trans fluid either but it allows you to change out the filter.

So the question would be how often does the filter need to be changed and how often do you plan to suck out fluid and replace? Hmmm....

Replacing with the exact amount wont help if the trans fluid was low or high to begin with.

 

[HammaMan]

Best way to go about it, just suck out what you can and replace with the same amount. If I was in the biz of selling transmissions, I'd say my fluid was 'lifetime' too. If we're ever to see a 40k mile oil come on scene, engines will magically have lifetime oil too! There are a few ICEs w/ lifetime oil, but they take hundreds of gallons

 

[Davecp114]

I have a 2021 with the 5.0L. I used a vacuum extractor to remove the transmission fluid at 30,000 miles through to fill/dipstick tube. The main goal was to be able to drop the pan without a giant mess. Just about all the fluid was extracted when I removed the pan and the filter was changed but relatively clean (looking at the filter media through the pickup tube). The pan seems to hold a little more than half of the transmission’s capacity with the rest in the drainless torque converter. I would say you can successfully get nearly the same fluid change by just extracting the fluid as dropping the pan with a fraction of the effort (especially if you have the 5.0L) as compared to removing the pan. Going forward, I might extract the fluid every 30,000 miles and drop the pan to change the filter every 60,000 miles. I’m not sure I buy Ford’s recommendation of changing the filter and fluid every 150,000 miles. My Ford Tech experience tells me that waiting that long will make the job include a complete transmission overhaul.

 

[Sneezy]

anyone know what the dealer is charging for this kind of stuff?

I had mine done at the dealer a month ago @ 35k miles and it was $320+tax. Makes a world of difference, definitely worth keeping on top of especially for how cheap it is, even at the dealership.

 

[tony72cutlass's']

I had mine done at the dealer a month ago @ 35k miles and it was $320+tax. Makes a world of difference, definitely worth keeping on top of especially for how cheap it is, even at the dealership.

Awesome that’s not bad!

 

[SALEEN961]

The labor time to replace the transmission fluid and filter is 2.6 hours, in my area that's $429 in labor alone. After you add in the filter, pan gasket, 6 quarts of Mercon ULV, shop supplies, and sales tax, the total price winds up being about $650. A fluid exchange only calls for 1.6 hours, so that's $264 in labor and roughly $350 in total.

 

[HammaMan]

It's well overkill to replace the filter every 30k -- that's like doing 3k oil changes on a full synthetic, a complete waste.

 

[SALEEN961]

It's well overkill to replace the filter every 30k -- that's like doing 3k oil changes on a full synthetic, a complete waste.

As a general rule I would agree that 30K intervals on the transmission filter is overkill. I normally replace the transmission filter at 30K when I do my first service, and every second fluid service or 60K after that.

I will confess that I am a crazy person who should be ignored because I change my synthetic engine oil every 3K, but that's only because I change it every 6 months to avoid excessive fuel dilution. I change the oil in all my vehicles every 6 months or 6,000 miles, but I also drive them in a very spirited manor.

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