Transmission Fluid Interval ?

[fordy]

.............My 2011 F150 5.0 v8 is nearing 25,000 miles and I'm trying to establish a pattern for future maintenance...........to achieve the longest service life possible from the trany ! So ,My plan is for this First fluid change is to simply drop the pan , replace the ford filter with another ford filter and have the oil change person simply replace the old volume of fluid with an equivalent volume of new fluid held by the pan .
..............For ALL Future fluid changes , say every 20,000 miles I'd repeat the above procedure ! I have no intention of EVER flushing the whole system , out . I figure IF I change the fluid every 20k miles the trany will receive more than adequate service . Considering that I know people who drive a vehicle for 200k miles and NEVER change their fluid and never have any trouble with the trany ! , fordy

[Darren]

Do you do anything with the truck that has potential to overheat the transmission such as towing?

[Awnry Abe]

Isn't 20K a little short? I see the need for the early filter change, though.

[fordy]

Originally Posted by Darren

Do you do anything with the truck that has potential to overheat the transmission such as towing?

..................No , Just regular highway driving ! Maybe in the future I'll pull a 16 ft. cargo trailer but only for short distances . , fordy

[fordy]

Originally Posted by Awnry Abe

Isn't 20K a little short? I see the need for the early filter change, though.

.................Another friend said I could go to 25k and without any problems ! , fordy

[ninny]

Does the trans have a cooler? If not, I'd suggest putting one on if you're going to do much towing.

.

[fordy]

Originally Posted by ninny

Does the trans have a cooler? If not, I'd suggest putting one on if you're going to do much towing.

.

..............Yes , and it employs (2) electric fans which cycle off and on in hot weather . , fordy

[Danaus29]

My van has over 120,000 miles and never changed fluid or filter. Filter should be changed soon though. What does your manual say about it?

[fordy]

Originally Posted by Danaus29

My van has over 120,000 miles and never changed fluid or filter. Filter should be changed soon though. What does your manual say about it?

............I'll have to recheck the manual but , I think it says 30k!
............If you change the filter you'll have to drop the pan and add new fluid back I'd think ! , fordy

[Danaus29]

I did a little checking, older vehicles the manual usually says 100,000 miles but the newer ones say 30,000. I don't know if it's because the tranny fluid isn't as good, tranny material isn't as good, the dealerships need more money, or another issue.

Pretty sure my manual says 100,000. I have an '00.

I've had several Fords with tranny issues. Most happened at 200,000 or more miles.

[idigbeets]

I do mine every 50k or so, but I do a lot of hauling on a F150 and 250.

Yep as easy as dropping the pan, replacing filter, and filling back up. If you put on a new gasket or reuse old one, I use a little bit of fishing line to tie a corner on so it doesn't shift around when putting the pan back on.

Be careful about the bolts on the pan, they are easy to strip out if you overtighten.