hello anyone or scotty kilmer i have a 2003 ford f150 with 135000 miles the trans fluid is pink/red not brown or black the truck shifts smooth as butter in every gear i would like to wonder if i can change it i recently bought it not to long ago i would like to keep it as long as possible i have heard of a pan drop but it only empty's out a 1/3 of the fluid out also i would like to put a new filter in it as well, i am not doing a flush and never will on something old for reasons but would like to do a drain and fill also replace all the old fluid with new fluid hoping it won't hurt anything anybody who has done anything like this please i need advice and wondering if its a good idea or should i just leave it alone based on experience?
I say that you are in the clear to do a drain and filter change. Normally with that kind of milage on an American automatic transmission the fluid would be pretty brown and burnt smelling if it wasn’t changed. I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that the last owner took care of the vehicle. I would just make sure that you use the correct fluid and filter for the job and to recheck the fluid level after 200 miles of driving.
Have a great day!
I would consider doing it if it was my truck. I have 300K on my s 10 and have done a pan dump over 10 times. It has turned black on some occasions.
Please be aware most owners do not change their transmission fluid and Scotty has a very old video on this. I have been a shade tree for over 50 years and Ill tell you people do not change their fluid. For about 10 years the oil change places have been pushing tranny service so some are actually being changed now. Just put your plan B on the table before you do it. Find a reputable rebuilder and get some cost estimates on you pull and install versus them. Some wont guarantee if they don't do it all. I have a guy that will rebuild that one for around 450 including the fluid and convertor. Of course you do not have a lift and getting the truck high enough in the drive way is a good 20% of the work.
You did not quote any service history, so assume its the first time. If it was changed even 1 time you would be in the green or yellow for a change. You don't say where you live and this affects it as much as mileage. Having a tow package also changes everything. Heat is what destroys fluid in a transmission. Engines suffer from heat and hydro carbon build up.
Just my TWO.
Agree with Astafford. I did this last year to my 2004 Expedition with about 130000, fluid had previously been changed at about 70000. Since I was dropping the pan anyway, I replaced the pan with one with a drain bolt so that I could easily do the occasional drain and refill. The new pan was only about $25 or $30 bucks if I remember correctly.
