Hello. I recently bought a 2007 Ford Explorer (V8 with the 6 speed automatic) with a little over 50,000 miles on it. I don’t believe the ATF has ever been changed, and Ford states it’s a lifetime fluid (we all know what that means). I think the mileage is low enough so it’s not dangerous to replace the fluid, however I worry about the age of the vehicle. Should I still go ahead and replace the ATF or are 13 years too much and the replacement could harm the transmission?
Thanks in advance!
Drop the pan and change the fluid and filter, but make sure to only use genuine Motorcraft MERCON SP fluid. Your car has the 6R60 which was kind of unique and very picky on fluid.
Yes, you should change the fluid, but I cannot stress this enough, use only MERCON SP. A universal fluid will destroy the clutches.
Also, your car has no external transmission dipstick, there is a little cap on the passenger side top of the transmission near the catalytic converter. You’ll unscrew that and pull it off, there’s a little plastic dipstick underneath. You’ll fill the fluid through the same hole.
