Good Day Scotty:
Re: 2002 Ford Taurus, 120,000 miles, automatic trans, no scan
I want to get on the right track with the transmission. It was flushed at 66,000 miles and then neglected. Today I dropped the car off at the mechanics and asked to have the automatic transmission fluid changed. The mechanic told me they don't do changes, just flushes. I cancelled the work because of what Scotty said about flushes. Please advise on what to do.
Signed: Kathleen from North Carolina
I would just take it to another shop and have it drained and filled.
Thank you sir.
Scotty is right. They do flushes because it's easier for them to do it and it's more expensive. I just did a post in the forum about transmission flush. Do yourself a favor, avoid it. I went to a transmission shop and they screwed my transmission, putting the wrong type of fluid and the wrong amount of fluid with a transmission flush. In the end, I fixed the issue myself, draining and filling the transmission with the right ATF and the right amount of it.
Like Scotty use to say, it's not rocket science, you can do it yourself. Open the drain plug, drain it out, put the drain back in, measure what came out, fill it up with the same amount of what came out with the right ATF. I should have done it myself in the first place.
Thanks so much. Good to know.
It should be noted there are some Ford transmissions where you cannot do a drain and fill - the only way to replace the fluid is to pump fluid in and out via a machine; in that case, it is okay as long as the machine is not applying more pressure than what the internal transmission oil pump applies (when it is running). I don’t know if the 2002 Ford Taurus transmission is like that - someone else can verify and chime in. Adding @MountainManJoe - he knows what I am talking about.
In normal circumstances where the transmission has been maintained properly, a drain and fill is sufficient.
Yes, some vehicles must be flushed. The '02 Taurus appears to have a serviceable pan, but you should double check with your dealership. It seems the automatic transmission is a weak spot on these vehicles:
https://www.carcomplaints.com/Ford/Taurus/2002/transmission/transmission_failure.shtml
The good transmission fluid exchange machines have zero pumps in them. It's just a cylindrical fluid reservoir with a floating piston, and some hoses. The pressure of the transmission's internal pump while running is what pushes the fluid around and they're perfectly safe. My transmission guy is very experienced (2nd generation) and does thousands of these without hesitation, and recommends flushing when the fluid is in bad shape. I've never had an issue flushing my vehicles.