E-350 Help Thread

[Twister]

So i am starting this thread for gaining help when working on my moms 2004 Ford E350. So its a 2004 Ford E350, bought new in 2003, has the 5.4L, just rolled over 100k miles. My parents are not the best at preventive maintenance on their vehicles. My dad blew an engine in this Cadillac we had because he did not change the oil in it, they have gotten a lot better about it, but some of the things on their vehicles would not get fixed unless i push them to buy the parts.

Her transmission fluid has not been changed since they bought it, so am going to tackle changing it on Tuesday hopefully. From what i can find on the internet, her van should have the 4r100 and it should take Straight Mercon. Well Ford discontinued making and licensing the name to straight Mercon back in 2007, when they introduced Mercon V. Ford says you can use Mercon V in the 4r100, but nearly everywhere people say that, for the love of god dont put in it there. There are some who says its fine but the ration of do not to do is too great of a chance lol. From hours of research, the consensus is to use a dex/merc fluid.

Locally I can get 5 gallon pale of dex/merc, but i am uncertain of which brand to purchase. I can get house brand Oreilys, Peak from Advance Auto, or Coastal from autozone. I am leaning more towards the Oreily fluid or Peak. Anyone have any advice as to which one i should buy? I have also read that Ford doesnt recommend chaning the filter, should i go ahead and change it or will the old one be fine.

I am changing to fluid to prevent any future failures. The transmission shifts fine now, except for a slight shudder, from what i described to adsm is torque converter shudder. Here is a pic of some fluid on a paper towel, the pic makes it look a little darker than it really is. From the look of the fluid, would changing it be a bad idea?

Sorry for the long message

 

[Twister]

I also found this at sams club. Has anyone used this before?

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/certified-dexron-iii-mercon-automatic-transmission-fluid-1-quart-bottles-12-pack/prod7780038.ip?navAction=

 

[Twister]

Well me and my brother got the fluid changed out today in a couple of hours. We went with the Peak fluid from Advance auto. We dropped the pan, cleaned off the magnet and cleaned out the pan, put it back on and filled it back up with the amount that came out. We then took off the return line from the cooler, hooked it up to a hose and pumped out a gallon at a time and replaced it. Seemed to work great. It shifts a little better, should be happy for another 30k.

 

[bobbywalter]

i wouldnt be afraid to run merc v, i have had to use it in my e4od several times.(95 E350 powerstroke)


when i overheat it it will dump a gallon or two out sometimes


a few times there was only mercon v left so i was stuck with the expensive shit.



you should be good to go now, did your pan have a drain plug? some of mine had plugs, some didnt. if it did not i hope you installed one for next time.


good on you for looking out for mom. 4r100 is a nice unit, and hard to kill behind a 5.4 with good maintenance.

 

[Twister]

i wouldnt be afraid to run merc v, i have had to use it in my e4od several times.(95 E350 powerstroke)


when i overheat it it will dump a gallon or two out sometimes


a few times there was only mercon v left so i was stuck with the expensive shit.



you should be good to go now, did your pan have a drain plug? some of mine had plugs, some didnt. if it did not i hope you installed one for next time.


good on you for looking out for mom. 4r100 is a nice unit, and hard to kill behind a 5.4 with good maintenance.

Unfortunetly no we didn't put a drain plug in the pan, didn't even think of it lol.

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[RangerSVT]

Merc V is basically synthetic atf, and doesnt break down as fast at high temps. Changing the filter is always a good idea, filters dont clean themselves. Next time you change it, make sure to pull the drain plug out of the torque converter, there's a grommet at the bottom of the bellhousing for this...

SVT

 

[Twister]

Merc V is basically synthetic atf, and doesnt break down as fast at high temps. Changing the filter is always a good idea, filters dont clean themselves. Next time you change it, make sure to pull the drain plug out of the torque converter, there's a grommet at the bottom of the bellhousing for this...

SVT

From what I've read, and I could be wrong, they removed the torque converter drain plug after 2001. I didn't even bother to see I'd it had one because I was under the impression it don't have one.

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