First time changing fluid, 4R44E

[YellowRanger95]

Changing my fluid and filter for the first time. I've never changed a transmission filter, anything I should know before I get started?

95' 4x4 automatic (4R44E)

 

[Baseranger]

Leave the front bolts loose, take the rest out to let it drain. Get a good pan gasket felpro or motor craft. Tighten the bolts inside out and bolts on opposite sides of the pan are tightened one after the other one.

 

[fix_or_repair_daily]

First thing, be prepared for a mess (fluid spillage). Try not to get any dirt inside the trans while it's apart. Also, be careful not to over tighten the pan bolts because it will ruin the gasket and leak. I made that mistake years ago.

Josh

 

[RangerSVT]

Once you have it down, clean the pan religously, especially the magnet. So clean that you would eat eggs off of it....lubricate your Orings before installation of the new filter...
SVT

 

[YellowRanger95]

So should the bolts be *snug* with a socket wrench? Or should you make it snug and give a good push, like with lugs on a tire? I don't wanna have to but another gasket and fluid if I mess up lol, filter kit is $22 and fluid is $110.

 

[fix_or_repair_daily]

Holy hell, what kind of fluid are you using that costs so much? The bolts just need to be snug. You just want them tight enough to squeeze the gasket enough to seal but not enough to deform it.

Josh

 

[RangerSVT]

Torqued to 24-28 in-lbs IIRC, and his trans requires merc 5, but it shouldn't be that much as you should only need about 4 quarts on a filter change...
SVT

 

[modelageek]

So should the bolts be *snug* with a socket wrench? Or should you make it snug and give a good push, like with lugs on a tire? I don't wanna have to but another gasket and fluid if I mess up lol, filter kit is $22 and fluid is $110.

Torqued to 24-28 in-lbs IIRC, and his trans requires merc 5, but it shouldn't be that much as you should only need about 4 quarts on a filter change...
SVT

all good suggestions.......here is a link to a write-up. the write details how he took out an exact amount and installed the same amount....... I just winged it and at the end adjusted the amount of fluid....
http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/652748-full-tranny-fluid-pump-out.html

I have done 4 of these in the last 6 months, none on a ranger but 2 on Ford Focus's and 2 on Toyota's........they are virtually all the same.......You want to do the method where you drop the pan and clean it all up and put the magnets in the proper place, change the filter. install the pan, add about 3 quarts and then disconnect the tranny return line......put the line in a bucket. have someone start the car and pump out about a quart at a time. turn the car off and add a new quart. run thought the gears as it pumps. you will know when the old crappy fluid is gone.......the new stuff comes though with a carbonated bubble look to it almost like it is ALIVE AGAIN... the whole thing is a little messy and take less than 2 hours...the writeup recommends 12 quarts for the flush. I don't know exactly what they hold at least 10 Ibet.....wally world stuff is pretty good..........................and I highly recommended you do the same to your power steering fluid.........that takes about 20 minutes.....there is a good chance the fluid comes out like chocolate pudding

 

[YellowRanger95]

That was a pain in the ass to say the least lol...

I bought a 10 qt jug of AMSOIL Synthetic ATF... The guys at NAPA said that's how much I needed for a transmission fluid change..... They neglected to tell me that only about 4-5 quarts drains out..... So I'm stuck with $60 worth of tranny fluid!

But a few things I want to add for those that haven't done a change before...

Loosen all the bolts, use a screw driver or something to pry down the rear of the pan to break the seal.... fluid goes EVERYWHERE! When pulling the pan off, DON'T HIT THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM ON THE DRIVERS SIDE OF THE TRANSMISSION!!!
When changing the filter, have your bucket ready because once you pull it off, fluid drains out the two holes plus be easy with the old filter because it is still full of fluid and drips all over the place lol...
Don't forget to slip on the two O-rings onto your new filter, push it snuggly into place and bolt it down.
And wipe down the inside of the pan vigorously, including the magnet strip on the passengers side of the pan.
I found it easy installing the pan with the new gasket by putting the screws in the four corners and barely tightening them by hand.

And be extremely patient when refilling the fluid... I didn't let it heat up enough or just wasn't paying attention and over filled mine by a quart... and their being no drain plug, I had to loosen all the bolts... again... and drain out about a quart of perfectly wasted fluid. When you pull the dipstick out to check the fluid level, one side of the stick will be covered more because of residual fluid being pulled up with the stick. So go by the "level" line on the less covered side.

That concludes my expereience with the transmission... hopefully I won't have to deal with that SOB again...

Oh and while I was down their, I found out my oil pan is leaking...


Thanks for the advice guys, a few people over the internet gave me more helpful info than the supposed technicians who sold me the fluid.

 

[RangerSVT]

Thanks for the advice guys, a few people over the internet gave me more helpful info than the supposed technicians who sold me the fluid.

Those "technicians" who work the counter are not techs, they are sales people and there is a good chance they haven't changed one themselves, the same way an engineer has never worked on what he designs...TRS members actually work on there rigs and know it better than someone behind a counter. Glad you got it done and good tips for those looking to change there trans fluid in the future
SVT

 

[modelageek]

That was a pain in the ass to say the least lol...

I bought a 10 qt jug of AMSOIL Synthetic ATF... The guys at NAPA said that's how much I needed for a transmission fluid change..... They neglected to tell me that only about 4-5 quarts drains out..... So I'm stuck with $60 worth of tranny fluid!

But a few things I want to add for those that haven't done a change before...

Loosen all the bolts, use a screw driver or something to pry down the rear of the pan to break the seal.... fluid goes EVERYWHERE! When pulling the pan off, DON'T HIT THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM ON THE DRIVERS SIDE OF THE TRANSMISSION!!!
When changing the filter, have your bucket ready because once you pull it off, fluid drains out the two holes plus be easy with the old filter because it is still full of fluid and drips all over the place lol...
Don't forget to slip on the two O-rings onto your new filter, push it snuggly into place and bolt it down.
And wipe down the inside of the pan vigorously, including the magnet strip on the passengers side of the pan.
I found it easy installing the pan with the new gasket by putting the screws in the four corners and barely tightening them by hand.

And be extremely patient when refilling the fluid... I didn't let it heat up enough or just wasn't paying attention and over filled mine by a quart... and their being no drain plug, I had to loosen all the bolts... again... and drain out about a quart of perfectly wasted fluid. When you pull the dipstick out to check the fluid level, one side of the stick will be covered more because of residual fluid being pulled up with the stick. So go by the "level" line on the less covered side.

That concludes my expereience with the transmission... hopefully I won't have to deal with that SOB again...

Oh and while I was down their, I found out my oil pan is leaking...


Thanks for the advice guys, a few people over the internet gave me more helpful info than the supposed technicians who sold me the fluid.

I hate to burst your bubble but you really should have finished the job by pumping out the rest of the fluid. as a matter of fact you would have been better off not dropping the pan and just pumping out the fluid and replacing with all new Amsol fluid. right now you have a mixture of fluids in your tranny. if I was you I would buy more Amsol and pump all the fluid out. if you don't understand what I am talking about I have a link to a toyota writeup with pictures. it will give you the general idea. your tranny should hopld 9.8 quarts of fluid. buy and extra quart. I believe there are about 4 quarts in the pan. That means you have 6 quarts of old fluid contaminating your nice new Amsol.....

 

[modelageek]

here is a link to writeup with pictures for a Camry fluid exchange. The principles are the same.......http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=280006

 

[modelageek]

I don't think I am getting my point across so at the risk of repeating myself..... Read and follow the link on my post #8. The hardest and most time consuming part is the 1st part, ie. dropping the pan cleaning everything up and changing the filter. The 2nd part of pumping the "rope" of fluid that runs through the tranny is easy. In the event you over fill the tranny just disconnect the return line again and "pump" some fluid out.

 

[YellowRanger95]

I appreciate your concern, but I'm not too worried about my fluid.

I'm guessing I have about 5-6 quarts of AMSOIL in it right now, with a new filter. My truck only has 68k miles on it and the fluid that I drained out didn't look bad at all. I don't have the time or money to go buy another $110 jug of fluid, so I'm just going to let my new filter and clean magnet strip sort out the old stuff. Plus I called the actual AMSOIL customer information line and they said the mixture should run a little better than new mercon fluid. I even asked if I should buy more and drain it again, the guy said I could but he wouldn't because I'll still get more mileage than OEM fluid.

So, overall I'm pleased with my first experience with my transmission.

 

[modelageek]

I appreciate your concern, but I'm not too worried about my fluid.

I'm guessing I have about 5-6 quarts of AMSOIL in it right now, with a new filter. My truck only has 68k miles on it and the fluid that I drained out didn't look bad at all. I don't have the time or money to go buy another $110 jug of fluid, so I'm just going to let my new filter and clean magnet strip sort out the old stuff. Plus I called the actual AMSOIL customer information line and they said the mixture should run a little better than new mercon fluid. I even asked if I should buy more and drain it again, the guy said I could but he wouldn't because I'll still get more mileage than OEM fluid.

So, overall I'm pleased with my first experience with my transmission.

That's awesome