Transmission oil change in TV

[lennyl]

How often should transmission oil be changed in a TV?

[Diesel Donnie]

I have the tranny serviced every 20k- I use a synthetic oil- This is fewer miles than recommended but we have over 100k so far without any failures- Changing fluids is much cheaper than replacing parts- JMHO- DD

Originally Posted by lennyl

How often should transmission oil be changed in a TV?

[max2bob]

owners manual is the best resource for that. they should have a few service schedules listed and trailer towing should be severe service schedule. myself , I tend to change it sooner rather than later pertaining to my owners manual as with these mountains around here the transmission gets a good workout. the 2011 expeditions I worked on here had sealed transmissions and the fluid was good for a long time under normal service. never looked at the severe service schedule.

[lennyl]

thanks for reply's, in the past my TV was always leased so i never had to worry about the transmission now that i own the expedition i will look in to following the schedule
thank again!!

[amabee]

Generally its 50,000miles for severe use(pulling a trailer definitely counts), but I would agree that more often is better. I'd say every 20-25,000 at the most, that's my plan anyway.

[modmatt]

Just had ours (recently) flushed and changed at the dealership at 55k miles. We didn't and don't have any issues, but would think going by the severe service schedule makes sense to me as a plan.

[clutch]

My truck is on the 30K schedule.

[Rustic Eagle]

Originally Posted by clutch

My truck is on the 30K schedule.

X2

[WIBadger]

In general, I recommend following your owners manual. However, the primary concern pertains to the transmission fluid temperature -- how hot has it gotten? Obviously, this will depend upon several factors such as the work load placed upon your TV (eg, towing a 30+ TT with a 1/2 ton TV will be working much harder than a 3/4 ton TV), the type of terrain, the ambient temperature; etc. As the temperature increases, the oxidation rate increases, thereby reducing the "life" of the transmission fluid. As you can see from the attached file, the oxidation rate doubles for each temperature increase of 20 degrees F above 175 degrees F.

[ATTACH][/ATTACH]

As just one example, let's assume that you're towing over a 10,000ft pass (having a 5-7% grade) where the ambient temperature is 90 degrees F. Knowing that you lose 3% horsepower (HP) of every 1000 ft above sea level, you immediately recognize that the TV has 30% less HP (meaning that the TV is going to be working extra hard). You clear the pass, but not after subjecting the transmission fluid to a range of 215-235 degrees F. Under these conditions, I would recommend changing the fluid in about 10K miles or less.

On the other hand, if you're towing under less extreme conditions, the normal temperature range will be between 175-185 degrees F, and I would change the fluid every 30K miles as suggested above.

So, the answer to your question of "how often?" is it all depends. It depends upon how you're using the TV. One thing I don't recommend is relying upon a service manager. Since most have good intentions of trying to save you some money by not performing unnecessary service work, they will answer your question by only looking at the mileage. Mileage, however, is very crude guide; knowing the transmission temp is better.

[edatlanta]

25,000 miles here.

[Doug]

My 4Runner has a sealed transmission.
I had 50,000 miles on it when I had the oil changed last.
When asking about tranny oil change noting I have been pulling a TT, the service manager said it was still good for 100,000.

Now that I am home, I am going to have it flushed and changed at 60,000.

The sealed trannys take a special machine evidently to flush and not just drop 50% of the fluid and refill.

I think it cost a couple hundred $$, but that's from the 4Runner forum information.

Doug

[WIBadger]

Dear New Sheriff (congrats) -- some info regarding 4runner trannies. Enjoy.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/mainte...on-sealed.html

[Plowtoy]

As an ASE certified mechanic, I would agree with most of the posts above... Follow the owners manual. We have an 08 Expidition at the shop and it says to service every 150k under normal use. Again, towing would not be considered normal use so it is wise to see what it says about severe use.
In my personal TV, I change the trans fluid and filter once a year regurdless if it looks bad or not. In an average year, it may get 10k miles on it, but most of those miles are snow plowing and towing miles, so my trans takes a but kicking just about every time it is run.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, USE THE CORRECT FLUID. Ford has several differant fluids on the market and all are differant. If Im not mistaken, the expidition takes Mercon LV (but it could also be Mercon SP). Check with the dealer for the correct fluid. You can use Valvoline Maxlife ATF if it takes the LV, but if not, you will be buying SP from the Ford dealership. GOOD LUCK, and change the filter while your at it, dont just do a flush...

[Doug]

Originally Posted by WIBadger

Dear New Sheriff (congrats) -- some info regarding 4runner trannies. Enjoy.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/mainte...on-sealed.html

Thanks for the link WT, I appreciate it.

Doug

[lx22f/c]

Originally Posted by Plowtoy

As an ASE certified mechanic, I would agree with most of the posts above... Follow the owners manual. We have an 08 Expidition at the shop and it says to service every 150k under normal use. Again, towing would not be considered normal use so it is wise to see what it says about severe use.
In my personal TV, I change the trans fluid and filter once a year regurdless if it looks bad or not. In an average year, it may get 10k miles on it, but most of those miles are snow plowing and towing miles, so my trans takes a but kicking just about every time it is run.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, USE THE CORRECT FLUID. Ford has several differant fluids on the market and all are differant. If Im not mistaken, the expidition takes Mercon LV (but it could also be Mercon SP). Check with the dealer for the correct fluid. You can use Valvoline Maxlife ATF if it takes the LV, but if not, you will be buying SP from the Ford dealership. GOOD LUCK, and change the filter while your at it, dont just do a flush...

As another tech i agree

[rugerguy]

Question for the Techs that reponded.
I was told once that if you havn't changed the tranny fluid befre 100k,dont do it,it will lossen up junk and failure will result.
This was told to me by a mechanic and I have actually heard of this happening to someone.

[lx22f/c]

Originally Posted by rugerguy

Question for the Techs that reponded.
I was told once that if you havn't changed the tranny fluid befre 100k,dont do it,it will lossen up junk and failure will result.
This was told to me by a mechanic and I have actually heard of this happening to someone.

That is true! If transmission is not done on a regular schedule and especially if fluid is darker in color it is best to leave it alone and just add fluid when needed.

Transmissions have come along ways and are made so much better and the fluid improvements have made a realistic difference in the life of transmissions
Remember heat kills transmissions. .

[3'senough]

I am over cautious and am a believer in oil is cheaper and easier than a new tranny. When I bought my truck, (used) I dropped every fluid and filter there was so I knew where I stood on everything. My tranny takes about 16qts so I put in and drop 7 at a time with 21 qts overall to do a flush. I do this every 2 years regardless of mileage since I am only doing about 10K a year anyway. It costs me about $130.00 bucks with the in line filter also being changed. This gets about 75% changed. I have yet to see mine hit over 190 for more than a few minutes. I am usually in the 165-175 range unless making a steep climb or off road.

I will add that I don't mix brands of fluids either. I stick with one and use it religiously.

[Plowtoy]

Originally Posted by rugerguy

Question for the Techs that reponded.
I was told once that if you havn't changed the tranny fluid befre 100k,dont do it,it will lossen up junk and failure will result.
This was told to me by a mechanic and I have actually heard of this happening to someone.

I thaink that is an old wives tale... I just bought my most recent TV last fall with over 200k miles on it and had no history of trans maintenance, and I didn't think twice about changing the fluid and filter. In fact, not knowing when or if it was ever serviced only makes it that much more important to change IMO. Transmission oil is basicly a 5W30 oil with a lot of detergents and additives. When I pulled the pan, there was some crud in the bottom and on the magnet, but nothing that would have led me to believe there was anything to be worried about. If anything, by changing the filter, you are allowing fluid to better flow through the trans if the old filter was begining to plug.
If you pull the pan down, and find that there is a bunch of metal or fiber in the pan, it may be too late and you are heading for a rebuild anyway

[troutslayer]

Originally Posted by Plowtoy

I thaink that is an old wives tail...

Do you mean "tale"? Sorry man...just couldn't pass that up.