Transmission service/flush by Ford at 120,000 miles?

[stilbo]

2015 XLT with 120,000 miles
Just wondering what experiences there are regarding a dealership performed transmission service/flush.
Maintenance schedule says 150,000 miles.
But this Expy is going on ten years old with original transmission fluid.

Ford dealership screwed me on my 2016 Mustang transmission flush.. I took it to them with the belief that since they have the proper equipment and would bring the transmission to operating temperature the process would be flawless.
Wrong.
They never touched the cooling line connectors that I paint dotted top and bottom.. the pan wasn’t dropped either but that’s not normally part of the service anyway according to the factory digital service manual.
And they CHARGED me for it.
So…
I’m really reluctant to take any of our Fords to that dealer or even another one a little further away.
In the old days I’d take a newly acquired used vehicle to a local oil change shop and they’d properly bring the fluid and internal thermostat up to temp and flush. I never had any problems with that and would pile more than an additional 100,000 miles on a 80,000 mile vehicle.
I’d read about horror stories post flushing though but those were pretty anecdotal stories…
I just did a pan/filter drop on my ‘70 Ranchero GT C6 and I got to love the 1/4” NPT pipe plug in the torque converter even more..
“Sealed for life” is BS…
So… what kind of experiences are out there with transmission fluid services on the six speed 6R80 transmissions?

 

[max78]

Its a scam, even at the dealership. There is a thermostat in the transmission that prevents flow to the cooler (lines used for the service) and if its not 185 plus degrees its not open. Idling will not raise the temp to that point and there is no way to force it open.

In short the 6R80 is a drop the pan and fill only kind of transmission.

Several shops (including dealer) were more than willing to do the flush but none could answer how they would bypass the internal thermostat and get the new fluid into the actual transmission.

 

[twodollars]

Agree with above. Drop pan and filter. Assemble and refill. Stay away from fluid exchange services.

 

[stilbo]

Thanks!
That’s exactly what I ended up doing with my Mustang which has pretty much the same transmission.
Even hoisted up twelve extra inches on four jack stands it was no easy ordeal. Especially when filling and checking the level.
Not being able to drain the torque converter really sucks though.
There’s pretty much 1/2 of the total capacity still in the TC.
Maybe these pumps can’t suck enough soon enough to prevent damage?
Thanks again.
I’m going to dig out my 12 volt pump and check online for Motorcraft fluid for a decent price.

 

[stilbo]

I’m thinking about doing the hole punch and drain plug mods on both Mustang and Expy trans pans…
It’d be expensive but dropping, draining filter change then a few hundred miles later open the drain and then pump in more new fluid would at least dilute the old fluid significantly with new fluid.

 

[stilbo]

Just read a thread in this forum from last year and someone mentioned dropping the pan, changing the filter then adding 6 quarts of Motorcraft LV..
Another poster said he added 7.5..
And another said 9.
I tried to save and measure all of what came out of my Mustang but that was a bit of a messy disaster and I ended up adding more than I thought I’d drained to bring it up to the proper level…
Any ideas as to how much fluid I can expect to replace?

 

[99WhiteC5Coupe]

2015 XLT with 120,000 miles
Just wondering what experiences there are regarding a dealership performed transmission service/flush.
Maintenance schedule says 150,000 miles.
But this Expy is going on ten years old with original transmission fluid.

Ford dealership screwed me on my 2016 Mustang transmission flush.. I took it to them with the belief that since they have the proper equipment and would bring the transmission to operating temperature the process would be flawless.
Wrong.
They never touched the cooling line connectors that I paint dotted top and bottom.. the pan wasn’t dropped either but that’s not normally part of the service anyway according to the factory digital service manual.
And they CHARGED me for it.
So…
I’m really reluctant to take any of our Fords to that dealer or even another one a little further away.
In the old days I’d take a newly acquired used vehicle to a local oil change shop and they’d properly bring the fluid and internal thermostat up to temp and flush. I never had any problems with that and would pile more than an additional 100,000 miles on a 80,000 mile vehicle.
I’d read about horror stories post flushing though but those were pretty anecdotal stories…
I just did a pan/filter drop on my ‘70 Ranchero GT C6 and I got to love the 1/4” NPT pipe plug in the torque converter even more..
“Sealed for life” is BS…
So… what kind of experiences are out there with transmission fluid services on the six speed 6R80 transmissions?

Have the fluid and filter changed by dropping the pan. Use only OEM Motorcraft fluid and filter. Take it to a shop where you can watch them do the work.

Ford does not state this transmission is “sealed for life” - where did you get that notion?

 

[stilbo]

I’m doing the service here in my shop on the lift.
I was ASE drivetrain certified back in the 1980’s while I was an undergraduate engineering student at Purdue.
US auto manufacturers referred to their automatic transmissions without dipstick/fill tubes as “Sealed For Life” for the first 1-2 years which was a major misnomer.
Not so much a “notion” as it was a reference to industry nomenclature at that time.
BTW
I only use Motorcraft fluids in the six late model Fords we have here.

 

[max78]

No sure about how much fluid to use, but if you do the drain plug mod post it up, I'm interested in seeing it.

 

[Ellison Brown III]

Got a friend who drives an F-150 having transmission issues as I type this. Ford, Ford dealership, and Autonation (where he purchased the truck) are all giving him the run around. He’s in a 2020.

He’s trying to get them to do a fluid and filter exchange, but no one wants to put their hands on it. Not exactly sure what he’s told them is going on with it. Or, if he only asks for the service. Either way, they are refusing to do it.

A few of you have mentioned the dislike for not being able to get to the rest of the fluid in the torque converter. Which is very understandable. The flush option is questionable as it could have negative impact depending on method and transmission/ or transmission condition.

A few years ago I acquired a 2002 Acura TL-S with a very clunky transmission condition. After some thought decided to change fluid, filter, and mounts.

Mounts turned out to be torn. Got those replaced without too much hassle. Main thing is to have the ability to support transmission in a manner that allows for easy removal/ installation of mount hardware.

The fluid was in horrible condition!!! It was the blackest fluid I’d ever seen from a vehicle. My concern was how to get it up to temp, and get the entire dirty contents out. Decided that I’d drain a bit. Fill up the bit I drained. Drive it… moving through “all” the gears on the shifter. Put it back in the air, and do it all over again. Took approximately 12 quarts to get it completely clean. The difference in it’s shifting characteristics were like night and day!!!