[99redtaurus]

Hello! I have 98 Ford Taurus with the 3.0 and an automatic trans. and 153xxx+ miles on it. The trans fluid has now turned just a shade darker than normal. I took it to a reliable oil change place to see how much it would run to do a filter and fluid change. He said with the mileage on it he wouldnt recommend doing the fluid change because it would start symptoms or make exsisting symptoms worse(with the fluid being the way it is). I told him the trans is working fine, he said just run it until it goes and some places might change the fluid, but he would not recommend it.

Any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated! This is my wifes daily driver and we cant afford to fix a transmission or get another car right now.

Thanks!

 

[sheila]

Change it and filter using mercon v and the original pan gasket. If youre nervous about it, just do a pan drop or follow instructions in the topic finder at the top of this page.

 

[sheila]

No power flush.

 

[austex04]

That's a bunch of bs! Just drop the pan, change the filter, add 5-7 qts to bring to the proper fill. No machine flushes, that WILL ruin a older transmission. Make sure only Mercon V fluid is used, not an "additive" to "make" it Mercon V. Better yet, spend more and have a full synthetic atf that's Mercon V compliant put in, full synthetic atf helped mine shift a little better than Mercon V. If you don't want to DIY, take it into a good transmission shop, not a quick lube place where the kids want to sell you a machine flush.

 

[99redtaurus]

Thanks guys! He was going to power flush it, I failed to mention that. For some reason I didnt put 2 and 2 together. I thought it was wierd that they wouldnt do it.I have changed trans fluid on the cars we had before, and when I knew it was time to change the fluid, i changed it. But this car is lower and my belly is bigger now so I wanted someone else to do it.

 

[danhasenauer]

Allow the trans to pump out the old into a bucket, as per the Topic Finder, and change your filter & refill. You should be OK. "But this car is lower and my belly is bigger now..." get taller jack stands, LOL!

 

[KhanTyranitar]

Those power flushes will ruin newer transmissions too.

Follow the direction in the sticky and you will be fine. The old fluid definitely has to go.

 

[austex04]

Those power flushes will ruin newer transmissions too.

Follow the direction in the sticky and you will be fine. The old fluid definitely has to go.

That's why mine has never seen a flushing machine. The ramps I use to change oil provide plenty of room to get to the trans pan, much easier than jack stands, and angles the car enough to avoid making a mess on the carport floor (I still lay down a old shower curtain liner, just in case). With the miles I put on, I just change it once per year, before the summer heat.