Transmission Fluid Change

[Apples]

FTRSP/OP -

The Suctionator! How brilliant.

Although I own a '25... and do not wish to lower an overflow-ey pan.

Drill, I must. I foller this thread. Cheers!

Since there is no fill or drain hole on the '23+ models, I've been contemplating just drilling a hole in the plastic plan to drain the juice before installing the aluminum pan.

 

[Apples]

I'll use a step bit/unibit. These don't want to pull themselves deeper into the work.

 

[The Evil Twin]

Just did an fluid change at 46k miles, and mine was an dark brown color removed. Was surprised at that given the lowish miles, lack of towing, but use off road in the mountains. Low speed crawling & easy highway miles.

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However I did come up with an near mess free solution for replacing the original pan

The suctionater! drilled an hole in a 5 gallon pour bucket, stuck an piece of tubing in it, then a smaller piece of fuel tube at the end.
At the spout connected the shop vac to create suction into the 5 gallon reservoir

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dropped the pan, still had an little fluid left in it (first picture) so being careful i was able to remove it without spilling a drop on the floor or cross-member!

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changed out the filter. Magnet on the stock pan did have some glitter, but not bad at all probably just the initial wear in of the gears

torqued all the bolts in the torque pattern (bought an new OEM Oring for the pan)

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new pan looks nice. Drove the truck hard for 20 minutes to get the temp back up to 215F
Pulled back on the rack, left truck in park and running. Topped back up with fluid ~1qt
Want to say it was around 20 quarts added total

I like your conglomeration!
When I do mine I'll alter it a little and use a piece of soft copper tube bent in a U to reach the very bottom.
Unless someone successfully drills a hole somewhere

 

[AZsurveyor]

I like your conglomeration!
When I do mine I'll alter it a little and use a piece of soft copper tube bent in a U to reach the very bottom.
Unless someone successfully drills a hole somewhere

There appears to be plenty of areas when you can drill without damaging the internals.

I would vouch for this corner:

As @Apples, a unibit would be perfect for this assignment.

I'm not sure I understood the soft copper tube application?

 

[FuelTankReInforcedSkidPlt]

I like your conglomeration!
When I do mine I'll alter it a little and use a piece of soft copper tube bent in a U to reach the very bottom.
Unless someone successfully drills a hole somewhere

That was dad's idea too! But, the bit of copper scrap we found was to short. So the flexible fuel tubing was used.
An properly bent copper tube and yea you could get nearly every drop out of it.

There appears to be plenty of areas when you can drill without damaging the internals.

I would vouch for this corner:

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As @Apples, a unibit would be perfect for this assignment.

I'm not sure I understood the soft copper tube application?

problem is that area is the upper part of the pan sump and you would still have an lot of fluid in the lower section.

If your going to drill the best place is going to be the corner by the filter assembly, no wires there and the only plastic is the filter. Just do it at the bottom of the pan and you would be good.

 

[The Evil Twin]

There appears to be plenty of areas when you can drill without damaging the internals.

I would vouch for this corner:

View attachment 225621


As @Apples, a unibit would be perfect for this assignment.

I'm not sure I understood the soft copper tube application?

@FuelTankReInforcedSkidPlt hit it. A tube bent in a U, or an upside down J hung on the side of the pan. The pan would have to be cracked open already to slide the tube in. You could get it to the very bottom.
I would think about drilling here if I did. Deep part of the pan. In between the bend in the cooler line and my red mark

 

[captaineegee]

I do a lot of my own wrenching but i have zero interest in dropping tranny pans in my driveway/shop and faffing about with any of that nonsense. I see the value in it, but I try to keep things stock so it's easier to work on if I'm on a trip. I would be willing to change my position if there was empirical data that showed deeper pan & more fluid = longer life of the tranny but as of now it seems to just be anecdotal. For now I'll stick with drain/refill and if new data comes out that you can completely r square (remove/replace) fluid without catastrophic issues I'll be up for it.

Anecdotally, I did the remove/replace all fluid in my 2015 tacoma and it shifted better than before.

 

[The Evil Twin]

I do a lot of my own wrenching but i have zero interest in dropping tranny pans in my driveway/shop and faffing about with any of that nonsense. I see the value in it, but I try to keep things stock so it's easier to work on if I'm on a trip. I would be willing to change my position if there was empirical data that showed deeper pan & more fluid = longer life of the tranny but as of now it seems to just be anecdotal. For now I'll stick with drain/refill and if new data comes out that you can completely r square (remove/replace) fluid without catastrophic issues I'll be up for it.

Anecdotally, I did the remove/replace all fluid in my 2015 tacoma and it shifted better than before.

That's my only reason for an aftermarket pan- the drain plug. Not the extra fluid. Although dilution is a solution. More fluid can keep more dirt in suspension. Still, it's about the ease of draining every 20-30k. That was my SOP on the 6 speed.

 

[Apples]

"faffing about" - lmao. Ain't that! the tro0f.

I'm doing a pan swap because I'd like the ability not only to drain through a threaded portal, but in the case of the PPE pan, have the standpipe that *should be* our Full level. Please correct me if I'm mistaken.

You know the old saying, "Often wrong but never! in doubt".


That it requires a few quarts more to my way of thinking will prolong the interval to ULV degradation and perhaps aid a bit in ambient cooling (although the liquid-to-liquid cooler works fine, and does so thermostatically. I mention that here anecdotally).

 

[The Evil Twin]

"faffing about" - lmao. Ain't that! the tro0f.

I'm doing a pan swap because I'd like the ability not only to drain through a threaded portal, but in the case of the PPE pan, have the standpipe that *should be* our Full level. Please correct me if I'm mistaken.

You know the old saying, "Often wrong but never! in doubt".


That it requires a few quarts more to my way of thinking will prolong the interval to ULV degradation and perhaps aid a bit in ambient cooling (although the liquid-to-liquid cooler works fine, and does so thermostatically. I mention that here anecdotally).

Side note- PPE also has a cooler reroute that bypasses the T Stat. Not sure what that cooling circuit runs at....maybe 160-170? I'm on the fence there too. Ford didn't just arbitrarily say "run the trans at 200°". There is a reason. I'd like more info before dropping the temp 40 or 50 degrees.

 

[FuelTankReInforcedSkidPlt]

I do a lot of my own wrenching but i have zero interest in dropping tranny pans in my driveway/shop and faffing about with any of that nonsense. I see the value in it, but I try to keep things stock so it's easier to work on if I'm on a trip. I would be willing to change my position if there was empirical data that showed deeper pan & more fluid = longer life of the tranny but as of now it seems to just be anecdotal. For now I'll stick with drain/refill and if new data comes out that you can completely r square (remove/replace) fluid without catastrophic issues I'll be up for it.

Anecdotally, I did the remove/replace all fluid in my 2015 tacoma and it shifted better than before.

Wasn't done for the more fluid but to have the drain plug, best of luck trying to drain and refill the stock pan without cracking the seal

Side note- PPE also has a cooler reroute that bypasses the T Stat. Not sure what that cooling circuit runs at....maybe 160-170? I'm on the fence there too. Ford didn't just arbitrarily say "run the trans at 200°". There is a reason. I'd like more info before dropping the temp 40 or 50 degrees.

I would not run the bypassed liquid-to-liquid cooler thermostat. If you want to see what this does just unplug your factory one. There is another transmission thread somebody did that and it just fails open with no signal, same thing no need to waste cash/crack the line.

First you need to get the transmission up to operating temperatures quickly (this is a negative of the diesel pan and a win for the 7.3 pan)
Second it needs to stay at an consistent operational temperature so the shifting strategy works consistently knowing exactly how much solenoid pressure to apply (cool to monitor on the edge cts)

While we all love to see lower temperatures and think that = longevity. I'm going to say this one is a special case where temperature consistency is more important for clutch engagement than just lower temperatures. If the fluid is good for it, and the plastics are not load bearing (appear to just be clips) then the metals wont care and the bands will be happy.

This PPE just happened to be an good price and with the upcoming trip really didn't want an plastic pan on rocks again. Plus yea 30k fluid change that stuff gets dirty quick apparently with the 10 speed.

I don't think we will see any passive cooling benefits from the fins/extra fluid as any extra heat is dumped into the main radiator system. Though I do think the fins will help take some of the beatings from rocks

 

[Apples]

Exactly. Thank you both for your corroboration!

Ford's trans fluid cooler thermostat works, in my truck, anyway, in 100* outdoor ambient temps to cool my trans to 210, 211*. Temps will rise to 221, 222 *F where the thermostat opens (appears to, anyway) and trans temps will again descent to 209=211 range, regardless of grade, level ground, or descent. This while travelling between 6000' southern Utah to sea level coastal southern Cal or from Cal to Utah. Makes no difference even though one way is mostly uphill lmao.

Only thing I'm doing to the trans (other than the PPE pan) is swapping in an effectively-blueprinted valvebody from NextGen. Not even gonna tune. Thing works just how I like it, save for the original valvebody (shift time too long - the actual elapsed time of an actual shift, not at what throttle or RPM). The shift "map" is fine, save for the too-soft shifts (not looking for neck-snappers, either. Just what NextGen says it will do which is right. down. the middle of those two extremes).

 

[AZsurveyor]

Exactly. Thank you both for your corroboration!

Ford's trans fluid cooler thermostat works, in my truck, anyway, in 100* outdoor ambient temps to cool my trans to 210, 211*. Temps will rise to 221, 222 *F where the thermostat opens (appears to, anyway) and trans temps will again descent to 209=211 range, regardless of grade, level ground, or descent. This while travelling between 6000' southern Utah to sea level coastal southern Cal or from Cal to Utah. Makes no difference even though one way is mostly uphill lmao.

Only thing I'm doing to the trans (other than the PPE pan) is swapping in an effectively-blueprinted valvebody from NextGen. Not even gonna tune. Thing works just how I like it, save for the original valvebody (shift time too long - the actual elapsed time of an actual shift, not at what throttle or RPM). The shift "map" is fine, save for the too-soft shifts (not looking for neck-snappers, either. Just what NextGen says it will do which is right. down. the middle of those two extremes).

Where did I just read about this?

 

[Apples]

Where did I just read about this?

I can't tell you, but I have blabbered on about my transmission hopes several times. Forgive me. lmao.

I forgot to add that I'm not only doing the vb for shift response reasons but also for long-term health of the clutches themselves. The work that goes into a good valvebody should pay dividends waaaay down the road, even though the 10R140 (and the 10R100) has a relative life expectancy of +/- 150,000 according to NextGen (their opinion, rather, based on their experience).

 

[The Evil Twin]

Where did I just read about this?

Was it this thread?

Next Gen Drivetrain Upgrade

Has anyone upgraded the valve body yet? I'm definitely not a transmission expert, but I do experience the hard shifting mentioned in the video. If a valve body upgrade would be good preventive maintenance, I'll give it a try; if not, I can definitely find something else to spend the money on.

www.fordtremor.com

 

[MVI]

Since there is no fill or drain hole on the '23+ models, I've been contemplating just drilling a hole in the plastic plan to drain the juice before installing the aluminum pan.

Not sure if this comment is for the pan or trans, but there is a Trans Fluid Fill Plug on the '24+ trans housing

 

[The Evil Twin]

Not sure if this comment is for the pan or trans, but there is a Trans Fluid Fill Plug on the '24+ trans housing

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Thank you for this!! I swore I saw some info stating this fill plug was present on the opposite side of the trans from the previous generation 10R. Then I couldn't find it again. This makes filling to the proper level 1000% easier. Filling via the stand pipe is horrible on transmissions that require it. You never know if it is residual fluid coming out, or if the level is correct
Is this from the Helm manual you purchased?

 

[MVI]

Thank you for this!! I swore I saw some info stating this fill plug was present on the opposite side of the trans from the previous generation 10R. Then I couldn't find it again. This makes filling to the proper level 1000% easier. Filling via the stand pipe is horrible on transmissions that require it. You never know if it is residual fluid coming out, or if the level is correct
Is this from the Helm manual you purchased?

link is over at the MVI's F350 Build Page, post # 6

MVI's F350 Build

MVI F350 TREMOR BUILD INDEX Antenna - Post # 61 Bed Side Steps - Post # 41 Cabin Air Filter (HEPA FILTER) - Post # 59 Ceramic Coating - Post # 15 Fender Badge - Tuffskinz 7.3L - Post # 84 First Aid Kit - Post # 21 Floor Mats - Post # 20 Fluid Capacities - Posts #10, #11, #12, #13 ForScan...

www.fordtremor.com

 

[The Evil Twin]

link is over at the MVI's F350 Build Page, post # 6

MVI's F350 Build

MVI F350 TREMOR BUILD INDEX Antenna - Post # 61 Bed Side Steps - Post # 41 Cabin Air Filter (HEPA FILTER) - Post # 59 Ceramic Coating - Post # 15 Fender Badge - Tuffskinz 7.3L - Post # 84 First Aid Kit - Post # 21 Floor Mats - Post # 20 Fluid Capacities - Posts #10, #11, #12, #13 ForScan...

www.fordtremor.com

Thank you! Good price too. I'll be ordering one for certain !

 

[Bluzharp]

Not sure if this comment is for the pan or trans, but there is a Trans Fluid Fill Plug on the '24+ trans housing

That hole is not drilled for a plug on my '23. I'm not sure what bolt 8 is on the drawing, but that's the only hole drilled on my transmission body (except for the wiring connector and shift linkage). No ports on the passenger side either.