Yankee Clipper
2014 Winnebago Sightseer 33C on Ford F53 6.8l V10
2014 Honda CRV 4 down toad/Roadmaster Falcon2 with EvenBrake
TireMinder TPMS,Tiger, the Little Big Man minidachshund,
Rosey the minidachshund resident Princess-in-Chief
ct78barnes wrote:
I have a 2011 Ford 22,500 chassie and 25,000 miles on it and was wondering about getting the oil changed. We have a big Ford dealer near by so I would have them do the oil change on the Transmission. After 5 years all towing our 4,500 pound Toad would it be a good idea to have it changed. I think Ford says every 40,000 miles but how about the years it would take me to reach 40,000 or 45,000 miles on the coach. What do you experts have to say . Thanks
I have a 2011 Ford 22,500 chassie and 25,000 miles on it and was wondering about getting the oil changed. We have a big Ford dealer near by so I would have them do the oil change on the Transmission. After 5 years all towing our 4,500 pound Toad would it be a good idea to have it changed. I think Ford says every 40,000 miles but how about the years it would take me to reach 40,000 or 45,000 miles on the coach. What do you experts have to say . Thanks
Draining and replacing is OK, but don't like flushing and especially with older units, that may have never been done before.
Our last coach had over 90K on it and after quite a few mountain trips, pulling a toad that was a ton too heavy for it, I just drained out the 4 or 5 qts, that I could and replaced that a few times over a month's period of running it.
"We are often so caught up in our destination that we forget to appreciate the journey."
07 Revolution LE 40E_Spartan MM_06 400HP C9 CAT_Allison 3000.
Dinghy_2010 Jeep Wrangler JKU ISLANDER.
1998 36ft. National Tropi-Cal Chevy Model 6350 (Sold)
It is not hard to do it yourself although the tranny holds quite a few quarts, and it can be a little messy on the driveway.
You can get that last quart out by removing the dust pan off the bottom of the tranny, and using a large blade screw driver, turn the transmission fly wheel and the last last quart will come out of the torque converter.
I just don't don't trust dealers...When they pay their employees $7 to $8 dollars an hour, you get what you pay for.........
2019---35M THOR Hurricane
2016 Cadillac SRX Toad
Blue Ox
4 whopping cylinders on Toyota RV's. Talk about great getting good MPG. Also I have a very light foot on the pedal. I followed some MPG advice on Livingpress.com and I now get 22 MPG! Not bad for a home on wheels.
I would have them drop the pan and change the filter.
I would suggest that they blow out the cooler lines.
I service mine closer to 15,000 miles. You should consider using the specifications for severe duty.
Bud
USAF Retired
Pace Arrow
2003 Chev Ice Road Tracker
I know this only gets about 50% of the fluid, but with that few miles and time it is not worth the extra effort or cost.
(I have an E150 with the same transmission. 130k and still on the original ATF !)
1. You have a TorqShift 5R110W electronically controlled 5 speed transmission. There are actually 6 forward speeds but it will normally skip 4th gear. For some reason that's how Ford programmed it. The gear ratio difference between 4th and 5th is only .09 which is kind of strange also. 6th is overdrive at .71 to 1
2. For RV applications scheduled change interval is 30,000 miles (listed under exceptions in the back of the scheduled maintenance guide).
3. Liquid capacity is 19 quarts unless the house builder or owners modified the external cooler.
4. Use of Motorcraft Mercon SP XT-6-QSP oil is highly recommended. Substitute at your own risk.
5. There is no torque converter drain. As such the only way to drain it is removal.
6. There are two filters with the F53 configuration. Internal to the transmission and a external mounted on the passenger side frame in the line to the cooler.
7. The transmission has a thermostat just like the engine cooling system. The thermostat opens around 160 degrees so if you decide on a flush it must be a HOT flush.
I do a driveway drain and fill. Of the 19 quart capacity I have only been able to get 12 out using compressed air to blow out the cooler. Considering the 7 quarts I could not remove is mixing with the new I reduced the interval to 20K miles. I also send a sample out for analysis of potential problems. So far at 56K miles all is good.
The most difficult part of a drain & fill is pouring 12 quarts of oil down the small dip stick pipe. One of these days I'll get a pump.
* This post was edited 02/14/17 07:15pm by Dale.Traveling *
2006 Hurricane 31D built on a 2006 Ford F53
Dale.Traveling wrote:
The most difficult part of a drain & fill is pouring 12 quarts of oil down the small dip stick pipe. One of these days I'll get a pump.
The most difficult part of a drain & fill is pouring 12 quarts of oil down the small dip stick pipe. One of these days I'll get a pump.
Based on my 4R100, I would agree that this is an annoyance. Trying to suss out the level using the dipstick after pouring a few gallons down the long little tube is also rather a difficulty.
2019 Horizon 42Q Maxum Chassis w/tag
Cummins L-9 450 HP / Allison 3000
2006 Jeep TJ and 2011 Chevy Traverse Tows
DrewE wrote:
Based on my 4R100, I would agree that this is an annoyance. Trying to suss out the level using the dipstick after pouring a few gallons down the long little tube is also rather a difficulty.
I've got a 5 gallon bucket I marked for quarts and refill the same amount I drain. Only works if the level is correct before you drain.
Based on my 4R100, I would agree that this is an annoyance. Trying to suss out the level using the dipstick after pouring a few gallons down the long little tube is also rather a difficulty.
Dale.Traveling wrote:
DrewE wrote:
Based on my 4R100, I would agree that this is an annoyance. Trying to suss out the level using the dipstick after pouring a few gallons down the long little tube is also rather a difficulty.
I've got a 5 gallon bucket I marked for quarts and refill the same amount I drain. Only works if the level is correct before you drain.Based on my 4R100, I would agree that this is an annoyance. Trying to suss out the level using the dipstick after pouring a few gallons down the long little tube is also rather a difficulty.
That's basically what I ended up doing, though I poured the old fluid into old five-quart oil jugs (which are marked off on the sides). I know I got it pretty close to what it was, but it was still slightly worrying to me as the owner's manual has all sorts of dire warnings about transmission death if the fluid level isn't perfect. I guess it must be about close enough because I drove from Vermont to Washington, DC and back without incident afterwards.
Pirate wrote:
Thought it called for Mercon LV.
I'm going to have to fall on my sword on this one. Had to review multiple years of owner's guides to figure this one out. Model year 2006 when the 5 speed first hit the F53 chassis it was SP. For model year 2008 Ford switched to LV. The OP's 2011 is LV and the last model year 2015 was LV. With the 6R140 it's still LV.Thought it called for Mercon LV.
If you need to verify what your transmission requires, and all the other needs regarding proper care and feeding, best go by the owner's manual for your chassis model year. Electronic copies can be found HERE.
Dale.Traveling wrote:
The most difficult part of a drain & fill is pouring 12 quarts of oil down the small dip stick pipe. One of these days I'll get a pump.
The most difficult part of a drain & fill is pouring 12 quarts of oil down the small dip stick pipe. One of these days I'll get a pump.
You guys are a bunch of wooses
![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/wink.gif "wink")
The dipstick an fill tube on my Sprinter based motorhome is so small I use a funnel and have to dribble the fluid in using a small cup and it takes me about two hours to fill the 11 quarts or so it holds (I have a deep aluminum pan that holds about 2½ additional quarts over a standard sprinter.
It seems that no matter what language they speak, mechanical engineers are a bunch of stupid people when it comes to simple things like the size of a FILLER tube.
I am a big fan of the dump and refill frequently camp. I have a Pontiac Vibe (Toyota Matrix in GM clothes) and the transmissions in Toyotas do not have filters, just screens, so I dump and refill the tranny every 10K mile engine oil change. At 160+K the transmission fluid looks like new.
Charles
'03 Ram 2500 CTD, 5.9HO six speed, PacBrake Exh Brake, std cab, long bed, Leer top and 2008 Bigfoot 25B21RB.. previously (both gone) 2008 Thor/Dutchman Freedom Spirit 180 & 2007 Winnebago View 23H Motorhome.
Dale.Traveling wrote:
If you need to verify what your transmission requires, and all the other needs regarding proper care and feeding, best go by the owner's manual for your chassis model year. Electronic copies can be found HERE.
Dale not wanting to call you out or belittle your knowledge here. Anyone searching for Ford Mercon LV vs SP will find a myriad of confusing Ford guides as to which fluid to use. I spent hours the other night trying to figure it all out again just to make sure I wasn't out of date. From my understanding for my year, 2006, Mercon LV is perfectly fine and prescribed however can be substitued for SP. Anyway, Ford caused this confusion and not the owners. Bottom line, I use LV in mine and will continue to use that but I would caution every owner to spend some time and research exactly which fluid to use as Ford confused many people.
Pirate wrote:
Thought it called for Mercon LV.
I'm going to have to fall on my sword on this one. Had to review multiple years of owner's guides to figure this one out. Model year 2006 when the 5 speed first hit the F53 chassis it was SP. For model year 2008 Ford switched to LV. The OP's 2011 is LV and the last model year 2015 was LV. With the 6R140 it's still LV.Thought it called for Mercon LV.
If you need to verify what your transmission requires, and all the other needs regarding proper care and feeding, best go by the owner's manual for your chassis model year. Electronic copies can be found HERE.
Pirate wrote:
Dale not wanting to call you out or belittle your knowledge here,,,
Not to worry. Getting transmission fluid wrong can be an expensive error. I won't make the mistake a second time when someone asks and only because of your post with a simple question.
Dale not wanting to call you out or belittle your knowledge here,,,
One poster is a retired Ford transmission engineer.