tranny fluid change
 

3 weeks ago i bought '07 mountaineer, 4.0L ,awd, had 23k miles. took out extended warranty as original runs out end of june. finally caught up to the paperwork. was looking through maintence schedule and couldn't find a mileage for replacing tranny fluid, usually should be 50 to 70k on other vehicles i;ve had. called the dealer where i bought the merc. and he said manufacturer says 30k. i told him that seemed pretty soon, he said no, that' what the manuf.. specs are. .i said it didn't say what mileage in the owners manual, just every oil change to check fluid. 30k he repeated.
i called another dealer and was told the same thing. 30k. i asked how much for this, he said 137.00
well, i finally got on the ford website and found a full maintenace list up to 150k. ford recommends a tranny fluid change, first time at 115k miles. so, the point is, to maintain according to manufacurers recommendation,NOT THE DEALERS RECOMMENDATION. big difference. also, ford recommends oil change every 5000 miles, normal driving. dealer says 3000 miles. money in their pocket and not the owners.
if you have a warranty, go by the maker, not the dealer.
regards

I suggest the oil change every 3000 if you're using regular oil and 5000 if using synthetic. Transmission fluid should be checked every 30K and changed every 60-100k just to change out the filter. A total trans flush should only be done if the fluid has become a tan/brown/black color and then the transmission should be serviced further anyhow to see what has failed. At least that's what I would recommend.

slymer
 

appreciate your input. sounds realistic what you say about keeping eye on color of tranny fluid, when tan to replace, are you aware that 07 mountaineer has no dipstick for me to check color. i guess i trust a mechanic at a dealer as far as i can throw him, no offense against the mechanic, he's just doing as instructed by the service manager. i can understand the filter change at 30k, but 137.00 sounds pretty exorbitant.
also, i guess i would disagree about oil changes, as motors are getting very efficient and pretty hard to find a manufacturer that does not recommend 5k between changes. if the recommendation to keep warranty valid is 5k, why pay for more frequent changes. just my opinion, synthetic or not.
regards

because the manufacturers want you to "drive new every two" or to get a new car every two years. The newer cars are using synthetic blend or pure synthetic oils for their engines out of the factory which is why they say 5000 miles (and I agree with that if you're using the synthetics because they don't break down as quickly), but regular oil breaks down faster and should be changed more frequently (like every 3000 miles). You should also change it more frequently than even that if you live in a very dusty environment or the vehicle is used for lots of towing or fully loaded people hauling (check the load limits on the vehicle and if you're always loading it to about 65-80% of that or more, change the oil more often). I do find it hard to believe that trans doesn't have a dipstick or visual reservoir to check. Sometimes the dipstick can be a bugger ti find because it's hidden behind something else. I know the one on my MGM with the 5.0 has it hidden behind some vacuum lines kinda towards the back of the passenger side. the handle is black so it blends into the shadows.

well slymer
 

i guess i can agree with what you're saying about oil changes, but if you've got a warranty and you go by the man. recommends. well.
anyway, my friend, there is no dipstick or any sight gauge of any kind. in the owners manual, it says there is no dipstick and it has to be checked at the dealer. i know, i know, it's hard to fathom, but there is no dipstick. any of you other mountaineer owners wish to comment on the tranny dipstick not being present
regards

ok slymer
 

that makes sense. back to the tranny dipstick. the owners manual says that there is no dipstick. the manual says, quote, the auto tranny does not have an underhood tranny fluid dipstick. your transmission does not consume fluid, however, the fluid level should be checked if the transmission is not working properly.i.e. if the transmission slips or shifts slowly, or if you notice some sign of fluid leakage. strange, wouldn't you say. doesn't say how i would check the fluid level, only that it should be checked by the dealer, every time oil is changed. the manual continues to say that vehicles equipped with torqshift transmission should change fluid every 30k mi. slymer, how can i tell if i have a torqshift tranny, doesn't tell me what i have. i've got a 4.0l motor w/ auto transmission.
thanx

slymer
 

i went online and googled torqshift transmission. turns out that is for the powerstroke f250's. so i would guess that the 30k miles doesn;t apply, wouldn't you?
sorry for being a pain.

Looks like your ride is a dealer's service department's dream. Probably the level check is to pull the fill plug off the trans and stick a finger in to see if the level is up to it or not. Check the condition of the fluid and top it off/full change if needed. Definitely, if it's not giving you any trouble, don't worry about it.

appreciate
 

all members input. guess when the dealer checks, i better be there when the mechanic sticks his finger in there. wonder if any other vehicle has same deal. oh well, you know how engineers figure, has to be a way to reinvent the wheel. thanks all
chowhound