TRANNY
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Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: Miscellaneous / Off-topic
Forum Discription: Pull a chair up to the campfire and chat. No religious, political or weapons talk, please.
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7492
Printed Date: 27 Apr 2024 at 1:59am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.64 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: TRANNY
Posted By: hogone
Subject: TRANNY
Date Posted: 27 Feb 2016 at 7:46am
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good morning podders. tranny question. do you all change your tranny fluid? not having any issues, just curious. i have 77,000 on the ford. havent even looked to see if pan needs dropping or if there is just a plug. if so, would one consider just changing fluid and not filter? again, i havent even looked into whether filter is in a pan or an oil type filter. honestly, havent even looked at fluid on dipstick!! i guess just bored this morning so throwing out a discussion. hogone
------------- Jon & Pam 2013 RP177 2010 F150 2017 HD Streetglide 2009 HD Lowrider CHEESEHEAD |
Replies:
Posted By: Leo B
Date Posted: 27 Feb 2016 at 8:03am
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We change and flush ours every 40-45 thousand. So far so good. ------------- Leo & Melissa Bachand 2017 Ford F150 2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk Previously owned 2015 Rpod 179 2010 Rpod 171 |
Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 27 Feb 2016 at 8:12am
Seems like most owner's manuals do recommend periodic replacement of automatic transmission fluid, maybe 35K miles or so. Historically I've pretty much ignored that, but towing changed that. Heat is the enemy of transmission fluid. It's a time-temperature product issue so the longer the fluid stays hot the more it degrades. Towing causes fluid heating and should be monitored. Just watch what happens when you tow up a long hill. So now I watch transmission fluid temp and change when I've punished it. Some, but not all transmissions have a filter somewhere. It varies. Different draining mechanisms, including none, which require pumping. Check with your local oil changing shop. Replacing a transmission will really ruin your day.  ------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: hogone
Date Posted: 27 Feb 2016 at 8:39am
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ya, im a freak watching my tranny gage when towing. it never even gets half way whether towing or not and under all conditions(have tranny cooler obviously). not sure how accurate the tranny temp gage is; hopefully fairly accurate. my last ford had 268,000 on it when basically it fell apart due to deterioration and rusting(everything started breaking), nothing wrong with motor or tranny. never changed the tranny fluid in it. off subject, got 9 inches of snow the other day; st louis only got 3!!! i was hoping for 30!! not much happening today so will be looking into fluid change. hogone
------------- Jon & Pam 2013 RP177 2010 F150 2017 HD Streetglide 2009 HD Lowrider CHEESEHEAD |
Posted By: Craneman
Date Posted: 27 Feb 2016 at 10:21am
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My 2011 with 100 k miles ford says service auto tranny at 150k have 3.5 v/6 turbo boost. Just had the 100k maintenance done and it coste 600.00 that was a shocker Moe ------------- Jo and Gary, 2010-174,2011 F150 
Jo and Gary 2010 174 2011 Ford 150 |
Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 27 Feb 2016 at 11:28am
$600? What did they do? Remove and replace tranny?? Remove and replace engine?? Remove and delete wallet?? ------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: Leo B
Date Posted: 27 Feb 2016 at 12:23pm
------------- Leo & Melissa Bachand 2017 Ford F150 2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk Previously owned 2015 Rpod 179 2010 Rpod 171 |
Posted By: Outbound
Date Posted: 27 Feb 2016 at 5:35pm
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While towing, my transmission fluid generally runs about 210-220 degrees, occasionally hitting 230 on long, steep inclines. This makes me a bit uncomfortable, so I have my transmission fluid changed every spring. Full synthetic. The transmission fluid (+filter) change, along with a synth oil change, and tire rotation runs me about $200 from my local mechanic. ------------- Craig :: 2009 RP171 towed by a 2017 F150 |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 27 Feb 2016 at 7:25pm
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Our 2004 eX had NO tranny service interval. We sold it at 150K, the people who bought it put another 25K on it and sold it and their pod as a package deal last year, the truck is still shifting and running fine.
------------- |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 27 Feb 2016 at 8:52pm
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The first long summer trip with our Suburban I didn't have an extra tranny cooler and the tranny would climb to 235 F on the long climbs up the Rockies. Discovered later the fluid was darker than it should be, although it didn't have the "burned popcorn" smell. I had it changed and I added a cooler. Stayed much cooler for the next summer's trip and retained the proper color. I will change it before this summer's trip. Check the color and smell and change it regularly. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual 
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Posted By: ToolmanJohn
Date Posted: 27 Feb 2016 at 9:10pm
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I am bothered by "Lifetime Fill" transmission fluids that some automakers are now going to. My vehicle has NO engine oil dipstick (but it does have an electronic one on the media display) and it has NO transmission dipstick and NO transmission fill tube either. Lifetime??? Not so sure about the wisdom of never changing or checking the tranny fluid if it's being used to tow. I intend to do the tranny fluid change at 60,000 miles (currently at 42K+) but I have to disconnect some hoses at the radiator to get most of the fluid out. Not looking forward to that one. Most dealerships will just drain the pan, and add fluid back in until it reads full, leaving a lot of old fluid inside the torque converter. That ain't right. ------------- 2017 ATC 7X20 Custom Toy Hauler 2013 R-Pod 177 (SOLD) 2013 VW Touareg TDI |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 27 Feb 2016 at 9:28pm
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The 2016 Ford Escape 2L Ecoboost engine is also one without a transmission dipstick. It still has an engine oil dipstick. In order to check the transmission oil level/quality, I will have to take it in as the manual does not even say where to check.
------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: ToolmanJohn
Date Posted: 27 Feb 2016 at 9:48pm
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There is usually a fill hole in the side of the transmission. When that plug is removed fluid is added until it comes out, then the fill plug is replaced. This is how it is on my VW. I want to drop the pan and check the magnets when changing fluid, as I did on my former 4Runner. If the pan is dropped, it means installing a new gasket and sometimes a filter (usually there is a metal pickup screen, but no filter element). Time consuming and messy when you don't have a lift and are working on your back on a creeper. ------------- 2017 ATC 7X20 Custom Toy Hauler 2013 R-Pod 177 (SOLD) 2013 VW Touareg TDI |
Posted By: Craneman
Date Posted: 27 Feb 2016 at 11:06pm
------------- Jo and Gary, 2010-174,2011 F150
Jo and Gary 2010 174 2011 Ford 150 |
Posted By: J&Jcf
Date Posted: 28 Feb 2016 at 5:16pm
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There are two ways to change the fluid. One is to drop the pan & the other is fluid exchange. Pan drop partially changes fluid as a third of fluid remains in torque converter, if you change every 50k not a real problem. Pan drop usually under $100. If filter present they change it. The other way is to hookup exchange machine and it switches out all fluid. Usually about $150. If you drop the pan uself don't over tighten bolts during reinstalled
Or you will crush gasket and cause a pan leak.l don't think your f150 has a filter. ------------- J. - 2011 rpod 171 |
Posted By: Keith-N-Dar
Date Posted: 28 Feb 2016 at 6:12pm
my 2010 does. Change fluid and filter at 50K. Will be time again this fall after the camping season. ------------- Keith-N-Dar Boris & Betty (Boston Terriers) 2011 R-Pod 177 2010 Ford F-150 |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 28 Feb 2016 at 7:46pm
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With our Dodge Caravans I did it myself, not a difficult job, took a bit over an hour. I would do it at 50,000 miles. Sold our 90 caravan with 260,000 and our 97 caravan with 218,000 miles. Great vehicles and the 3.3 L seemed to be bulletproof, like the old 318's that Mopar produced in the 60's. Now I get to our 08 Explorer and I have to have someone else do it, I don't have the ability or tools to do it myself, bummer and yes, just like the VW and Escape, they don't want you to work on your car anymore. Last week however I stopped and spoke with a fellow from Pennsylvania driving a 55 Desoto with a 390 Hemi, the hood was up. He had the distributor cap off, and was using some 300 grit sandpaper to smooth the contacts. That took care of the problem and off he went. Remember those days when all you really needed was a extra set of plugs, points, condensor, spare distributor cap, a few tools, and you didn't have to take it in to get repaired. ------------- God's pod '11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." |
Posted By: hogone
Date Posted: 29 Feb 2016 at 8:41am
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probably hogones goofiest question yet! my f150 has a tranny gage, but doesn't show actual temp; just range. how accurate (or inaccurate) would it be to get the tranny good and hot, then shoot my temp gun on the pan? oh my; hogone ------------- Jon & Pam 2013 RP177 2010 F150 2017 HD Streetglide 2009 HD Lowrider CHEESEHEAD |
Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 29 Feb 2016 at 9:28am
I don't think I'd trust that measurement. Too many unknowns in series. I'd recommend a ScanGuage. You can get a much better indication of trends as you drive. You want to have some idea of how hot and how long to determine fluid changes. A cheaper alternative would be any of the OBD II plugin devices for iPhone or Android. Just less convenient. My Tacoma and Pilot both have transmission idiot lights that have never come on, but I cannot find any documentation on the set temperatures. Even the dealership "trained and certified" techs could not find it. My impression is when the lights come on you're already toast! Who knows what your panel meter shows. ------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: Craneman
Date Posted: 29 Feb 2016 at 10:56am
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My 2011 has a digital read out for trans temp. F150 ------------- Jo and Gary, 2010-174,2011 F150
Jo and Gary 2010 174 2011 Ford 150 |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 29 Feb 2016 at 4:48pm
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I use the app "Torque" on my android, works great. Bluetooth dongle in OBD port. Have a profile for both trucks and the GTi.. will show/display anything the vehicle tracks or monitors, in real time. I bought some nice "phone mounts" and just pop my phone in that. ------------- |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 29 Feb 2016 at 5:15pm
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I learned something today. I just ordered a BAFX 34t5 OBDII Scan Tool. Once it arrives, I will download the "Torque" app. I will use my phone, but may also use our Galaxy Note 10.1 for this purpose.
------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 02 Mar 2016 at 7:03pm
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I use an Aeroforce Interceptor. Not cheap but I like the small package, and no fiddling with codes. As for making the truck work better I now swear by the Diablosport inTune i2. I see mpg improvement using its economy tune (for commuting) but w/o any loss of throttle response, and a huge power improvement using its 93 octane tune when I tow. Even my wife noticed the difference when she drove it after I unhooked the camper. I had a Superchips Fastpaq and hated it. No mpg improvement and it felt like a lead weight with the econo tune, and it shifted terribly with the power tune. I even think it was responsible for breaking a motor mount. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
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Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 02 Mar 2016 at 11:46pm
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Oh well, I tried. I purchased a BAFX OBDII Bluetooth Adapter for Android. I downloaded Torque Lite and tested. It did not show a listing for transmission temperature, but said the full app had more things available. Since the lite app worked, I went ahead and purchased the Torque Pro version. Unfortunately, the two transmission temperature options (method 1 and method 2) are not green, meaning no reading is available. Now I spent money on this device and the app and still can't find out the transmission temperature.  This is not a problem with the device or Torque, but with Ford not having this reading available for my 2016 Escape SE, even though it has the factory towing package with transmission cooler. I would think that this would be one reading available with this setup.On the bright side, it looks like there are other items I can read which will be useful. Hopefully, some of the items available will help me get better performance for towing.  ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: ToolmanJohn
Date Posted: 03 Mar 2016 at 6:34am
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StephenH, that's really strange that the tranny temp is not a data stream on the the Ford. Usually, when there is a sensor , it can be seen by OBD and reports it so service techs can see what's going on.. You should bounce over to a Ford owners forum and see what other Escape owners have done. You may find it's been solved. It might also be the bluetooth OBD adapter you purchased. I bought a really cheap one at first and it was wonky, connect/not connect fail transmitting. I bought a recommended adapter OBDLink LX Bluetooth for ANdroid, and I have had no problems with it using torque. It shows way more info than I need. ------------- 2017 ATC 7X20 Custom Toy Hauler 2013 R-Pod 177 (SOLD) 2013 VW Touareg TDI |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 03 Mar 2016 at 9:55am
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Torque has a placeholder for tranny temp. It has placeholders for some other parameters that also have no data. However, I do not fault either Torque or the BAFX OBDII device. The BAFX person who replied to my inquiry on Amazon said that it would report what data was available. I would have to check with Ford to see what is up with this. The adapter is working great otherwise. I do not see any problems with it connecting, and there does not seem to be much if any lag in the speed of it reporting. I checked several devices and their reviews before purchasing this one. It had overall high ratings, much better than some of the other ones. I'm just glad I didn't spend $100 or more on it only to find that I could not get the one piece of data I wanted. Edit: It works! It turns out that the PID in Torque was not the correct one for the transmission temperature on the Escape. Plug in the correct PID, and now I can get the temperature reading just fine.  ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 03 Mar 2016 at 8:38pm
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Glad you got it to work. I found the same thing before I got to your last post and was going to let you know there was hope. Other things to keep an eye on while towing are misfires, transmission slip rpm, oil temperature, and oil pressure (if there isn't an accurate gauge on the dash). ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
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Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 03 Mar 2016 at 9:35pm
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Thanks. I do have a tachometer, I'll have to add the rest.
------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 03 Mar 2016 at 10:01pm
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They have a boost gauge too.. that was the main reason I bought it.. for the GTi.. ------------- |
Posted By: ToolmanJohn
Date Posted: 04 Mar 2016 at 6:21am
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Yes, seeing the turbocharger boost is interesting. When driving at normal highway speeds, and boost pressure is near zero (under 1600 rpm engine speed), but when towing, boost is always at 10-15 psi at 65mph, and up hills it ramps up to 25psi when the tranny downshifts to 7th and 6th. More boost, more fuel... ------------- 2017 ATC 7X20 Custom Toy Hauler 2013 R-Pod 177 (SOLD) 2013 VW Touareg TDI |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 04 Mar 2016 at 8:50am
No.. MORE BOOST, MORE POWER!!!  ------------- |
Posted By: Podster
Date Posted: 04 Mar 2016 at 2:25pm
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I change my tranny fluid every year. Easy job, I just disconnect the feeder line to the cooler and start the truck and let it pump while I fill. Takes about 10 minutes. ------------- Cliff & Raelynn Ranger 4.0/178 (1/2 ton 5,800lb tow capacity) |
Posted By: CampCat
Date Posted: 13 Mar 2016 at 3:36am
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I've been watching YouTube. A lot of people use a 12v pump to charge the tranny fluid in from the fresh jug. Then the return line fills the other jug. Is that the way you do it? Or can the tranny draw and evacuate all on its own?
------------- Patrick&Deanna, Scion xB, Clark Vertex Hammock "PuppypPod", crosswind kayak Starting from scratch😄 |
Posted By: ToolmanJohn
Date Posted: 13 Mar 2016 at 7:29am
Yeah that too!! It's crazy to think that to increase power, just increasing air through boost and simply injecting more fuel, it will make more power, until eventual failure. Diesel won't pre-detonate like gasoline, so the power is essentially unlimited until the engine melts or explodes!! I see my EGT (exhaust gas temperature) exceed 2000°F on long pulls. Not harmful because I don't run a tune. ------------- 2017 ATC 7X20 Custom Toy Hauler 2013 R-Pod 177 (SOLD) 2013 VW Touareg TDI |