I have figured out that the shake which I originally thought was a U-joint is the torque converter. I guess that it can be fixed by changing the transmission fluid to the newer mercon v fluid. that **** is expensive...would cost me $100 in fluid! so i found this product made by lubegard, which is an additive to the mercon fluid that my transmission calls for, which makes the mercon fluid a mercon v type atf.

so, I really dont know if the previous owner of the car changed the atf fluid and i dont think they did. so should i change it and add the lubegard? or should i take it in and get it flushed?

O and i was doing some searching and i came accross a post about the same exact problem and this guy said..."So to fix your problem do this. If you haven't had your tranny serviced then I would completely drain it and put a new filter and all in. If it's been more than 50,000 miles since it's been serviced then don't change your fluid. This will cause your tranny to go out prematurely."

2nd post-
http://www.allfordmustangs.com/forum...blem-aode.html

i obviously dont want that to happen, and i just passed 50,000.

so either way what im sayin is, i need this mercon v fluid, whether it be the fluid or with the additive, how should i go about doing it?

 

IMO telling you not to change the tranny fluid over 50k is like tellin' you to not change ur oil after 3k. i'd take it to the shop and have them do a full service on it, fluid, filters, etc. but that's just me.

 

Get the tranny completely flushed out. Don't bother with additives.

 

Only use the fluid that is recommended for your tranny if it isn't mercron v don't use it. Using the incorrect fluid is very very bad, trust me on this. And its not an upgrade. im not a fan of flushes on older cars but thats up to you. And i hope people aren't still chaning oil at 3k intervals.

 

this was a tsb from ford to put this fluid in.

 

What do you guys think about changing the tranny fluid on a 1999 Ford F150 4.6 with 83,000 miles? Would I be better off not changing it or changing it right now before it gets any more miles. To the best of my knowledge the previous owner never changed the fluid.

 

It never hurts to change the fluid. Worst that could happen is that you find out that the fluid is still fesh.

 

sometimes new fluid with all the fresh clean detergent package intact will cause sever transmission issues within a short time of changing it on tranny's that have not had the fluid changed in an excessively long time. This is not common on transmissions and requires that there had been some significant abuse such as prolonged towing/hauling or a heavy right foot.

You see that sort of problem a lot more on the engine oil side as the sludge that used to hold oil in gets cleaned and the car develops a massive oil leak.

If you suspect your tranny needs service then have it serviced. 500 bucks to replace all the clutches and bands is a small price to pay for knowing you'll make it home.

 

thats the truck i had , drop the pan and remove the bolt the convector as well and you can dump almost all the fluid out. On cars with miles on them i would never do a flush for the reason red said. There is no drain hole in te pan so its gonna be a bit sloppy but pretty easy to do.

 

Ok thanks guys. I know for a fact that the truck has barely ever towed a trailer. Probably only 2 or 3 times at the most and it was only a short distance and it's been babied. No lead foot drivers. I've never changed fluid but I've heard it's not hard, just messy. I would feel better having changed it. So basically you are saying just change the fluid out with some fresh stuff and dont flush it. That sounds like a pretty easy saturday afternoon project. If it's gonna be a huge mess though I'll probably just have it done.

 

yes its easy just unbolt the pan, let one bolt in the front one in back and take out the back loosen the front and it will drop the fluide out the back of the pan. There is no drain bolt so there will still be alot of fluide left even after you do this. Then on the bellhousinbg there is a rubber plug. Pull it out and turn the crank or have someone hit the starter till you see the bolt on the bottom of the convertor take it out and it drains the convertor. You get like 10quarts out this way i belive. that show i always did my f150.