[Dunrollin]

As you may know member @Saathoff05 just lost his transmission and the repair may cost around $7K! First thing he found out was the transmission was 2 quarts low. We don't know if this was the cause of the loss but it sure did not help. Other F150 sites on the internet have discussed owners finding the factory fill was disturbingly too low.

Checking the fluid is something any of us can easily do. I just did it in less than 30 minutes and most of that was fumbling around looking for the right size wrenches and sockets. Ford Tech Makuloco has a great video on this transmission and he notes the fluid can be checked COLD!

TOOLS: A 19mm open end will take off the dipstick cover. You will also need a 8mm and an 11mm socket to remove the felt cover under the transmission. HINT: I just removed 3 fastners and pulled one corner of the cover down and was good to go. Also note the 19mm dipstick cover was on very tight, took a lot of muscle to get it off.

Here are the three dipsticks used in our transmissions:

Mine was the first one, A and B. The fluid running and cold was just below the "B" box. Here it is just out and before starting. Fluid smelled fine and is still red.

My truck is a 2018 with 19,000 miles.

Here is the process as described by Ford Tech Makuloco. The video should start at 39 minutes in as the rest is a full service, not just a fluid check.

Ford Tech Makuloco

Let me know if you find any mistakes in this or other issues. File this under cheap insurance!

 

[jmperlik]

@Dunrollin - great relevant DIYer thread given @Saathoff05's current 10R80 situation.

Thanks for this proactive thread including pics and links = very thorough and informative as everything you might need is contained within this single DIY post.

 

[FUGAZI]

Thanks for sharing this. Going to check the dipstick ASAP

 

[Dijit]

As you may know member @Saathoff05 just lost his transmission and the repair may cost around $7K! First thing he found out was the transmission was 2 quarts low. We don't know if this was the cause of the loss but it sure did not help. Other F150 sites on the internet have discussed owners finding the factory fill was disturbingly too low.

Checking the fluid is something any of us can easily do. I just did it in less than 30 minutes and most of that was fumbling around looking for the right size wrenches and sockets. Ford Tech Makuloco has a great video on this transmission and he notes the fluid can be checked COLD!

View attachment 2222

TOOLS: A 19mm open end will take off the dipstick cover. You will also need a 8mm and an 11mm socket to remove the felt cover under the transmission. HINT: I just removed 3 fastners and pulled one corner of the cover down and was good to go. Also note the 19mm dipstick cover was on very tight, took a lot of muscle to get it off.

View attachment 2219

Here are the three dipsticks used in our transmissions:

View attachment 2220

Mine was the first one, A and B. The fluid running and cold was just below the "B" box. Here it is just out and before starting. Fluid smelled fine and is still red.

View attachment 2221

My truck is a 2018 with 19,000 miles.

Here is the process as described by Ford Tech Makuloco. The video should start at 39 minutes in as the rest is a full service, not just a fluid check.

Ford Tech Makuloco

Let me know if you find any mistakes in this or other issues. File this under cheap insurance!

 

[Dijit]

Thanks for this discussion. I’ve got a 2018 with 38,800 miles. I was changing the fuel filters and thought I‘d check since I was in the area. Felt silly and after pulling the dipstick, NADA. No red AT ALL. Kinda pissed right now.

 

[Dijit]

I just put in my Mercon ULV once I got it via CARID. 3/4 of a quart. After warming it up it was was about 1/8” on the dipstick (or whatever you call that little thing). I used a yard sprayer with the end cut off to fill it ($7.50 at walmart). That Mercon ULV has the consistency of water. I had the first dip stick depicted in the original post.

 

[Dunrollin]

That is the same “dipstick” I have.

 

[FUGAZI]

Sooo since this thread went live (not blaming anyone) my truck has started to shift very rough betwen 4 to 5 and down shifting 10-8. Sometimes it sounds like the rear diff clicking, others the transmission clunking...anyone have similar experience? Every week it is getting more and more severe...
Only have 1500 miles of limited warranty left, so she is going to the dealer tomorrow....hoping it’s just low on fluid 🤞🏻

 

[apezz]

I tried this cold trans fluid level check. When I did my 'A' 'B' style dipstick didn't even touch the fluid. So I drove the truck and was able to get my trans fluid temperature up to 190 degrees. At that temp I checked the level and was just at the low end of the 'B' hash mark. So I believe if the trans fluid temp was at the correct operating temperature of 206 -115 degrees I would be right in the sweet spot.