To paraphrase The Beatles, the Taurus is getting better all the time. With fresh oil, transmission fluid, and filters, the Vulcan V6 has new blood running through its veins. And with four new struts it can now be driven much longer distances with confidence.
Plus, those weren’t the only maintenance issues addressed recently. But everything that’s been done has culminated in Miss Cougar (the Taurus formerly known as Raging Bull) running stronger than she has been for quite some time.
Like my previous experience working on the Taurus, the weather partially dictated when I decided to embark on this latest quest. New York hasn’t received much rain lately. No water means lawn mowing and weed trimming have become, at most, bi-weekly events. Which made June 27 the perfect day to replace some fluids.
First up was the oil change.
Thankfully, draining and replacing the oil and filter took maybe a half hour, at best. It was far less messy than I expected and I didn’t mind doing it at all. In fact, if the Focus needed an oil change right now I probably would have done it too.
I had also planned on replacing the oil level sensor because my mechanic said the Taurus needed a new one back in February. I’m not sure why he thought it needed to be replaced because right now everything seems to be fine and Miss Cougar is not telling me she needs oil even when that is not the case so for now I’ll just hang on to it. At $77, it was an expensive purchase, but I figure I might need it someday, so it won’t be returned.
I put some old oil into a cup to see how dark the old stuff was. Replacement wasn’t crucial but definitely a good idea.
With a successful oil change out of the way I tackled everything related to draining and replacing the transmission fluid and filter.
With no drain plug and 17 bolts to hold it in, draining and taking off the pan was no walk in the park. The confidence that built up after the oil change quickly evaporated. This was the start of a time consuming process that lasted pretty much the rest of the day. Loosening the bolts and tilting the pan in a way that minimized spills required careful planning and a slow, steady pace.
I somehow managed to spill a trivial amount of transmission fluid dropping the pan, which was a minor miracle. But I forgot about the fluid in the filter. That resulted in a decent amount of fluid being released all down my arm and back as I immediately turned away from the warm fluid bearing down on me. Some also made its way onto the cardboard and spill pad on the floor. This is an important detail for later.
Now came the task of getting out all the stuff needed to replace the fluid and filter. We initially thought I had ordered the wrong one but ATP included a handy little sheet that stated it was simply a redesigned filter. Interestingly enough, the new design seems to have been made for the AX4S transmission, which was the updated AXOD-E that Ford installed in the Taurus and other vehicles from 1993-2003. But the sheet said it was compatible with the AXOD from 1986 so we breathed a sigh of relief. I would have taken a picture of the paper but it got covered in fluids somehow and became unreadable.
With the pan out and the filter situation resolved, the next step was to clean up the extremely dirty pan. One lesson learned from this experience is that one should always have a decent amount of brake cleaner available when doing these types of jobs.
Both sides needed to be cleaned and I was pretty thorough when getting all types of dirt and old gasket off of the pan. These pics aren’t the finished product. I took a break while cleaning and decided to get some photos for posterity.
I also made sure to clean any gasket material off the area the pan is affixed to as well. Fortunately, there wasn’t much there. Cleaning all this stuff took quite a while and really zapped my energy. I was very happy once we were ready to put everything back together. One thing that was conspicuously absent was any type of magnet to catch any metal shavings.
The new filter fit perfectly into its connection with the provided bracket. Putting that in was a cakewalk compared to the effort required to properly torque all 17 bolts in a pattern that would ensure the gasket would stay sealed. Not only did my muscles ache from having to contort myself to get the bolts and wrench in position, I also rested my back and head right onto the pool of transmission fluid that spilled out of the filter earlier in the day. That doomed the shirt I was wearing to the trash bin (not a big loss because it was already a “work shirt”) and required me to use lots of shampoo on the back of my head for about twenty minutes in the shower in order to get all the fluid out.
But the outcome made the whole thing worth it. At 47k miles, it’s entirely possible that the Taurus has never had its transmission fluid replaced. Miss Cougar clearly needed it. She took about 6.5 quarts total. That’s about half the capacity for the Taurus, as the car requires 13.3 quarts total.
And I recently checked the fluid condition on the dipstick. The old fluid would have looked brown, so this was an encouraging sight. I have also properly checked the level since the replacement and everything looks good. That being said, I’m not sure I would do it again. The process took way longer than anticipated and I got covered in fluid, which obviously wasn’t great. In the future I may end up just getting it professionally done, provided they don’t do a flush.
My fluid mishap forced me to do some other cleaning as well. On the June 29 I went into the Taurus for a reason I can’t remember and quickly realized that the driver’s seat had transmission fluid on it. I had driven the Taurus around in my soiled state to make sure the car was fine but must have not realized how much fluid had soaked into my head and back.
Once I realized what had happened I immediately set out to clean the seat. And I didn’t just clean the driver’s seat. I did all the leather inside the car. Curbside Classic’s 2020 MVP Bill Gardner recommended Lexol several months ago and I fortunately ordered some based on that advice. It worked extremely well. You can see several white stains on the previous picture. I didn’t think those would come out but the cleaner took them right off. Thanks Bill! This stuff is great.
You can sort of see the difference between driver’s armrest, which at that point had been cleaned, and the passenger side armrest, which had not. Basically, every leather surface had a thin layer of dirt on it and I never really liked sitting inside the car until I cleaned it. I still need to go over everything again to eliminate some caked in stains and to apply the conditioner, but the seats are now pretty damn clean. I am also relieved that the cleaner didn’t wipe out the natural leather smell emitted by the seats. It disappeared for a little while but eventually came back.
The next project involved replacing the struts. I initially decided on replacing them myself but realized having the struts professionally installed was the better option. Besides, my local tire shop said they’d perform another alignment free of charge if I had the struts done there since I had them do one when I bought two new tires for the Taurus back in early March.
So why did I buy these particular struts myself? Three reasons. First, KYB offered a $75 rebate to anyone who purchased a complete set of struts between April 15 and June 30. As you can see from the above screenshot, that basically makes the KYB struts cheaper than the Monroe Quick Struts. Second, the KYB struts seem to be pretty popular at the Taurus Car Club of America. That thread is just one of several where members chimed in to say that they’re the best ones for the Taurus. They were also cheaper than whatever struts the shop would have put on. Previously, they quoted me $440 for the struts. I unfortunately forgot to ask them which struts they’d have gone with. Which brings me to my last reason for getting them: the shop apparently could not order the struts themselves. I have no idea why that was the case. But they said they’d install the struts if I brought them in so I promptly went to Rock Auto and purchased the complete set. With taxes and shipping the total cost for the struts was just under $400.
Surprisingly, the struts arrived at my doorstep exactly 48 hours after they were ordered. Turns out they didn’t have far to travel as they came from a warehouse in Hempstead, New York. After receiving the struts I made an appointment to drop off Miss Cougar for what I assumed would be one day. The Taurus ended up staying for two days as they were busy. Having Fishkill Tire professionally install the struts set me back about $481.
An extra day wasn’t a big deal at all. Although I didn’t exactly want to spend $900 (before rebate) on new struts so soon, I would have had to swallow that pill sooner or later. The old struts were pretty far gone up front and the rear units were clearly way past their prime. They might have been the original struts too.
Besides, it’s hard to argue with results. The car is now a pleasure to drive. Miss Cougar has officially regained her footing. With the new struts ready for action I am now much more likely to take the car out on a regular basis. And I already have to a certain extent. She received her first highway cruise with yours truly at the helm, as you can see in the above video. There’s nothing especially remarkable about the video itself. I just drive Miss Cougar up to 79 mph. At roughly 1:00 in you can hear me laugh because my brain realized how special it is to own a first year Taurus in such good condition. Finally, the Taurus has lived up to the potential it presented when it showed up to my house on that extremely cold night back in February.
Big ticket items aside, there were also some small victories. Fishkill Tire fixed the trunk torsion bars at no cost. The trunk now opens and stays up on its own. A tip of the hat to Jim Klein for his valiant attempt to assist me on that matter. I also replaced the windshield washer pump. That was extremely easy and I didn’t even have to drain the wiper fluid out to do it.
But Miss Cougar still needs a little more TLC. Despite the title of this update, I haven’t replaced every fluid in the car. A power steering drain and fill is in order. I also need to drive the car more because it tends to buck and stutter around 10 mph. My assumption is bad gas but if that isn’t the case I’d like to figure out why Miss Cougar is behaving a bit badly. And speaking of gas, the analog gauge doesn’t work. That’s another reason to drive the car, because it’s being treated with Techron fuel cleaner, which I’m told might fix the issue. The driver’s side door cannot be opened from the inside and the air conditioning is dead. The controls for the digital dash don’t work either. And there’s other things that I have probably forgotten about too.
Regardless, Miss Cougar is a delight to be around and I’m extremely happy she’s able to be regularly driven now. Stay tuned for more Taurus updates!
You have taken very good care of that car. I have a 2015 Malibu that I’m trying to stay on that very same regiment. I do not want another car payment. Cars can last along time, given the proper car. I know that’s not a news bulletin at this site.
Sharp looking car! Should go a long long way yet. Being that we don’t see many of these around anymore make a nice example such a softy yours even more pleasurable to see.
I love this car more & more with every post, you really need to take it to some drive in car shows. I guarantee if you park this in a row of Mustangs & Thunderbirds that it’d draw a bigger crowd.
Hey, at least you got the right transmission filter and didn’t try to install the oil filter in its place instead. I tried that on a young friend’s Saturn (the filters are both round and spin-on, and the transmission filter spins onto the front of the engine; I suspect I wasn’t the first person to try that trick). I wondered why the oil looked so pink.
KYB’s have worked for me for years and through several cars. One thing I have noticed, with the shocks that have the threaded shaft on top, over time the rubber bumpers will compress and you will get unwanted play in the shock. In my current car it sounded like something was loose or broken, and the handling in the rear end was getting sloppy. Re-tightening, or in my case adding some flat washers to take up the slack and re-tightening, brought back that tight new feeling.
Keep us posted, few things are as satisfying as bringing an older vehicle back to its original functioning.
Isn’t it fun revitalizing an old car? It’s looking and sounding great.
Have you looked at your rubber brake lines yet? I just found them on rockauto and they are quite reasonable, like $5 to $8 each. Replacing them will also require bleeding the brakes, so your fluid would be new at the same time.
If you changed the transmission fluid, you can definitely do brake hoses and bleeding.
I actually haven’t looked at anything brake related because they worked well before the struts were replace. And now them seem to grab even better with the new ones installed.
But I had been thinking about bleeding the old fluid out. And now you’ve given me something else to consider. Replacing them would be a proactive thing to do.
At the very least I will look the brake system over. Thanks for the suggestion!
Well done, thank you for the report. I suspect a mechanic has had that transmission pan off before. Virtually all such pans have magnets inside when assembled at the factory. And for some reason, probably sheer laziness, mechanics just throw them away instead of cleaning and reinstalling them.
I keep a small stock of 2 inch round, flat magnets on hand to install. At 1/16 inch thick they fit in any pan and are an excellent replacement for any missing magnets when I service a transmission. Magnets are so handy at holding harmful debris I wouldn’t put a pan back on without one.
If your Taurus is for occasional use, you’re okay without one. But a high mileage daily driver? I’d be tempted to drop the pan again and put one in.
While most Fords since the 80’s came with a magnet in the pan for what ever reason the early AXOD did not. If it came with one from the factory Ford puts a bump in the pan to keep it in position.
They did add it at some point though as you can see it in the picture of the attached pan. Don’t know if it was done when it morphed to AXOD-E or before that.
That’s good to know, thank you. The AXOD’s that I’ve done all had magnets – and were in FWD Lincoln Continentals. I wonder if a magnet was specified for the heavier Continental? Interestingly, I don’t recall seeing a bump for a magnet, but I cannot remember for sure.
It seems quite un-Ford-like to leave a magnet out. Ford spent the money to add a drain plug to all their torque converters for decades (at least all the ones I’ve seen) and magnetic engine oil drain plugs. It seems bizarre to leave out a 25 cent magnet. Probably some bright idea form and engineer wanting to impress the boss, I guess.
Dropping the transmission pan is a major PITA. Some years ago, I made up a vacuum pump and hooked it up to a 5/16″ or 1/4″ dia. plastic tube that is snaked down the dipstick tube.
Works great! I’m sure a cheap alternative is available somewhere out there.
But with dipstick tubes being phased out, it again will become a PITA!
Nice car and good for you and your desire to make it one of the best examples of Ford’s comeback vehicles!
Good idea.
ATF will siphon out, especially when hot.
A shop vac will start the flow.
I use one of these, works like a charm.
https://www.amazon.com/America-5060TS-Topsider-Multi-Purpose-Removing/dp/B001445IZ8?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_1
Doesn’t get the filter changed out though.
No, it just makes dropping the pan a whole lot easier and less messy.
Like Daniel says, once you suck out the fluid, you can get the level low enough so that the pan drop is not messy. Another method is to disconnect one of the cooler lines. Run the car at idle and pump out about 1 or 2 litres (quarts). Stop the car, refill with the quantity you pumped out. Then repeat until you get all clean fluid.
I myself prefer the pan drop method as I rarely have owned vehicle that needs all of its fluid changed. Many newer cars don’t have dipstick tubes anymore, which makes checking the level and filling much more interesting. But even these transmissions are serviceable.
That is how you change out all the fluid. Drop the pan, change the filter, replace pan, then add 6 qts. of DexMerc. Next pull off return line from transmission cooler and cap off. Attach a 3/8″ clear vinyl hose (ACE Hardware) to cooler return nipple. About 4 feet worth. Put hose into standard hardware store 5 gallon paint bucket. Run engine 30 seconds to discharge 2 dirty quarts from the torque converter. Put 2 fresh quarts back in. Repeat a total of four time to drain out 8 quarts and the fluid now in the hose is clear bright red. Top off fluid and replace transmission cooling line. Easy. I’ve done it three times that way as Ford automatics are picky about getting their fluid changed regularly.
No shop has ever changed my transmission fluid since I first did it in 1971 when I learned you better change the fluid in a C4 every 30,000 miles.
Nice article! It can be immensely rewarding to do auto repairs/maintenance yourself. At least it is for me. Yes, it says money (though time costs money too) but also you get very acquainted with the car and can really see what condition it is in.
An oil change is a great time to check all under the car for any issues. I have a number of Rural King T-shirts that are downgraded to work shirt status. I also broke down and bought coveralls for really messy jobs.
For me, the biggest “high” is changing a timing belt on an interference engine, and that first engine start. Always a bit of fear and anticipation as the key is turned. Did I triple check everything, etc.?
I had the timing belt break on TWO interference Hondas, an I4 Accord and a V6 Legend within a year of each other, and decided to replace the belt and literally only the belt just to see if any damage had occurred. Miraculously they both started up and ran which was impressive considering I’d never done such a job before and they both broke while driving (at low speed, granted.)
I felt the same way when I changed the head gasket on a 2001 Alero with the LD9 variant of the old Quad 4. Since everything had to come off the top of the engine, I decided to change the water pump, which was driven off the timing chain, the timing chain, the T-stat and all gaskets associated. Most complex job I have ever done. I had the head tanked and checked, and I really sweated retiming the camshafts. When I finally got it all back together and turned the key, it purred like a kitten. It was most satisfying considering I read somewhere that GM book was 12 hrs to change that particular head gasket. Don’t know if that is correct though.
Nice work Edward! A car truly becomes yours once you turn a few wrenches on it. The ATF fluid changes are never fun, as it’s hard to avoid the ATF shower. With practice it’s not hard to do and would not take much longer than an oil change. I was quite religious on ATF changes on a few of my older cars due their fragile transmissions. It seemed to make a big difference having regular fluid changes. If you haven’t yet, make sure you drive the car enough to the transmission warm and then recheck the level.
Good luck withe continued work on the Taurus.
Transmission fluid changes are never fun. My own mishap was on my 66 Fury III. After draining from the pan, I decided that there was plenty of room left in my plastic oil-change drain bucket to hold the fluid from the torque converter too. I was very wrong, and got a nasty overflow all over the floor.
Speaking of that, I hate to be the skunk, but you still have about half-a-transmission’s worth of old fluid still in there. Though a miserable job, it would probably not be a bad idea to do it again after a good month or so of driving.
I have yet to do struts on my own, though there is probably no reason why I could not, with the right tools. But your method is probably what my own would be on that.
I am loving the Taurus, and look forward to future reports.
Yeah unfortunately at this point yeah it needs another fluid change, followed by yet another change. That will get you to 75% clean oil, better than using a flush machine. No real need to change the filter again. Which is why you should throw the gasket away that comes with the filter and put the OE Ford reuseable gasket on it, or install a drain plug.
The best way to change trans fluid is not a flush machine, but an exchange machine. There is no external pump in the machine, the transmission’s own pump is what moves the fluid. Just make sure a light brake torque is done to heat the fluid and thus open the transmission’s thermal bypass valve. This type of equipment has always been used in the dealerships I worked in. Make sure to ask first, speak with the transmission tech directly if possible as most service writers won’t know the difference.
Yes, I will definitely do at least one more drain and fill before the cold weather sets in. I absolutely want to get all that old fluid out.
“Miss Cougar” is really a better fit of a name for this car; I’m glad you decided to rename it 😉
Fluid changes are messy, no matter how many precautions you take. On my Element, the oil filter is in such an odd spot that getting it undone and off the vehicle is guaranteed to make a mess. Nonetheless, the process gets more streamlined with every change I do.
It’s smart to listen to your inner voice about what you can and can’t handle on your own when you wrench. It’s good to stretch your comfort zone a bit, but there are times when it’s smarter and wiser to seek a professional. I feel this way about working on our house, too. I say DIY as far as you can, but recognize where your limits are. The more knowledge and experience you get, the less you’ll need other people.
The previous owner deserves all the credit for that name. He’s the one that named her. I just decided to keep the name because as you said, it fits so well.
When I built my C4 trans, I cut the drain plug area out of a small block Chevy oil pan and welded it into my trans pan.
Nice feature.
Some trouble can be saved by visiting your friendly local fluid power dealer and purchasing a bulkhead fitting.
No cutting, no welding, just drill a hole and bolt it in.
You really do need to change out all the transmission fluid from those Ford transmissions especially if never done by now. There is a way to do after draining from the pan and replacing it and would require about 15-16 quarts of Dex Merc. At that point you can say it does have factory fresh fluid. More of these cars end up in the junk yard not because of the bullet proof Vulcan engine but because of the transmission.
The 98 I bought in 2006 from a Coastie in my Cougar Club had it’s transmission replaced at 135,000 miles and he wasn’t the original owner. Him and his father did the entire process one night in a parking lot at Coast Guard housing on the old Hamilton Air Force base. Everyone should have a Dad like his a mechanic for a NASCAR race team. The one pulled out never had a fluid change.
Yeah, that’s the plan. I just want to drive it a bit first before I do the next one.
Congratulations on getting…soaked by transmission fluid. You’ve been officially baptized now. 🙂
I’ve been working on my truck this summer too, doing stuff that’s been deferred for over 20 years. New front end bushings and shocks front and rear have made it suddenly feel 25 years younger! And a bunch of other small stuff too.
I’ve got a guy coming to today to see about replacing the floor pans and repairing the rust holes in the roof. It’s all about stabilizing it, not actually restoring it. I’m enjoying the work; it’s very satisfying.
You know I didn’t mention the pivot bushings before but then heard it wasn’t that hard to do. So I have delayed a bit to wait for my pivot bushings to come in. Then I’ll take pictures of the whole thing start to finish. One side is ready to put the spring back in as the spring has been painted along with the frame where it goes.
The spring-tensioned snap fittings on that vintage Ford air conditioner lines tend to leak with age and vibration. New O-rings sometimes help. If the R-12 is all gone, rlan R-124a retrofit would be a good idea. But on my 1992, the R-12 to R-134a conversion fitting at the front of the car would have added enough height that the hood would not have closed. I kept the fitting in s plastic bag in the glove box and put a placard at the fitting location.
Keep the antifreeze at or above 50% concentration. You do not want electrolysis corroding your heater core from the inside.
Being in a temperate climate like Ed is, I have wondered about the value of installing a valve and some tubing to bypass the heater core in warm weather. Fresh air ventilation is no good at all in modern cars so long as the heat thrown off by the heater core soaks itself into the fresh air system. A bypass would make the car more comfy on all but the hottest days.
Of course, stagnant water in the heater core for 4 or 5 months a year could cause its own issues.
Car revival like this is fun (oil baths notwithstanding) because there’s so much low-hanging fruit with big payoff. Spending a day doing things that make the car run, drive, look, and feel appreciably better just beats the coveralls off replacing a timing belt ( idler, tensioner, water pump, coolant, etc) because it’s been 60 whole, entire kilomiles in a Honda with an interference engine…after which the car runs and drives, looks and feels exactly the same as before; the only difference being the the sharp, shooting pain in the credit card area. Not that I’m bitter or anything—oh, wait, yes, I am.
Other commenters are right that another trans fluid change is a good idea. I don’t believe the claims that a properly-done fluid flush is injurious to the transmission, but neither am I positioned or interested to dictate other people’s notional buy-ins, and sucking the fluid out through the dipstick tube does make the pan drop much less messy (and the recent R&R makes it much easier).
Speaking of the trans pan: WTF with American automakers proudly and excitedly stamping METRIC on ’em? Not only is it silly (“You guys, you guys, get a load of this! We discovered this, like, whole new measuring system where you don’t hafta, like, remember if 17/64 is slightly bigger or slightly smaller than 69/256!”) but it also seems to be the marker of a curse (THM-200, AXOD…were there others?).
Good choice on the KYBs; those have nicely sharpened up the handling and improved the ride of everything I can recall putting them on, and they seem to last a good, long time.
I agree that a transmission flush, when properly done, with the proper fluid* won’t kill a transmission.
The problem is that * and the fact that many shops that push their transmission flush use universal trans fluid and a 10oz bottle of “fluid converter”. Now I’m not saying that you can’t “convert” a fluid, I just find the one size fits all approach dubious at best since there is a difference in capacity between different transmissions. Plus do they dump it in the machine or add it later. There is just no way you are going to match the proper mix with 10oz supposedly good for 5, 10 or 12 quarts.
Even if they do use the proper fluid how well do they drain and clean the machine between each use? So maybe you get a little Honda fluid in your Chrysler.
Then there is the fact that those places don’t change the filter and of course that also means leaving the sludge in the bottom of the pan.
The other thing is that a flush does not in any way replace all the fluid if all you do is run the machine until it collects and injects the transmission’s stated capacity.
Fact is you’ve got two large reservoirs of fluid, the pan and the torque converter. The new fluid is returned to the pan where it mixes with the old fairly quickly, but not as quickly as any new fluid making it to a spinning torque converter. So some of that new fluid ends up in the machine while some of the old stays in the trans.
So yeah drop the pan, change the filter, (install a drain plug) then drain and fill again and again, if you want to minimize the old fluid that remains in circulation.
I presume that the reason that they stamped METRIC into the pans was to minimize the likelihood of a monkey lube place dropping a bolt down the drain and just grabbing a random bolt to replace it. It was a change and in the early days of those transmissions they were likely bolted to an engine that used SAE as well as much of the rest of the vehicle.
The AOD and its successors have METRIC stamped in their pan. Yes the original versions had their problems but by the time it gained electronics and became the AOD-E it was a very durable transmission that has been known to last 200k or more if left alone and much longer with occasional fluid changes. It also managed to stay in production for over 30 years.
You appear to be conflating “transmission fluid flush” with “franchised quickie oil change hut”. The latter precludes the former being properly done, for the reasons you describe.
Yeah and that is because the monkey lubes are the ones that sell the hell out of “transmission fluid flush”.
If you are going to the dealer, yeah you’ll likely get the correct fluid, not a converted universal fluid, though even then there are some brands that have more than one fluid in use.
However many mfgs do not endorse the use of any flush or exchange machine and don’t have any info on doing so in the factory service literature. Of course that doesn’t prevent the dealerships from buying a machine and selling the service.
I don’t recall saying anything about a dealership or a machine, either…!
A do-it-yourself fluid flush isn’t terribly difficult with a helper. It doesn’t require any more coordination than a 2-person brake bleed, and doesn’t need special equipment. Just some hose, a big drain pan, a funnel, and plenty of fluid.
I’ll add – many Fords came with torque converter drain plugs, so you can drain the torque converter, along with the pan and get even more old fluid out.
Well done! Although it seem expensive to have struts installed professionally, it’s money well invested, i’m pretty good mechanically and it took me about 4 hours in my driveway to swap them out on my 2005 Town and Country plus a shop did the alignment for $85. Guess I just wanted to say “ Look what I did!” Happy to see you preserve this milestone of automotive history. College GF purchased a new one in 1989 in Rose Quartz with the lace alloys. Both were quite memorable in many positive ways! The Sable was light years ahead of anything available from the Big Three.
I read this while taking a break from changing a top front wishbone on my Accord/TSX. If you look for youtube videos for Accord DIY you mostly get American ones, but fortunately the noughties American Accord used the same front suspension as the Japanese one.
I took more than twice as long as the videos suggested, but I don’t have ratchet wrenches and the short-cut didn’t work for me – and I took a break to watch practice for Sundays F1 GP.
Edward, your feature has me longing for the 87 Taurus wagon we had so long ago.
Good to you in preserving this milestone automobile. I know of a well-preserved Taurus like yours and have been thinking about approaching the owner to see if they would sell it.
Your effort to change tranny fluid reminded me of changing the fluid and filter in our old Fairmont’s C4. A piece of cake compared to what you did under the car. I’m now inspired to fo out to the garage and wash the Fusion.
For fook’s sake, it’s SO EASY to change virtually 100% of the fluid in a transmission. (There will be a small percentage of “old” fluid stuck in the clutch drums, soaked into the friction material, caught in the rollers of the needle bearings, etc.)
Most cross-flow radiators have cooler tubes one above the other. Usual practice is the hot fluid enters the radiator tank internal trans cooler at the bottom, the cooled fluid goes back into the transmission from the upper tube. In any event, open the hood, put tools on the transmission cooler RETURN tube (probably the upper one) and remove it. Install a short piece of similar tubing–typically 5/16 double-wall seamless steel, with some sort of flare-and-tube-nut, or O-ring as a sealing device. Available at most any real parts store, and generally inexpensive. Direct the open end of your temporary tube into a drain pan large enough to easily hold the entire capacity of the trans, plus a few quarts.
Have a helper start the engine. At the first sign of the filter in the pan sucking air, shut off the engine. The pan is now mostly empty, ready for removal and cleaning. Once the pan is off, replace the filter, clean the magnet (as applicable), clean the gasket surfaces. Install a drain plug in the pan if desired. As long as you empty the pan by pushing fluid out the cooler tube, you don’t really need a drain plug in the pan. IF you install a drain plug assembly, make sure you install it in an area of the pan that won’t interfere with the valve body or other internal trans parts.
Put the nice clean pan (and magnet and drain plug, as required) back on the trans with a good gasket–the original gasket is often better than the “brand-new” aftermarket replacements.
Open enough quarts of the recommended fluid according to the trans capacity. Dump about four or five down the dipstick tube. Have your helper start the engine, while you pour more fluid down the dipstick tube and watch the fluid coming out of your temporary cooler tube.
When the fluid coming out of the temporary cooler tube looks virgin-fresh, shut off the engine. Remove the temporary tube, reinstall the regular cooler tube. Start engine, check fluid level. Adjust fluid level as needed–typically you’ll have to add some more, and be sure to check the level again when properly hot.
You’ve now changed virtually all the fluid in the transmission, changed the filter, cleaned out and inspected all the debris, and flushed the cooler in the normal direction of flow (not a reverse-flush.) Job well done–nothing half-assed. Have a celebratory beverage of your choice, or calm your “glaucoma” with your favorite Medicinal Herb.
Bonus points for installing a transmission filter in-line in the cooler return tube. They’re sold as transmission-power steering filters, in several brands and various hose sizes–5/16 and 3/8 being the most common. Get the “kit” with PROPER HOSE and clamps. The Trans-PS filters have a built-in bypass, so if the filter gets clogged, the bypass opens so that the trans doesn’t starve for lubrication or tear up the engine thrust bearing. This doesn’t replace the filter in the pan (or the spin-on trans filter, if the trans is so equipped) it just makes sure that any debris in the cooling circuit doesn’t get back to the transmission.
I can’t edit the longer post I made, just above.
To be clear, you’re removing the trans cooler RETURN tube at the COOLER (Radiator, on most vehicles) not at the transmission. Doing it at the transmission is typically more work.
You’ll need to research your vehicle to see what size tubing you need, and how it’s sealed to the cooler. Buy a “temporary” tube about 3 feet long, bend it as needed (careful to not kink it) so it dumps nicely into a drain pan.
The hose used on trans or PS filters is “special”; DO NOT use plain ol’ ordinary fuel hose. Fuel hose may or may not take the pressure in the trans cooler circuit, and it almost certainly won’t take the heat. You’re looking for Trans Cooler/ PS Return hose, spec J189. that spec assures chemical, thermal, and pressure rating suitable for trans cooler or PS return hose usage.
I just bought two PS/inline trans filters on Amazon. One in 3/8″ fittings came as a kit with hose and clamps. The other–from the same company–was 5/16″ size, but had no hose or clamps–wasn’t sold as a “kit”. Beware.
Believe me the hose isn’t going to be a problem with this car. A clear vinyl hose, like the one I have used three times, will work just fine. The pressure isn’t that high that it would blow the hose and worm clamp off. You also only run the engine 30 seconds at a time. I can do this in my sleep now as I said above. All this is well documented on the Taurus Forum.
Schurkey also writes of the installation of a permanent
in-line filter, which of course needs a better hose than needed for a quick pump-out.
This guy does it a bit different. He removes the line at the transmission but uses clear hose like me. He then runs his engine for a longer period all at once unlike me for a total of two times. I could probably do that since the trans is not engaged so no likely issues.
https://youtu.be/OPT5jcbUHrc
It’d be interesting to see a fourth sample of fluid from the YouTube flush, after some run time and accumulators, clutch pistons etc. cycle.
I’m not sure the extra 3-4 gallons of flush adds that much value to a fluid change.
I’ll confess, after the initial bad blood letting, I would have been careful about capturing the rest of the juice with sterile handling, for reuse. Most of the flushed fluid looked like it’d be fine for reuse, in other (probably not transmission) systems.
Watched the video. “His” method is exactly like mine, with a couple of exceptions.
1. He pulls the return tube at the transmission end, and adds a vinyl hose. I said to pull the return tube at the cooler end, and to use a temporary metal tube. Do whichever is easier on your vehicle. Functionally, it makes zero difference.
2. He wastes several quarts of “new” fluid by continuing to flush AFTER the fluid coming out of the hose into the drain pan is no longer dark. This adds no value to the service, but requires buying several additional quarts of fluid.
Other than that, the video was well-done. Could have been edited-down to a shorter time, though.
Cooler-return fluid is the lubrication and cooling for the gears and bearings of the transmission. If you’re not driving…the gears and bushings don’t need lube. So dumping the fluid from the cooler return tube into a bucket during a fluid change is totally harmless to the transmission.
A “pan drop” trans fluid change gets 1/3 to 1/2 the total capacity of the transmission. Changing the remaining 1/2–2/3 of fluid is the proper way to do things.
Yes, of course I meant that “hose” installed permanently when adding an in-line filter must meet specs for chemical, thermal, and pressure requirements.
I did not know Lexol is the favorite around these parts.
I happened to buy it two weeks ago and the results are promising. I feel very validated (for what is basically a blind choice) now.
PS I’m old enough to remember when there were newspapers around to throw on the garage floor before a task like this
I’m using a combination of the spill pad I bought and the cardboard from all the packages my stuff came in!
I really enjoy stories like this. I used to turn a few wrenches every so often first out of necessity, then because it was an enjoyable hobby . . . now I have enough time to put petrol in the car and that’s about it. I do rather wish I had time to do these things because I did enjoy them when I did them.
You didn’t seem to have the problems that usually befall me, which are inevitably I end up with the wrong wrench/filter wrench/some wrong part and end up making 5 trips to the parts store to try to get something which works.
Although, if you pour enough drinks in me, I will volunteer to change your brakes/oil on a Sunday. I have done this a couple of times recently. Demon Alcohol!
As a life long mechanic always hated the trans service, cheap manufactures couldn’t put a drain plug in the pan, Ford especially, they put plugs in the torque converter but not the pan!!!!!!!. I would start by warming the vehicle up and checking the fluid level then I would vacuum as much oil as I could out thru the dipstick tube and then drop the pan. I collected all oil in a calibrated bucket so I knew close to exactly what needed to go back in. I would drain the converter if it had a plug. Refill and a road test to confirm hot fluid level. If the fluid was really bad pull a cooler line and run in new as the old was pushed out. Then drop the pan.
I did get a recent surprise from a manual trans. I have a 2012 Boss 302, decided to change trans fluid on it, got trans warmed up, got it up on the hoist, confirmed I could get the fill plug out by breaking it loose. Then checked to see if the drain plug would come out. Got the drain plug loose, OK, ran the engine one last time to get the trans fluid thoroughly stirred up. Slipped back under and pulled the drain plug, SPLUSH!!!!!!!
Oil everywhere, my mistake for not pulling the fill plug before pulling the drain plug. The trans has a vent BUT it is pressure regulated. Thankfully I had my safety glasses on but what a mess, so time to modify the old rule, always REMOVE the the trans fill plug first when servicing the trans, you want to make sure you not only can add oil back in but also relive any residual pressure.
Great job! Examples of such a significant vehicle need preseving. Still a great looking design today. You really now need a Sable wagon in the same condition!
I would be more excited to see an early Taurus on the road in this condition than a modern Lamborghini.
Is there something wrong with me? Or right?
You’re absolutely right.
I’m glad to see the car is coming together. And it’s good to see you are willing to dive into it and further your own comfort level. As you’ve probably figured out, labor is the largest part of almost any repair project, and with the available help on the internet, knowledge is basically free beyond the time aspect. This is how people are able to keep their dream cars that they otherwise would not be able to from a financial perspective, first by being able to find the knowledge that lets them skip a lot of the cost and second by the same source letting them build their confidence. Good job!
That’s right. When you have 10 cars you better be able to do almost everything otherwise be eaten out of house and home. Or you’re name could be Jay Leno if lucky.
A lot of great writing here. I’ve been bathed by automotive fluids unintentionally. Thankfully even though the state of California knows these liquids are harmful/cancerous, I’m not under their jurisdiction. In addition to newspapers or cardboard, I save pizza boxes and plastic food containers to augment the drain pan to minimize spillage on driveways, city streets or garage floors. I’m an equal opportunity fluid changer.
I am thankful to GM of the 1960s and early 1970s for their transmission pan drain plugs on Powerglide and THM400s. I once killed a transmission with kindness by applying silicone gasket seal in addition to the gasket. Silicone and transmission fluid don’t get along, and the silicone wins. Ugh.
I’m late to this discussion but have 2 questions if anyone wants to opine:
1. My 2015 Mazda 3 doesn’t require changes to its transmission fluid. Has chemical engineering advanced so far that future generations won’t need to change transmission fluid on cars built today?
Yet Mazda wants the brake fluid changed every 30k miles…
2. I love the tip from Shurkey above. I have a 71 Buick with the venerable THM400 that could benefit from this advice. But I’m not crystal clear what the ‘first sign of the filter in the pan sucking air, shut off the engine” would be. Would this be an audible indication? I ask since this is high stakes stuff here, witness my silicone fiasco.
As to the second question… when the usual steady flow of fluid begins to sputter or aerate it’d be an indication that the sump has been pumped down.
Starting in 1964, Chrysler’s official recommendation was that automatic transmission fluid changes were not necessary (at any interval) unless the vehicle was used in heavy-duty service. Without looking it up, I imagine that changed once Chrysler stopped building Torqueflites and started building ProbleMatics instead, but.
@ Dave tamasay, I have a 2017 pacifica. It shares a transmission with the honda pilot and a few other cars. The dealer tells me it’s sealed for life transmission fluid, which I think is bunk. I guess when you change the fluid you change the whole transmission as well? But I haven’t done anything about it. The dealer also keeps insisting on changing the brake fluid also which I have NEVER had done. I need to see if chrysler is actually recommending this. Also I was highly skeptical when they told me the rear brakes were worn out but I’m still on the original front brakes at 122000 miles. I always thought front brakes wore out first, but then I read on a modern car with traction control the rears wear out first. Perhaps it’s not 1991 any more and I need to update my encyclopedia of automotive half truths.
I guess when you change the fluid you change the whole transmission as well?
Brilliant!
Next up a sealed crankcase and when time to change your oil you change your engine.
Reminds me of my through-the-looking-glass experience with my ’07 Accord’s automatic transmission. Official word and policy from any and every Honda dealership service department is that there is no serviceable transaxle fluid filter; they can change the fluid, but the filter is a screen accessible (and therefore replaced) only in the course of a complete transaxle teardown.
In actual fact, however, there is a regular ol’, normal ol’ trans fluid filter, a cylindrical pleated-media item, behind a 3-bolt cover readily accessible from under the hood, at the top of the transaxle. Ask the service department about it: “No such filter”. Walk 10 feet to the parts counter and give them the part number: “Transmission filter. We have it in stock”. Walk 10 feet back to the service counter: “Nope, we don’t do a filter change; there’s no filter to change”. Go to independent shops: “H’mmm…our Alldata/Mitchell/etc doesn’t bring up a filter change parts list or service procedure”.
Eventually: print out the procedure and parts list from the DIY website, bring it to the independent shop. Eventually pick up the car: “Huh! New one on us. Right out in the open there, up top, too. The old filter was pretty muddy.”
(You’ve never changed brake fluid…? That’s actually a thing. Brake fluid is hygroscopic—it absorbs water gradually over time, which lowers its boiling point—and while seals are better than ever, they’re still imperfect. There are test strips that can be dipped in brake fluid to show its water content.)
Thanks guys!
Excellent write up. Glad to see the Taurus getting some love and that she’s regained her poise on the road. The KYBs are great struts to go with, seems like they do well with FWD Fords. I had KYBs on my Topaz and my Tempo GLS, they were great.