awesome video thank you. very clear. i've never seen anyone do this and this thing was advertised as being a "lifetime fluid" so I never though to change it until I started googling something unrelated. i'm gonna do this to mine thanks to you
Yeah, Ford is kind of cheesy in this situation. It's not just them who do it though. All the car manufacturers will play games with the maintenance intervals on stuff to have a "lower" cost of ownership.
Glad I have the 2012 model. Dipstick is right there. Incredibly easy despite the 20 bolts on the transmission pan. And the filter is right there too. I’ll stick with older vehicles as long as I can.
There are definitely trade offs between owning older and newer. For example the multi-switch that runs the headlights on my 1997 Van and my 1989 F350 is flawed in design. It pulls high current to directly run the headlights, causing the switch and/or it's connector to melt over time and occasionally causing a vehicle fire. I've had to replace the switch in both vehicles. I can resolve the issue by adding a headlight relay kit, but that is an additional cost to me. In my 2001 F250 and my 2010 Fusion, Ford did finally address the issue. As you mention however, the 2001, 1997 and 1989 and 2010 all have dipsticks that are much easier to use than the system used on this 2016 van. Trade offs.
@@mikeb1039 Oof... the powershift Ford never got right. They should have made is a wet clutch instead of dry but alas.. they didn't. I'll take the 6F35 thank you.
Man I'm glad you made this video! I have never seen or worked with this transmission before and I went to changing the fluid blind lol It's a pain in the butt! sadly I have either a clogged filter or my transmission is going bad at the moment. after a radiator hose burst on a 2 hour drive ( replaced the hose now ) it burned the transmission fluid ( replacing that at the moment ) and I started noticing a faint whine sound when it changes every gear. I still may have to take it to a shop.
Busted hose at speed... ouch, that one stinks... ask me how I know. Anyway, if you are getting a whine on shift, with an automatic... maybe the torque converter? Automatics use a series of clutch packs and hydraulic pressure to shift between gears, a bit different than a synchronized manual. My truck whines a bit when I shift from 1st to 2nd, but that's because the synchromesh gear is wearing out. I know how to do torque converters now, but it's going to be a massive pain in the butt to get to if that's the culprit. If you want to see what's involved with replacing an auto trans, take a look at my Fusion Powertrain video series. I swap out the trans and the torque converter in that one. I'd definitely take it to a shop sooner rather than later. It might be the sort of problem where if it's addressed now you can avoid a full trans replacement and get away with a rebuild or partial rebuild. Good Luck!
I found out that it is important to put the check plug back in before turning off the engine. If you don't do that first, you will start losing fluid. I found out the hard way after losing almost a quart of fluid.
That's good to know. I don't think I ever read that either in my research. It does make sense though as the pump in the torque converter would be turned off when the car is off so all the fluid is going to fall towards the bottom of the transmission case into the pan. Thanks for sharing!
I'm happy that worked out for you. The 6F35 can go the distance as long as you drain and fill the trans fluid often enough. The 6F35 in my Ford Fusion lasted 222k without being serviced correctly before it was time for a rebuild or replacement. I opted for replacement, and those videos are uploaded to the channel if you are curious.
I do believe you have a magnet there at the end of the drain plug. I would stick to some automotive thread lock and just keep it on the threads and not in contact with fluid.
First off, thanks for the video, it was very helpful in finding the fill hole and level plug! Did you only change the 4-5 quarts? I've found the 6F35 need to be flushed 3-4 times with a short drive between to keep the fluid at temperature. I say this because the dry fill is 9.0 quarts, so it has to be diluted by a few changes to get back to near new condition for the fluid. I figured out that three flushes with a final fill (~4 gallons total) gets the fluid to about 95% of its original quality. I verified this by sending fluid samples in from each drain proceedure. Hope this helps some folks.
You've got it correct Jon. Dry fill, which means including what's in the torque converter is going to be 9 quarts. When you do a drain and fill you drain out around 4 liters of fluid. To fully cycle the fluid you would need to drain and fill around 3 times since the torque converter does not have a drain plug. Since that is a pretty long and costly procedure, I do one drain and fill every 30k or so. This leads to a near complete fluid replacement every 90k or so. Every drain and fill you do allows for a refresh of the viscosity and additive packs that are in the Mercon LV fluid.
Correct. The more modern incarnations of the 6F35 did away with the dipstick, which is which you have the check port at the bottom of the transmission behind the driver's front wheel. I also have a 2010 Fusion with the 6F35 that still has a dipstick. I think the reason they dropped it was it was cheaper not to make it. If you like tinfoil hat ideas it also makes it harder to service, which would force the customer potentially to a dealership to have the fluid serviced.
Hi thanks for the video. My wife bought the 2017 van used and we have had it for between 20-30 k miles and it’s currently at 84k miles. We have no clue if the previous owner had changed the transmission fluid or not. When I change it out, should I change it again soon after and maybe even a third time so I can make sure it changes it completely out Just to make sure that I’m good? Thanks for your time.
If you are aiming for a complete flush, then yes that's what I would do. Do one drain and fill, drive around for a tank of gas or two, then do the next drain and fill. Rinse and repeat until you have done a total of three drain and fills. That should replace over 90% of the fluid in the transmission and you should be good to go for the next 30k.
Hi there. I just had transmission change on my 2015 Transit Connect 39,000 miles. They charged me for 4 quarts of "Universal Synthetic ATF". What do you think about that? Thanks.
So something that would be universal for a TC with a 6F35 transmission would have to be Mercon LV compliant fluid. So... if your fluid has a license from Ford printed on the bottle, you are good to go. That means Ford tested the fluid and found it to be Mercon LV compliant. There are other companies that make universal fluids where they claim compliance with Mercon LV but they didn't pay for the Ford seal of approval. I much prefer the former scenario to the latter. Unless you still have the bottle and can check the fine print, you really aren't going to know the compliance state of the fluid. Since this transmission is so fluid sensitive, I recommend purchasing the OEM fluid, paying the extra price for it being the OEM fluid and call it a day.
At first I really didn't like it. But after fighting for hours with various vehicles because their transmission dipsticks aren't designed well, I kind of prefer it. At least this setup you know when you have enough fluid. Not great if you are checking for level due to possible leaks or similar situations.
Robert, unless you see Ford's approval on the Castrol LV I would not use it. Ford's Mercon LV transmissions are very picky about fluid so its a situation where I would use OEM fluids only. That being said, get a sample of your trans fluid and smell it. If you smell a burnt smell chances are the fluid is too thin and you need to drain and fill with OEM.
Completely flummoxed here in England [waves] - the airbox lifts out to reveal transmission direct fill 8mm (no sign of plastic capped pipe) , and there are TWO drain plugs underneath in addition to the side check valve, each giving up about 2.5 litres I think. Nothing like this, late 2017 model :/
I did a quick bit of research and everything I'm finding is that the procedure should be the same up to 2019 for the 6F35 transmission. One drain plug, the trans vent tube up top and the check port on the side. Can you send me some pictures so I can see?
@@MazdaB3K Yeeah sure will send pics tomorrow when its light! Thanks for the super quick reply! It drained 6l from the two plugs on the housing....same liquid 2.5 front 3.5 rear. I take it yours is the (essentially) manual gearbox with solenoids and dual clutch? I know mine's a different trim to the '16, not sure how different the gubbins are... I put up a link to a febi kit [that sells 6l and a cylindrical filter that mine has also (24(?) mm socket holder] but I think youtube rejected that. Anyway, the filter, the two drains, and the direct 8mm fill plug under airbox are the differences, in addition, liquid amounts to 6l. "Gearbox Oil Filter Kit Auto FOR FORD TRANSIT CONNECT 1.5 15->20 Febi" is the ebay title of kit that would fit mine, if of interest. Thanks again!
Ah, that would explain quite a bit. Mine is an automatic transmission. The 6F35 is an automatic transmission. I'm not sure what manual trans was put in the TC, don't think that option was offered in the US. Let me do some digging right quick.... I found a Haynes video that is for Manual Trans full size Transit Vans. Not sure if it will help you or not. ua-cam.com/video/q0pQK8pwuk8/v-deo.html
@@MazdaB3K I think mine's a 2nd Gen Powershift if that means something to you. So many quirks in different models, I saw someone changing the fuel filter underneath the seemingly same van, and mine's behind the engine under the bonnet etc. I should have known after seeing what the battery change involved!!!
I am familiar with that trans. That's the one they nerfed then put in the Ford Focus over here and they all blew up because the dual clutch system was "dry", meaning not bathed in oil. I hope you have the full one that is a "wet" dual clutch system. So... you actually have an automatic trans that behaves like a manual. That's why you have two oil sumps and you use gear oil instead of ATF. My brother has a very similar style of transmission in his Kia K5. I'm not sure of any Ford vehicles over here using the Gen2 powerglide, but what you are describing makes a whole lot more sense now.
I went to the dealership to have a transmission flush done. Now I heard that a flush is bad (I don't really understand why). It's supposedly far better to drain and fill as you did. But since it's so sensitive to proper fluid levels and have difficulty getting underneath the car I have avoided doing it myself. I figured I would just mess up more and better pay for it at the dealer. Can you tell me if I may have messed it up with the flush?
I've never had any system really flushed so I'm not sure about why it has a bad rap. My guess would be since you have to correctly use a flushing product compatible with the fluid you are trying to flush out, then make sure you 100% get the flushing product out when you replace with new fluid. Get any of those steps wrong and there can be breakage in your future. With a drain and fill you are draining out old and putting in new. You don't get 100% of the old fluid out, but you aren't introducing any fluids that are not supposed to be there either. With most oils that you drain and fill the new fluid that you put in generally has enough fresh additives and shear resistance that it covers the remaining old oil you have until you do the next drain and fill, which continues the process of removing the really old fluid until eventually you no longer have ancient fluid. As long as your stay on schedule with your drain and fills life is good. I mean, that's what an engine oil change is yes? As long as whomever performed your flush did it right, I don't think you'll have any issues.
@@MazdaB3K At 1:10 in the video "Here's why this new engine oil will make your car run better", this mechanic Scotty Kilmer states that you shouldn't do a transmission flush bc of dirt ending up in various places. But that is what the do in dealerships. Not sure if you bought your Transit Connect new or used, but if you buy used (as I did) you never know how the previous owner maintained the car. I literally see people shifting from D to R (and vice versa) whole the car is still rolling. I assume you can switch from D to D4 or from D to S while the car is in full motion on a freeway somewhere without having to stop, correct?
Two different things going on here. You have more traditional and older automatic transmissions that have a 1st and 2nd gear in addition to PRND. Those gears are there for when you are in specific situations, like mountains where being able to keep the transmission in a low gear all the time is appropriate. That being said, it's not great for you auto trans to try and drive like 1, 2, D. Not really made for that. For most driving situations put it in D and go. Now for newer automatic transmission with sport shift.. a little different but largely the same setup. The computer can monitor your thottle/rpm/speed and it will force you into a different gear if needed. Unless you are trying to enjoy some twisties or are in the mountain situation again, put it in D and go. There are some vehicles where the sport shift actually has merit to it, like the Kia K5 with turbo 2.5L in it. It has a dual clutch manual automatic transmission where doing sport shift has a bit more meaning. To directly answer your question, going into sport shift and moving down out of Overdrive shouldn't hurt anything, though the transmission will probably try to bump you back into Overdrive when it can to save you fuel. If you have an older transmission and you are at interstate speed it's a pretty bad idea to try and shift into 1 or 2. The transmission might do the shift but it's probably going to be pretty slammy and not happy doing it.
You can do that as a step one. However the final test is to open the fill port to the inside of the driver's tire while the engine is running, transmission in Park and see if any fluid comes out the fill port. A small trickle is fine. None at all means you are low. A large flow coming out means you overfilled the transmission. Note that you should run through the gears before doing this to make sure fluid has shifted around everywhere it should be. These steps from what I remember are outlined in the video.
Do you think it is a good idea to replace the transmission oil in my Van with 127 thousand miles on it? I have never changed it. It is a Ford Transit connect 2018 2.5
That's a tough one. That's enough miles that it may hurt more than help to drain and fill the fluid. At 127K I'd still lean toward replacing the fluid but if you go much longer I would not. I had an 03 Outback that was higher miles and I drained and filled it's fluid and it shifted much better after that. End of the day, your vehicle your call.
@@MazdaB3K Do you know that I just checked the official site for scheduled maintenance and Ford says that I should change my automatic transmission oil every $150,000 miles. It's strange, that's what the Manual of the Ford Transit Connect 2018 2.5 engine says on the official Ford site.Its weird 150k miles is too much but that's what the manual say
Not weird, a business decision. Are you aware of how Ford came to that number? One of the metrics Ford thinks about when marketing vehicles is cost of ownership. That is, over the "life" of the vehicle, how often will the owner need to change fluids, filters, plugs, coils, etc. In order to keep ownership costs down, Ford decides on a mileage number as the "life" of a vehicle. A quick bit of googling comes up with 150k miles. So.... according to Ford, you should change the fluid in the 6F35 at the END of it's life. Essentially, change it if the transmission is still functioning at that point. The 6F35 will make the 150k and beyond. The one in my Fusion lasted 220K with only two drain and fills before it began to fail and I installed a new transmission. However, if you want to get as many miles as you can out of the transmission you have, I recommend the much shorter 30k service interval.@@Israel_Madrid
Do you mean the drain plug in the transmission pan, or do you mean the check port by the CV axle? As long as the engine is off, pulling the drain plug won't hurt anything as long as you put the right amount of fluid back in and reinstall the plug. Pulling the check port bolt out with the engine off is basically the same as pulling the drain plug. Without the pump in the transmission running to hold the fluid against gravity, what's in the pan will drain out. In both cases as long as you put the bolt back in and refill the needed amount, you should be ok.
@@MazdaB3K im sorry i meant the check port.. Had the engine off but hot and damn near a quart of fluid came out.. Went to autozone and put another quart in and tested w the engine on and got a slow drivvle so i think im good
A dribble sounds correct with a warmed up transmission and the engine running with check port off. When you drain on flat, level ground you should get around 4 liters out of the transmission pan, so you put around 4 liters back in and go from there by judging at the check port. Glad it worked out for you.
@@MazdaB3K thanks yeah i actually got 5 quarts when i first drained it which was suprising and may have been overfilled not sure as i recently bought the car
This video is on a van with the 2.5L Duratech, yes. The 6F35 transmission holds a total of 9 quarts of Mercon LV if 100% empty. However... in a normal drain and fill you should get ~4-4.5 quarts of fluid out, assuming the transmission is full before drain.
I think it's come up a few times in the comments, but you should be looking to get 4-5 US quarts to drain out depending on the fluid levels in the transmission.
Thanks for the video really helpful, mine is 2014 just start making whinny noise and looks like shifting rough .. dash came on as transmission fault needs service .. the funny thing now is back normal and the statement is off now. It has done 245k and never change or flush before as no leeks at all. My question do you think it might need to top up fluid or to flush and change the complete Trans fluid. Or do u think something wrong with the clutches and time to rebuild a new transmission. Thanks in advance!!
At 245k one of two things will happen when you drain and fill the fluid: 1. It's going to run waaaaaaaay better with fresh fluid that is full of additives and detergents that the clutches and seals need for long life and performance. 2. It's going to break. Often what happens with high miles transmissions that have not had their fluid serviced is the fluid becomes thicker as it fills up with shed clutch material as the clutches in the transmission wear down. This thicker, worn out fluid becomes needed by the clutches in order for correct function of the transmission as the clutch discs have become so worn. When you drain out the old and fill in the new, the new fluid is thinner and the clutches don't have the cushion they need anymore and stop working right. So... it's your call on what you want to do. New fluid might work wonders or the transmission might die on you. I would Since the transmission is already acting up, I would go ahead and budget for getting your transmission rebuilt or getting a new used one. Odds are fluid drain and fill or not, the transmission is not long for this world. The transmission in the Fusion lasted about 220k before it was starting to slip.
Thanks for your reply, I guess I will go for the option of flushing and changing with new fluid .. if die then build a new gear. Can u do the service yourself, I am in jacksonville- Fl
I myself have never opened a transmission proper to service one as I don't have the work shop for it. In theory you can do the work yourself but you would need a nice workspace with plenty of room, plenty of time and a good camera to take plenty of pictures with. My recommendation would be finding a shop you trust to get quotes on rebuild vs installing a new used one.
One other thought I had is that if you are trying to limp this along, after you do the drain and fill, see how it runs. If it bucks and snorts and slips, try adding a product like Lucas transmission oil. It's crazy thick and could give you the viscosity you need to limp it along until a more complete repair.
Teflon tape is NOT also known as plumbers tape. 2 completely different things. Plumbers tape is used for strapping. It's either made of metal or plastic. Other than that, it was very helpful
I'm aware of what you are speaking of and I have heard it called plumber's tape. For the teflon tape, in my area it's commonly called plumber's tape. Might vary from place to place.
Ford could've saved themselves a TON of hassle & bought the MAZDA 6 speed auto transaxle used in the CX-5 ...they have none of these issues...just stupid
Possibly. I know that Ford and Mazda had a deep partnership that had ended not that long before this vehicle was made, not sure if either party still had the appetite to do technology agreements.
You can and that does make the job easier. However I didn't want to have to deal with the sensors and fittings required to remove the airbox and intake hose.
This one is a little tricky. On average if you are draining the trans pan on level ground, you should get about 4 liters. A liter is a little more than a quart so we'll go with 4.25 quarts or something around that. Ultimately, you have to pull the check port rearward of the driver's CV axle and see if you have any fluid come out when you do it. If you do( a small stream) you are good to go. If you don't, more fluid needs to be added. A few caveats here: 1. The engine needs to be running when you look in the check port 2. You must have already cycled the transmission through all it's gears 3. The vehicle must be on level ground when you do this. Since the driver front wheel has to come off, this is a bit tricky. Best way I've found is to measure from your level surface to rocker before removing tire, then adjust down your jack until you hit that measurement after you pull the the wheel. So... look at 4.25 quarts as a safe starting point from which you know that you can turn the engine back on without frying the transmission. You really won't know if you are good until you go through the check port procedure that is in the video and that I just mentioned above.
Are you referring to the transmission filter? This transmission has one but it is internal to the transmission and cannot be accessed unless you open the transmission. This is why doing the fluid drain and fills is so important because once the filter clogs, it's game over.
Timothy G Hesch 9 seconds ago Wow what apiece of crap - the design is made to fail. No dipstick to check proper level, no filter changing to keep it clean, you have to pull the tire for maintenance, can't easily access the fill cap & your supposed to change very 30,000!!!!!!!
This is getting more common unfortunately. Transmission work is felt to be something outside the realm of the average car owner so the dipstick went away to save money. You have to change every 30k because if you don't the 6F35 will fail at around 200k. Not a bad number, but if you drain and fill every 30k you can easily get double that.
Another thought is that many service centers are switching to vacuum fill systems, which can be measured more precisely than traditional methods. Most of your quickie lubes now do this so they don't have to remove your oil drain bolt for example.
Yes it does, but it is not user serviceable without opening the transmission. That it why it's so important to drain and fill the fluid every 30k or so to ensure a very long service life.
How would you know if the fluid level was correct or low before the initial drain? You wouldn't. So if you refilled what you took out, you could be running low.
My videos are geared towards beginners who are not familiar with wrenching. If you are comfortable with the section you are watching, the position slider is your friend. Just move to the section of the video you need. I'm pretty sure that UA-cam is auto chaptering the sections for easier searching.
![Ford Transit Connect Recalls and Problems | 2nd Generation, 2014-2023 [Buyers + Owners BEWARE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/KIGvfmciE44/mqdefault.jpg)
![Ford Transit Connect Recalls and Problems | 2nd Generation, 2014-2023 [Buyers + Owners BEWARE]](/img/tr.png)
awesome video thank you. very clear. i've never seen anyone do this and this thing was advertised as being a "lifetime fluid" so I never though to change it until I started googling something unrelated. i'm gonna do this to mine thanks to you
Yeah, Ford is kind of cheesy in this situation. It's not just them who do it though. All the car manufacturers will play games with the maintenance intervals on stuff to have a "lower" cost of ownership.
Thank you for your time to do the best tutorial thank you very much.
You are most welcome.
Thank you! Just used on my 2016 and yes getting the fill cap back on is a lot harder than getting it off! LOL Good stuff!
Glad this video helped you out. It's a good transmission as long as you keep fresh fluid in it.
Thanks for the information, I will try to do it in my 2014 van, thanks again for your informative video.
Thanks! I found there isn't alot of videos for maintaining this vehicle so I decided to do my own. I'm glad I can help.
Glad I have the 2012 model. Dipstick is right there. Incredibly easy despite the 20 bolts on the transmission pan. And the filter is right there too. I’ll stick with older vehicles as long as I can.
There are definitely trade offs between owning older and newer. For example the multi-switch that runs the headlights on my 1997 Van and my 1989 F350 is flawed in design. It pulls high current to directly run the headlights, causing the switch and/or it's connector to melt over time and occasionally causing a vehicle fire. I've had to replace the switch in both vehicles. I can resolve the issue by adding a headlight relay kit, but that is an additional cost to me. In my 2001 F250 and my 2010 Fusion, Ford did finally address the issue. As you mention however, the 2001, 1997 and 1989 and 2010 all have dipsticks that are much easier to use than the system used on this 2016 van. Trade offs.
The later transits are electronic ly control manual. It is not a automatic.
@@selrahc2061 Are you referring to the automatic-manual dual clutch powershifts? I thought those only went on the Euro vans.
@@MazdaB3K they did
@@mikeb1039 Oof... the powershift Ford never got right. They should have made is a wet clutch instead of dry but alas.. they didn't. I'll take the 6F35 thank you.
What size is the drain bolt?
Offhand I want to say it was an 11mm bolt.
THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS VIDEO!!!! YOU ARE A LIFE SAVER!
Happy to help. I'm doing this again today as 30k have come and gone. I'm also going to be recording a video on how to do a coolant drain and fill.
@@MazdaB3K dude please! i need to do a coolant drain and fill soon (2k more miles)
Content has been filmed. I should have it posted next week.
@@MazdaB3K you're the best!
Great video by the way, thank you! I know it's very difficult to film and do work at the same time on the car I've tried it before.
Yeah, that is something I do struggle with. 99% of the time I don't have a camera person so I can't get all the views that I want to.
Man I'm glad you made this video! I have never seen or worked with this transmission before and I went to changing the fluid blind lol It's a pain in the butt! sadly I have either a clogged filter or my transmission is going bad at the moment. after a radiator hose burst on a 2 hour drive ( replaced the hose now ) it burned the transmission fluid ( replacing that at the moment ) and I started noticing a faint whine sound when it changes every gear. I still may have to take it to a shop.
Busted hose at speed... ouch, that one stinks... ask me how I know. Anyway, if you are getting a whine on shift, with an automatic... maybe the torque converter? Automatics use a series of clutch packs and hydraulic pressure to shift between gears, a bit different than a synchronized manual. My truck whines a bit when I shift from 1st to 2nd, but that's because the synchromesh gear is wearing out.
I know how to do torque converters now, but it's going to be a massive pain in the butt to get to if that's the culprit. If you want to see what's involved with replacing an auto trans, take a look at my Fusion Powertrain video series. I swap out the trans and the torque converter in that one.
I'd definitely take it to a shop sooner rather than later. It might be the sort of problem where if it's addressed now you can avoid a full trans replacement and get away with a rebuild or partial rebuild. Good Luck!
I found out that it is important to put the check plug back in before turning off the engine. If you don't do that first, you will start losing fluid. I found out the hard way after losing almost a quart of fluid.
That's good to know. I don't think I ever read that either in my research. It does make sense though as the pump in the torque converter would be turned off when the car is off so all the fluid is going to fall towards the bottom of the transmission case into the pan. Thanks for sharing!
@@MazdaB3K It made sense to me afterward also. :)
Very good video. I got 2014 FTC 153K. Shifts much better.
Thank you.
I'm happy that worked out for you. The 6F35 can go the distance as long as you drain and fill the trans fluid often enough. The 6F35 in my Ford Fusion lasted 222k without being serviced correctly before it was time for a rebuild or replacement. I opted for replacement, and those videos are uploaded to the channel if you are curious.
Great video, thanks for taking your time to do this video you are very detailed.
I'm happy this video was useful to you.
Thank you so much for this!!!!!!!
Yup
Excellent job
Thanks!
I do believe you have a magnet there at the end of the drain plug. I would stick to some automotive thread lock and just keep it on the threads and not in contact with fluid.
Possible. I never dropped the pan on the transmission so I don't know where the magnet is.
First off, thanks for the video, it was very helpful in finding the fill hole and level plug!
Did you only change the 4-5 quarts? I've found the 6F35 need to be flushed 3-4 times with a short drive between to keep the fluid at temperature. I say this because the dry fill is 9.0 quarts, so it has to be diluted by a few changes to get back to near new condition for the fluid. I figured out that three flushes with a final fill (~4 gallons total) gets the fluid to about 95% of its original quality. I verified this by sending fluid samples in from each drain proceedure. Hope this helps some folks.
You've got it correct Jon. Dry fill, which means including what's in the torque converter is going to be 9 quarts. When you do a drain and fill you drain out around 4 liters of fluid. To fully cycle the fluid you would need to drain and fill around 3 times since the torque converter does not have a drain plug. Since that is a pretty long and costly procedure, I do one drain and fill every 30k or so. This leads to a near complete fluid replacement every 90k or so. Every drain and fill you do allows for a refresh of the viscosity and additive packs that are in the Mercon LV fluid.
i take it there is no dip stick for the tranny? thanks for the video it was very helpful.
Correct. The more modern incarnations of the 6F35 did away with the dipstick, which is which you have the check port at the bottom of the transmission behind the driver's front wheel. I also have a 2010 Fusion with the 6F35 that still has a dipstick. I think the reason they dropped it was it was cheaper not to make it. If you like tinfoil hat ideas it also makes it harder to service, which would force the customer potentially to a dealership to have the fluid serviced.
Hi thanks for the video. My wife bought the 2017 van used and we have had it for between 20-30 k miles and it’s currently at 84k miles. We have no clue if the previous owner had changed the transmission fluid or not. When I change it out, should I change it again soon after and maybe even a third time so I can make sure it changes it completely out Just to make sure that I’m good? Thanks for your time.
If you are aiming for a complete flush, then yes that's what I would do. Do one drain and fill, drive around for a tank of gas or two, then do the next drain and fill. Rinse and repeat until you have done a total of three drain and fills. That should replace over 90% of the fluid in the transmission and you should be good to go for the next 30k.
Nice work
Helpful video, thanks. Mechanic was going to charge $400 to do this
That is one of the big reasons I do this. I'm glad that worked out for you.
Hi there. I just had transmission change on my 2015 Transit Connect 39,000 miles. They charged me for 4 quarts of "Universal Synthetic ATF". What do you think about that? Thanks.
So something that would be universal for a TC with a 6F35 transmission would have to be Mercon LV compliant fluid. So... if your fluid has a license from Ford printed on the bottle, you are good to go. That means Ford tested the fluid and found it to be Mercon LV compliant. There are other companies that make universal fluids where they claim compliance with Mercon LV but they didn't pay for the Ford seal of approval. I much prefer the former scenario to the latter. Unless you still have the bottle and can check the fine print, you really aren't going to know the compliance state of the fluid.
Since this transmission is so fluid sensitive, I recommend purchasing the OEM fluid, paying the extra price for it being the OEM fluid and call it a day.
@@MazdaB3K Thanks very much. It's a shop I've always trusted, but then again, I don't know for certain.
You did good job but thumbs down to ford engineengineers. How they make it complicated and fucked up location to check the level of transmission
At first I really didn't like it. But after fighting for hours with various vehicles because their transmission dipsticks aren't designed well, I kind of prefer it. At least this setup you know when you have enough fluid. Not great if you are checking for level due to possible leaks or similar situations.
My fluid is disappearing there are no leaks I did use Castrol LV maybe its burning up the viscosity may be too low.
Robert, unless you see Ford's approval on the Castrol LV I would not use it. Ford's Mercon LV transmissions are very picky about fluid so its a situation where I would use OEM fluids only. That being said, get a sample of your trans fluid and smell it. If you smell a burnt smell chances are the fluid is too thin and you need to drain and fill with OEM.
You MUST use Mercon LV.
Thank you.
Completely flummoxed here in England [waves] - the airbox lifts out to reveal transmission direct fill 8mm (no sign of plastic capped pipe) , and there are TWO drain plugs underneath in addition to the side check valve, each giving up about 2.5 litres I think. Nothing like this, late 2017 model :/
I did a quick bit of research and everything I'm finding is that the procedure should be the same up to 2019 for the 6F35 transmission. One drain plug, the trans vent tube up top and the check port on the side. Can you send me some pictures so I can see?
@@MazdaB3K Yeeah sure will send pics tomorrow when its light! Thanks for the super quick reply! It drained 6l from the two plugs on the housing....same liquid 2.5 front 3.5 rear. I take it yours is the (essentially) manual gearbox with solenoids and dual clutch? I know mine's a different trim to the '16, not sure how different the gubbins are... I put up a link to a febi kit [that sells 6l and a cylindrical filter that mine has also (24(?) mm socket holder] but I think youtube rejected that. Anyway, the filter, the two drains, and the direct 8mm fill plug under airbox are the differences, in addition, liquid amounts to 6l. "Gearbox Oil Filter Kit Auto FOR FORD TRANSIT CONNECT 1.5 15->20 Febi" is the ebay title of kit that would fit mine, if of interest. Thanks again!
Ah, that would explain quite a bit. Mine is an automatic transmission. The 6F35 is an automatic transmission. I'm not sure what manual trans was put in the TC, don't think that option was offered in the US. Let me do some digging right quick....
I found a Haynes video that is for Manual Trans full size Transit Vans. Not sure if it will help you or not.
ua-cam.com/video/q0pQK8pwuk8/v-deo.html
@@MazdaB3K I think mine's a 2nd Gen Powershift if that means something to you. So many quirks in different models, I saw someone changing the fuel filter underneath the seemingly same van, and mine's behind the engine under the bonnet etc. I should have known after seeing what the battery change involved!!!
I am familiar with that trans. That's the one they nerfed then put in the Ford Focus over here and they all blew up because the dual clutch system was "dry", meaning not bathed in oil. I hope you have the full one that is a "wet" dual clutch system. So... you actually have an automatic trans that behaves like a manual. That's why you have two oil sumps and you use gear oil instead of ATF. My brother has a very similar style of transmission in his Kia K5. I'm not sure of any Ford vehicles over here using the Gen2 powerglide, but what you are describing makes a whole lot more sense now.
I went to the dealership to have a transmission flush done. Now I heard that a flush is bad (I don't really understand why). It's supposedly far better to drain and fill as you did. But since it's so sensitive to proper fluid levels and have difficulty getting underneath the car I have avoided doing it myself. I figured I would just mess up more and better pay for it at the dealer. Can you tell me if I may have messed it up with the flush?
I've never had any system really flushed so I'm not sure about why it has a bad rap. My guess would be since you have to correctly use a flushing product compatible with the fluid you are trying to flush out, then make sure you 100% get the flushing product out when you replace with new fluid. Get any of those steps wrong and there can be breakage in your future.
With a drain and fill you are draining out old and putting in new. You don't get 100% of the old fluid out, but you aren't introducing any fluids that are not supposed to be there either. With most oils that you drain and fill the new fluid that you put in generally has enough fresh additives and shear resistance that it covers the remaining old oil you have until you do the next drain and fill, which continues the process of removing the really old fluid until eventually you no longer have ancient fluid. As long as your stay on schedule with your drain and fills life is good.
I mean, that's what an engine oil change is yes?
As long as whomever performed your flush did it right, I don't think you'll have any issues.
@@MazdaB3K At 1:10 in the video "Here's why this new engine oil will make your car run better", this mechanic Scotty Kilmer states that you shouldn't do a transmission flush bc of dirt ending up in various places. But that is what the do in dealerships. Not sure if you bought your Transit Connect new or used, but if you buy used (as I did) you never know how the previous owner maintained the car. I literally see people shifting from D to R (and vice versa) whole the car is still rolling. I assume you can switch from D to D4 or from D to S while the car is in full motion on a freeway somewhere without having to stop, correct?
Two different things going on here. You have more traditional and older automatic transmissions that have a 1st and 2nd gear in addition to PRND. Those gears are there for when you are in specific situations, like mountains where being able to keep the transmission in a low gear all the time is appropriate. That being said, it's not great for you auto trans to try and drive like 1, 2, D. Not really made for that. For most driving situations put it in D and go.
Now for newer automatic transmission with sport shift.. a little different but largely the same setup. The computer can monitor your thottle/rpm/speed and it will force you into a different gear if needed. Unless you are trying to enjoy some twisties or are in the mountain situation again, put it in D and go. There are some vehicles where the sport shift actually has merit to it, like the Kia K5 with turbo 2.5L in it. It has a dual clutch manual automatic transmission where doing sport shift has a bit more meaning.
To directly answer your question, going into sport shift and moving down out of Overdrive shouldn't hurt anything, though the transmission will probably try to bump you back into Overdrive when it can to save you fuel.
If you have an older transmission and you are at interstate speed it's a pretty bad idea to try and shift into 1 or 2. The transmission might do the shift but it's probably going to be pretty slammy and not happy doing it.
You fill it till I comes out the level fill hole on the inside of the tire.
You can do that as a step one. However the final test is to open the fill port to the inside of the driver's tire while the engine is running, transmission in Park and see if any fluid comes out the fill port. A small trickle is fine. None at all means you are low. A large flow coming out means you overfilled the transmission. Note that you should run through the gears before doing this to make sure fluid has shifted around everywhere it should be. These steps from what I remember are outlined in the video.
Do you think it is a good idea to replace the transmission oil in my Van with 127 thousand miles on it? I have never changed it. It is a Ford Transit connect 2018 2.5
That's a tough one. That's enough miles that it may hurt more than help to drain and fill the fluid. At 127K I'd still lean toward replacing the fluid but if you go much longer I would not. I had an 03 Outback that was higher miles and I drained and filled it's fluid and it shifted much better after that. End of the day, your vehicle your call.
@@MazdaB3K Do you know that I just checked the official site for scheduled maintenance and Ford says that I should change my automatic transmission oil every $150,000 miles. It's strange, that's what the Manual of the Ford Transit Connect 2018 2.5 engine says on the official Ford site.Its weird 150k miles is too much but that's what the manual say
Not weird, a business decision. Are you aware of how Ford came to that number? One of the metrics Ford thinks about when marketing vehicles is cost of ownership. That is, over the "life" of the vehicle, how often will the owner need to change fluids, filters, plugs, coils, etc. In order to keep ownership costs down, Ford decides on a mileage number as the "life" of a vehicle. A quick bit of googling comes up with 150k miles. So.... according to Ford, you should change the fluid in the 6F35 at the END of it's life. Essentially, change it if the transmission is still functioning at that point. The 6F35 will make the 150k and beyond. The one in my Fusion lasted 220K with only two drain and fills before it began to fail and I installed a new transmission. However, if you want to get as many miles as you can out of the transmission you have, I recommend the much shorter 30k service interval.@@Israel_Madrid
@@MazdaB3K Thank you so much for the information, last question: Do you think is right use 10w30 oil for this motor?
What if you pulled the trans plug with the engine off but hot and a lot of fluid comes out
Do you mean the drain plug in the transmission pan, or do you mean the check port by the CV axle? As long as the engine is off, pulling the drain plug won't hurt anything as long as you put the right amount of fluid back in and reinstall the plug.
Pulling the check port bolt out with the engine off is basically the same as pulling the drain plug. Without the pump in the transmission running to hold the fluid against gravity, what's in the pan will drain out. In both cases as long as you put the bolt back in and refill the needed amount, you should be ok.
@@MazdaB3K im sorry i meant the check port.. Had the engine off but hot and damn near a quart of fluid came out.. Went to autozone and put another quart in and tested w the engine on and got a slow drivvle so i think im good
A dribble sounds correct with a warmed up transmission and the engine running with check port off. When you drain on flat, level ground you should get around 4 liters out of the transmission pan, so you put around 4 liters back in and go from there by judging at the check port. Glad it worked out for you.
@@MazdaB3K thanks yeah i actually got 5 quarts when i first drained it which was suprising and may have been overfilled not sure as i recently bought the car
Very helpful. Thank you!
Glad you liked it. I should have a video coming in a week or two about how to change out both cabin air filters. Yes, there are two.
Thank u Sir 🙏🙏
You are most welcome.
Thank you a lot
You are most welcome. If I can help folks avoid the crazy prices of the dealer, I'm happy.
Very helpful!
Glad that it helped. I'm actually about at the point to do this again for the wife's van. 30k comes and goes so quickly...
This a 2.5l motor ? And it only needs 5qrt?
This video is on a van with the 2.5L Duratech, yes. The 6F35 transmission holds a total of 9 quarts of Mercon LV if 100% empty. However... in a normal drain and fill you should get ~4-4.5 quarts of fluid out, assuming the transmission is full before drain.
How many quarts did you drain out?
Anyone knows?
I think it's come up a few times in the comments, but you should be looking to get 4-5 US quarts to drain out depending on the fluid levels in the transmission.
Thanks for the video really helpful, mine is 2014 just start making whinny noise and looks like shifting rough .. dash came on as transmission fault needs service .. the funny thing now is back normal and the statement is off now.
It has done 245k and never change or flush before as no leeks at all.
My question do you think it might need to top up fluid or to flush and change the complete Trans fluid.
Or do u think something wrong with the clutches and time to rebuild a new transmission. Thanks in advance!!
At 245k one of two things will happen when you drain and fill the fluid:
1. It's going to run waaaaaaaay better with fresh fluid that is full of additives and detergents that the clutches and seals need for long life and performance.
2. It's going to break. Often what happens with high miles transmissions that have not had their fluid serviced is the fluid becomes thicker as it fills up with shed clutch material as the clutches in the transmission wear down. This thicker, worn out fluid becomes needed by the clutches in order for correct function of the transmission as the clutch discs have become so worn. When you drain out the old and fill in the new, the new fluid is thinner and the clutches don't have the cushion they need anymore and stop working right.
So... it's your call on what you want to do. New fluid might work wonders or the transmission might die on you. I would Since the transmission is already acting up, I would go ahead and budget for getting your transmission rebuilt or getting a new used one. Odds are fluid drain and fill or not, the transmission is not long for this world. The transmission in the Fusion lasted about 220k before it was starting to slip.
Thanks for your reply, I guess I will go for the option of flushing and changing with new fluid .. if die then build a new gear.
Can u do the service yourself, I am in jacksonville- Fl
I myself have never opened a transmission proper to service one as I don't have the work shop for it. In theory you can do the work yourself but you would need a nice workspace with plenty of room, plenty of time and a good camera to take plenty of pictures with. My recommendation would be finding a shop you trust to get quotes on rebuild vs installing a new used one.
One other thought I had is that if you are trying to limp this along, after you do the drain and fill, see how it runs. If it bucks and snorts and slips, try adding a product like Lucas transmission oil. It's crazy thick and could give you the viscosity you need to limp it along until a more complete repair.
Where is the dip stick to check level?!?
Teflon tape is NOT also known as plumbers tape. 2 completely different things. Plumbers tape is used for strapping. It's either made of metal or plastic. Other than that, it was very helpful
I'm aware of what you are speaking of and I have heard it called plumber's tape. For the teflon tape, in my area it's commonly called plumber's tape. Might vary from place to place.
@@MazdaB3K that is very possible.
Teflon tape = plumbers tape.
Ford could've saved themselves a TON of hassle & bought the MAZDA 6 speed auto transaxle used in the CX-5 ...they have none of these issues...just stupid
Possibly. I know that Ford and Mazda had a deep partnership that had ended not that long before this vehicle was made, not sure if either party still had the appetite to do technology agreements.
Remove the air hose and filter box!
You can and that does make the job easier. However I didn't want to have to deal with the sensors and fittings required to remove the airbox and intake hose.
The noise killed this video
Huh, never realized I'd overlapped audio on this one. Sorry about that. I'd fix it but I suspect the almighty algorithm would punish me for that.
how much do i need to add to it? 4 ½ quarts?
This one is a little tricky. On average if you are draining the trans pan on level ground, you should get about 4 liters. A liter is a little more than a quart so we'll go with 4.25 quarts or something around that. Ultimately, you have to pull the check port rearward of the driver's CV axle and see if you have any fluid come out when you do it. If you do( a small stream) you are good to go. If you don't, more fluid needs to be added. A few caveats here:
1. The engine needs to be running when you look in the check port
2. You must have already cycled the transmission through all it's gears
3. The vehicle must be on level ground when you do this. Since the driver front wheel has to come off, this is a bit tricky. Best way I've found is to measure from your level surface to rocker before removing tire, then adjust down your jack until you hit that measurement after you pull the the wheel.
So... look at 4.25 quarts as a safe starting point from which you know that you can turn the engine back on without frying the transmission. You really won't know if you are good until you go through the check port procedure that is in the video and that I just mentioned above.
Juat about the filter jack 😳
Are you referring to the transmission filter? This transmission has one but it is internal to the transmission and cannot be accessed unless you open the transmission. This is why doing the fluid drain and fills is so important because once the filter clogs, it's game over.
Timothy G Hesch
9 seconds ago
Wow what apiece of crap - the design is made to fail. No dipstick to check proper level, no filter changing to keep it clean, you have to pull the tire for maintenance, can't easily access the fill cap & your supposed to change very 30,000!!!!!!!
This is getting more common unfortunately. Transmission work is felt to be something outside the realm of the average car owner so the dipstick went away to save money. You have to change every 30k because if you don't the 6F35 will fail at around 200k. Not a bad number, but if you drain and fill every 30k you can easily get double that.
Another thought is that many service centers are switching to vacuum fill systems, which can be measured more precisely than traditional methods. Most of your quickie lubes now do this so they don't have to remove your oil drain bolt for example.
Does the transmissions have a filter?
Yes it does, but it is not user serviceable without opening the transmission. That it why it's so important to drain and fill the fluid every 30k or so to ensure a very long service life.
I feel like the last part is a waste of time. I think if you get a container that shows the amount you drained out just put the same amount back in.
That does work as well. However knowing how to check the fluid level is handy for multiple reasons, not just servicing operations.
How would you know if the fluid level was correct or low before the initial drain? You wouldn't. So if you refilled what you took out, you could be running low.
Bla bla bla more action
My videos are geared towards beginners who are not familiar with wrenching. If you are comfortable with the section you are watching, the position slider is your friend. Just move to the section of the video you need. I'm pretty sure that UA-cam is auto chaptering the sections for easier searching.