[MCRacing524]

I've made a post about this some time ago, only had a couple of responses. I went to the dealer today to get a oil filter, my owners manual, and to get a Tranny filter. The guy said it doesn't have a real filter...just a metal screen that you CAN clean. They said they don't clean them they just do the flush. I started to ask the guy about the settlement that's sitting in the bottom of the pan and where does it go as it's being flushed thru the valve body, and torque converter...but he wasn't catching on. So I just dropped the subject. The guy said he could order me a new screen that they didn't keep them in stock because they don't ever change them just the flushes. $50 for a new one. I told him well if it's okay to clean it then what's the purpose of replacing it. So my question is to anyone who has dropped the pan on their 04 3 with a 2.3L only to find a screen not a filter like what's in the write up pictures in this forum (which was a nice write up btw)? If you did find just the screen what did you use to clean it and what did it look like...I mean were you able to actually clean it or was it incased in a plastic housing much like the filter in the write up?

 

[MCRacing524]

Anyone??? Bueller? Bueller? 26 people read it and must be in the same boat I guess...wondering what to do.

 

[HouRman]

I have not ACTUALLY done it, but I've dropped the pan on other cars and found a metal screen that I think I cleaned with carb cleaner.

I am going to be dropping the pan this Saturday so if nobody posts, then I will.

 

[MCRacing524]

Yeah I was planning on doing it Sat. as well along with changing the engine oil & filter. I need to find some RP for the tranny though first. I to will try and take some pics of the screen and anything I see worth taking pics to explain so others who have the same dealeeoo have something to go by.

 

[HouRman]

I'm putting in Castrol Mercon V. Found a bunch for like $3.50ea at Wal-mart and it says it's a synthetic blend.

The only reason I'm dropping the pan is because I want to see if there's gunk buildup. Plus while i'm down there i'll try to do a full fluid swap using the transmission pump.

 

[D Bone]

I expect detailed reports by Saturday night! (seriously)



Darryl 8)

 

[HouRman]

That's possible... Though it may take a couple days until I actually upload the pics and write up my experience.

 

[MCRacing524]

Well unless my bud has some RP ATF in his garage I won't be able to get it done today like I wanted too. Unless I can get him to run to the local distributer (if they are open) or I can go but I get it at cost from him sooo.

 

[D Bone]

Are you sure that RP ATF is friction modified correctly for our Mercon V tranny's? It seems to me, that if it was then it would be MV certified, or they would at the very least mention MV in their product description.



Darryl

 

[HouRman]

Ok, so i'm ready to do my tranny work, though I think I'll create a separate post because I'm going to have pictures and stuff.

I'm doing a complete drain and refill with 8 quarts of Castrol Mercon V via the transmission pump, and installing a tru-cool transmission cooler. I'll be dumping the pan to clean that out as well and inspecting it.

The manual says I'm supposed to run compressed air at 27psi through the OEM transmission cooler and lines to clean them out but I'll probably be too lazy to do that.

I bought thread lock, high temp silicone sealant, 5/16" inner diameter clear tubing (for draining), and some good year transmission oil line tubing for my cooler installation.

The hardest part will be to securely mount the transmission cooler in the perfect spot, and I think I've found a good location while I was down there earilier this morning.

I might catch a movie and begin work tonight so if I post a walkthrough it'll probably be in the "how to" forum and will be there sunday night.

My reason for installing the cooler is I believe that heat is the enemy to transmissions, which is essentially a weak point in our cars. By going with a LPD cooler It shouldn't reduce the oil pressure that much and only benefit the system by adding more fluid and cooling.

It's also going to help if I decide to go forced induction in the future... hehe

 

[MCRacing524]

[quote author=D Bone link=topic=65991.msg1136475#msg1136475 date=1168129242]
Are you sure that RP ATF is friction modified correctly for our Mercon V tranny's? It seems to me, that if it was then it would be MV certified, or they would at the very least mention MV in their product description.



Darryl
[/quote]

I've been in contact with Royal Purple...turned out the guy I was speaking with also races Mazda series cars. The reason they are not able to put the Mercon V on their label is a legal issue with Ford. It actually exceeds the Mercon V rating according to him and he said I would not incounter any problems using Max ATF. So in it will go! I've been using RP for years and have always had good service thru them with road racing bikes. My engine builder is also a dealer and I also trust what he says. I know this is an ongoing arguement on this site but I have my reasons for not using Mobil, and I'm not going to get into all of that as I've already been thru that in other topics on this site. So it's more about our own personal opinions then what really works.

 

[D Bone]

Good enough.........................Don't forget to post how your tranny pan drop goes when you finish it.


Darryl

 

[MCRacing524]

Will do...if in fact it does just have a screen...I may look into putting in a inline cartridge filter. I don't know how much this screen catches. I don't normally have time to do this sort of work during the week so I'll be looking to perform it next weekend!

 

[HouRman]

For what it's worth, mine has a plastic filter that's about 1/3 the size of the transmission pan. It's a micron felt type filter and it's easily replaceable if you drop the pan. I'm writing my "HOW TO" right now.

 

[MCRacing524]

[quote author=HouRman link=topic=65991.msg1138358#msg1138358 date=1168237542]
For what it's worth, mine has a plastic filter that's about 1/3 the size of the transmission pan. It's a micron felt type filter and it's easily replaceable if you drop the pan. I'm writing my "HOW TO" right now.
[/quote]

Your is an 06 though correct? I'm suprised I didn't get more feedback in this topic from those who have or had 04's. Surely these guys have done tranny scheduled maint. LMAO. Guess I'll have to find out next weekend. I'm ordering up my RP right now. I wonder if the pans look any different between yours and mine. I'll take a look at your right up then compare it to mine...maybe there is something different about them that would lead me to think my filter maybe different.

 

[MCRacing524]

Well I finally had a decent day on a weekend to get my flush done. I dropped the fluid out of the plan, then dropped the pan. I was told by Jim Ellis Mazda that there was no filter only a metal screen that could be cleaned and then reinstalled. Well, they were wrong. Turns out the 04 2.3L has a filter that is inclosed in a black plastic housing like the write up done not to long ago. So all I was able to do was let it drain as much as I could and then poured fresh RP thru it. I cleaned the pan off using SeaFoam cleaner. The magnet had a gray scum on it...but no real metal shavings so that was good. No sludge in the pan, but the oil was a bit brown. I used a paint stripper in a small bucket and a sponge type paint brush to dab the stripper along the gasket surface on both the pan and the trans. That stuffed worked well and it bubbled the gasket stuff right off...it did take some of the paint off as well but I wasn't too concerned about that since it's only the gasket surface. I bought some Black RTV Hitemp oil resistant sealant. I put a 1/8th inch beed all the way around the pan and around each bolt hose. Put the pan up but didn't put it against the trans., I put all of the bolts in a couple of thread each...then used 2 bolts to pull the pan in. I then went over each bolt but didn't fully tighten them as I wanted a small amount of the RTV to build a seal. If you fully tighten the bolts too soon you'll squish all of the RTV out and it could leak. I waited about an hour and a half before I put any tension on the bolts...keep in mind they were not too tight to begin with so I didn't put a whole lot on them either. I then poored in 3 qt. back into the fill tube...as I measured (using a 2qt. bucket I had) the oil that came out of the pan when I drained it. I unhooked the hose off the right side (looking at the front of the car) trans., this is the output hose. I hooked 3/8" ID hose...(there was a write up about doing this and he used 5/16" ID and it just wasn't going to fit when I tried so I went back and bought the 3/8" ID clear hose from Home Depot and bought a hose clamp just in case. The 3/8"ID fit with a little snug just like it should. I then taped the other end into the drain pan and eyeballed 3 qt. from draining the pan earlier. I started the car and it started pumping oil out into the pan. I went Park, to Reverse, to drive, to 2nd gear...but couldn't go further up in gears. Once I got 3 qts out I stopped the car and drained the pain and refilled 3 qts back in the fill tube. I repeated this one more time before I started getting fresh RP thru the clear tubing. I removed the hose and reinstalled the original, and put in the same amount of oil that I removed, and then checked the dip stick and it looked to be spot on but I will check it again tomorrow after I take it for a drive. I chose not to drive it tonight because I wanted to give a full 24hours for the RTV to setup and cure fully. All in all this was very easy and only took me about an hour and a half to do and that was looking at everything and seeing what was what. I was pissed that the dealer kinda screwed me but what else is new...I'll just drop the pan next engine oil change and change the trans filter. I'll post back tomorrow any changes I notice using RP.

 

[MCRacing524]

Holy frickin WOW! First thing I noticed was it was 14 degrees out and the car didn't shift hard when I pulled out of the driveway. Then once it warmed up it shifted so dang smooth it was like a different car. I'm really thinking the person who owned the car before me didn't have the flush done at the 30k something service. In fact the problem I was having prior to the flush where in Shift Manual mode...sometimes it wouldn't go into the next gear and I'd have to shift over into Auto to make it shift. I was thinking maybe something was messed up under the shift indicator panel like one of the slides were mess'd or the previous owner spilled something sticky down in there hell I didn't know what was going on it was a intermittent thing. All I know is I drove 600 miles in the past 2 days and it hasn't missed a lick when in Manual mode. I'm happy...it was a easy service to do, the oil was a bit expensive but way cheaper then any trans repairs. Anyway, thought I'd leave a bit of feedback. Mileage rate didn't change as some people have experienced...but that's cool...gas is getting cheaper!!! Yayyy

 

[D Bone]

Glad to hear it. While I didn't have the major issues that you did before I did my flush, I also noticed a huge improvement as well in the quality of the shifts.



Darryl

 

[MCRacing524]

[quote author=D Bone link=topic=65991.msg1178119#msg1178119 date=1170215251]
Glad to hear it. While I didn't have the major issues that you did before I did my flush, I also noticed a huge improvement as well in the quality of the shifts.



Darryl
[/quote]

Yeah it was really kinda strange. I mean the problem that was going on that led me to believe it was in the area around the shifter was because sometimes I would hear the plastic creak...you know like it was stuck and under pressure. So I was ready to take that mechanism apart and make sure there wasn't like a burr of plastic or one of the slides were broke something of that sort. I wanted to do the flush first though because when the shifter wouldn't shift it was like the lever itself was stuck...I couldn't pull it back like normal...and there was no give so that's what kinda threw me too. I was thinking...well shoot even if the plastic was hanging it up I should still be able to have some give to it I thought...so yeah I was happy that the flush ended up fixing it. I'm only hoping that it didn't wear on the trans too much. Like I said...didn't find any metal or really even any sludge in the pan and the oil wasn't brown (still a bit red), the magnet had some sludge on it but I think that's kinda normal.

 

[HouRman]

I'm glad you found my write-up useful and are pleased with the results. Sorry about the 5/16" ID tube suggestion. I bought that in "Vinyl" and managed to get it to fit with some twisting. I bet 3/8" would probably be better, so I'll edit my article to suggest 3/8" with a clamp.

I noticed an improvement too and now I feel like doing the full flush to my car every 30k miles.

I only use MerconV so really it's costing me like $31 per flush. When I hit 60K miles I'll change the ATX filter.