Transmission oil and filter change

[Marchos77]

Back again.  I have been trying to gather the parts and oil needed to perform an oil and filter change on my 2010 Tiffin Allegro motorhome with the 6.8L V10. I am not sure where to look since the manual doesn't mention anything about what transmission it is.  Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Utclmjmpr]

The manual you need will be a Ford manual or after market manuals as in Chilton or Haynes available at most auto parts stores.>>>Dan

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

You have a Ford F53 chassis with Ford V10 engine and a Ford  5-speed TorqShift transmission.  I think the tranny model is 5R110.

 

[SpencerPJ]

Silly question?

Why do you feel the need to change out the transmission fluid and filter on a 2010?  High mileage?  If you are handy, and just want to do it for preventive maintenance, that's awesome.  If you are having some kind of issue, I guess that is good place to start as well, a simple drain, replace filter, and refill. 

Only reason I ask, transmissions are very quirky and sensitive to getting the correct amount of fluid in them.  Too little or too much ends in a costly repair.

Good luck with your project.  You could always stop by your local RV shop, surely they could help you with the needed parts / part numbers, (then buy them at your local autostore, lol)

 

[Marchos77]

Maintenance states that transmission oil changes should be done @ 30k intervals.  Currently the coach has 52k and I bought it with 49k.  I am anal when it comes to the transmissions and making sure they are maintained properly.  I can rebuild an engine but I don't know how to rebuild a transmission.  Rebuilt transmissions start @ $2k and go up from there. Previous owner maintained the engine but forgot the tranny.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

It's hard to argue against proactive maintenance, but tranny fluid change intervals are notoriously conservative. Most likely because operating conditions and drivers vary so much.  Odds are heavy that TorqShift could easily do 100k miles between changes, but if you can DIY it's neither real expensive or inconvenient to make sure with a routine change.  I'd use synthetic fluid, too.

An alternative is to do an annual tranny fluid analysis to verify its condition, but in that size tranny that's probably equal to the DIY cost of simply changing it every 30k or so. However, with a bigger one like an Allison 3000, the economics are the opposite.

 

[AStravelers]

The Ford transmission has a drain plug.  Just remove the plug and drain, much the same as changing the engine oil.  If you want to replace the internal filter you will have to drop the pan on the bottom of the transmission.  I don't recommend going through that much trouble.  Over the last 40 years I have changed the internal filter on about 4 different vehicles and have never found them to be the least bit dirty.  This includes the Ford F53 Chassis in my 2006 Winnebago Sightseer about 2 years ago.  I no longer own the Sightseer.

Do be aware that Ford is very specific about the type of transmission fluid, look in the Ford chassis owners manual for the fluid. Do an internet search for "Motorcraft Mercron SP" for a place to buy it. In my area most auto parts stores don't carry it.  It costs about $10/quart and you will need 7 quarts.

Hopefully, you are aware that just draining the fluid only drains about 40% of the fluid.  The remainder is in the torque converter and hoses to the radiator.  You have to go through a flush process to get all the old fluid out.  Or do the drain and fill, then drive for 20-30 minutes, repeat the drain & fill 2-3 more times. That will get about 80%-90% of the old fluid out.

 

[Hanr3]

The Ford transmission has a drain plug.  Just remove the plug and drain, much the same as changing the engine oil.  If you want to replace the internal filter you will have to drop the pan on the bottom of the transmission.  I don't recommend going through that much trouble.  Over the last 40 years I have changed the internal filter on about 4 different vehicles and have never found them to be the least bit dirty.  This includes the Ford F53 Chassis in my 2006 Winnebago Sightseer about 2 years ago.  I no longer own the Sightseer.

Do be aware that Ford is very specific about the type of transmission fluid, look in the Ford chassis owners manual for the fluid. Do an internet search for "Motorcraft Mercron SP" for a place to buy it. In my area most auto parts stores don't carry it.  It costs about $10/quart and you will need 7 quarts.

Hopefully, you are aware that just draining the fluid only drains about 40% of the fluid.  The remainder is in the torque converter and hoses to the radiator.  You have to go through a flush process to get all the old fluid out.  Or do the drain and fill, then drive for 20-30 minutes, repeat the drain & fill 2-3 more times. That will get about 80%-90% of the old fluid out.

Great info.
I will add. There is no reason to change the filter. None! The transmission is a closed loop system. It is not open to external contaminants like engine oil. If your filter is plugged, your transmission is toast and needs a rebuild. The only way to plug up a transmission filter is by clutch pack material, and if the material is flaking off, changing the filter won't fix the problem. The primary reason to change tranny fluid is to keep your seals soft, clean, and operating properly. When seals harden, they leak, which leads to slippage, slippage leads to excessive wear on clutch packs, which causes excess heat, which hardens seals, and the cycle repeats until total failure.

Another word of caution, opening up the transmission to change the filter you will expose the system to external contaminants, and could introduce foriegn material into the transmission thus casueing failure.

 

[Cuervo1]

Great info; I am also considering a tranny service. Have watched several videos on the subject. I am not having any problems with transmission,so after reading your advice ; I think I will avoid dropping the pan and just do a drain. What about changing the external filter that I have seen in videos? Not sure if mine has one, but if it does changing would probably be a good idea at 105k miles