I started work on changing the transmission fluid in the Mustang yesterday and finished up the job this evening. The hardest part of the job was removing both the drain and fill plugs. The most frustrating is the normal struggle to fill the transmission with any form of pump as it is never a clean job.
The drain and fill plugs were exceptionally tight. I used a 15" breaker bar and couldn't get them loose. I soaked them overnight with PB Blaster but that didn't help. I used a small map gas torch which didn't seem to help much either. The combination of all of those items, a 15" breaker bar, and hitting the breaker bar with a deadblow hammer was the ultimate answer. When the drain bolt came out, it looked like it had never been out before and still had that factory orange sealant on the plug.
I was careful to track how much was in the transmission as I suspected it might have never been changed and might be low. By my measurements, I removed about 2.3 quarts and put about 2.6 quarts back in. I'm rather surprised the output seal is still working great. In the past, I've drained transmissions, found them low, filled them back up, and the realized the rear seal leaks out back to the level it was before starting the job. I don't think that will be the case here.
I thought they might have changed the transmission fluid when the former owner took it in to have the clutch replaced. That doesn't seem to be the case as the fluid certainly didn't look new. It didn't have an overly burned smell but was certainly brown relative to new fluid. The new Valvoline MaxLife Full Synthetic ATF is to the right in the picture below with what was removed on the lower left.
There was some pieces of something in the bottom of the drain pan. It wasn't metal and I suspect it might have been some of the sealant from around the drain bolt. It was certainly hard but you could use your fingernail to break it in half. I took a picture of it in case I want to review it later. I really didn't see any metal in the fluid which is a good sign.
I'd planned to remove the transmission crossmember to replace the transmission mount and crossmember bushings but it seems I will need to remove the exhaust to have enough space. I wasn't ready to tackle that right now as the next few weeks will be busy so I put it back together so the car is ready to drive when I am.
The current mileage on the car is 81,914. I purchased it with 81,626 miles so I'm nearing 300 miles since purchase.
Update: I didn't get to drive the car for a few days after the transmission fluid change. I've heard a bit of a whine from the transmission under load and thought the fluid change might fix it. While it has likely improved the situation in some way, I can still hear the whine so I suspect the transmission needs a little work due to wear. However, it has been serviced and isn't going to simply stop working any time soon.
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