but it could have been thought out a little better. A little over a century ago, Henry Ford put two petcocks on his Model T so you could check the oil. The oil should run strongly out of the lower petcock, and dribble out of the top one. It was an easy system to use and it worked well. You could check the oil by reaching under, but you did not need to jack up a Model T to do that.
Our 2008 Ford Explorer does not have a dipstick for checking the automatic transmission fluid. Instead, it has a plug in the bottom of the pan with another plug in the middle, which is at the bottom of a stand pipe for checking the fluid level. The concept is good, but in practice it is not easy without a lift. Checking the transmission fluid level is supposed to be done with the car warmed up, sitting level, with the engine running. The home mechanic must lift the entire car and have it sitting safely on jack stands in order to check the fluid level, or to change the fluid and put in the proper amount.
I jacked up the car, set it on stands, and also blocked the wheels for good measure. I took out the little plug, and drained out a quart, then took out the big plug and drained out the rest of the transmission fluid. I dropped the pan, and the reusable gasket (!!!!) stayed in place on the transmission body.
You can see the little standpipe for setting your fluid level in this shot, and the magnet for capturing metal from transmission wear. The total fluid collected was just under five quarts.
The new filter, which is held in place by two bolts, and the cleaned-up transmission pan. I poured in three quarts of new fluid before I lifted the pan into place, and bolted it under the car.
Here is the part that is different from dipstick transmissions. You have to pump the new fluid up through the standpipe, run in the plug, warm up your transmission, and with the engine running, check the fluid level by removing the little plug again. The fluid should drip well, or run out fairly strongly. It took a few tries to make it drip to suit me. I kept track and it took five quarts, plus 23 ounces. Our Explorer is the 2008, V-6, five speed version. The V-8 has a different transmission, so you will have to measure what you drain, then fill and check as I did if you have the V-8 Explorer.
but it could have been thought out a little better. A little over a century ago, Henry Ford put two petcocks on his Model T so you could check the oil. The oil should run strongly out of the lower petcock, and dribble out of the top one. It was an easy system to use and it worked well. You could check the oil by reaching under, but you did not need to jack up a Model T to do that.
Our 2008 Ford Explorer does not have a dipstick for checking the automatic transmission fluid. Instead, it has a plug in the bottom of the pan with another plug in the middle, which is at the bottom of a stand pipe for checking the fluid level. The concept is good, but in practice it is not easy without a lift. Checking the transmission fluid level is supposed to be done with the car warmed up, sitting level, with the engine running. The home mechanic must lift the entire car and have it sitting safely on jack stands in order to check the fluid level, or to change the fluid and put in the proper amount.
I jacked up the car, set it on stands, and also blocked the wheels for good measure. I took out the little plug, and drained out a quart, then took out the big plug and drained out the rest of the transmission fluid. I dropped the pan, and the reusable gasket (!!!!) stayed in place on the transmission body.
You can see the little standpipe for setting your fluid level in this shot, and the magnet for capturing metal from transmission wear. The total fluid collected was just under five quarts.
The new filter, which is held in place by two bolts, and the cleaned-up transmission pan. I poured in three quarts of new fluid before I lifted the pan into place, and bolted it under the car.
Here is the part that is different from dipstick transmissions. You have to pump the new fluid up through the standpipe, run in the plug, warm up your transmission, and with the engine running, check the fluid level by removing the little plug again. The fluid should drip well, or run out fairly strongly. It took a few tries to make it drip to suit me. I kept track and it took five quarts, plus 23 ounces. Our Explorer is the 2008, V-6, five speed version. The V-8 has a different transmission, so you will have to measure what you drain, then fill and check as I did if you have the V-8 Explorer.
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