How to Replace Change Transmission Filter 1995-2001 Ford Explorer
Created on: 2010-10-12
Learn how to replace the the automatic transmission filter in your 95-01 Ford Explorer with this 1A Auto video. You can do this regular service yourself!
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step 1 :Draining the Transmission Fluid
- Raise the vehicle onto jack stands
- Have catch pans ready
- Remove all the bolts except two back bolts
- Loosen the two back bolts
- Pry the pan loose with a screwdriver
- Let the fluid drain
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step 2 :Removing the Transmission Pan
- Use a jack to hold the pan in place
- Remove the remaining bolts
- Remove the pan
- Pour any fluid remaining in the transmission pan into the catch pan
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step 3 :Removing the Filter
- Remove the 8mm bolt using the ratchet
- Pull off the filter
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step 4 :Inspecting the Valve Body
- Check the valve body bolts
- If necessary, re-torque the bolts to 8 foot-pounds
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step 5 :Installing the New Filter
- Push in the new filter, with the smaller ring at the rear
- Reattach the 8mm bolt
- Tighten the bolt to 8 foot-pounds
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step 6 :Removing the Gasket
- Remove the gasket with a razor blade
- Remove any glue with mineral spirits and steel wool or a wire brush
- Clean the inside of the pan with solvent
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step 7 :Attaching the New Gasket
- Put the new gasket in place
- Slide in two bolts at opposite corners to hold gasket in place
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step 8 :Replacing the Pan
- Slide the Pan into Place
- Start the first two bolts
- Work all the bolts in by hand
- Tighten the bolts to 10 foot-pounds in a opposing order
- Check the torque of each bolt in a rotational order
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step 9 :Refilling the Transmission Fluid
- Check that you have the correct transmission fluid for your model
- Add about 3 quarts of transmission fluid
- Start the vehicle and allow the engine to warm up
- Fill with transmission fluid until it reaches the marker on the dipstick
Tools needed
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Razor Blade / Gasket Scraper
13mm Socket
Jack Stands
Mercon V Auto Trans Fluid
8mm Socket
Mineral Spirits
Drain Pan
Ratchet
Wire Brush
Floor Jack
Brake Parts Cleaner
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Hi, I'm Mike Green. I'm one of the owners of 1A Auto. I want to help you save time and money repairing and maintaining your vehicle. I'm going to use my 20-plus years experience restoring and repairing cars and trucks like this, to show you to the correct way to install parts from 1AAuto.com. The right parts, installed correctly: that's going to save you time and money. Thank you and enjoy the video.
In this video, we're going to service the transmission on this Ford Explorer, which basically involves dropping the pan and replacing the filter. Tools you'll need are a 13-mm socket with ratchet extension and an 8-mm socket. You'll also need catch pan, and jack and jack stands, if you can't get under your vehicle. Also, obviously the automatic transmission.
This process is similar for most vehicles. Obviously, the tools will be different and the filter will be different but you can pretty much get what you need for a service on most conventional automatic transmissions from this video.
You're going to want to go up underneath and you're going to pull down your transmission pan, which is this pan right here, and here's you cross number, and catalytic converter, and your engine is up here. Here's your transmission pan. There's about 15 bolts, just around the perimeter. You want to remove all the bolts except for probably, two of the back ones. You loosen up those back ones and start prying down on the front, so that you can control how much oil comes out.
So, I still have the rear two bolts tight. Now, you can see I am actually loosening up this front one. I'm starting to get drips all around the front of the pan. I've got a nice wide catch pan here. I'm trying to work the screwdriver in. Once you work the screwdriver in, you can see it's really trying to pour it out. We're going to let it drain like that for a while.
What you can see here I just put the jack in here lightly. Just to help me out along take these bolts off.
I just brought the pan down and I'm dumping the rest of the fluid that's in the pan into my catch basin.
There's your filter right here. There's an 8-mm bolt, right here. It's not a clean job but your transmission will really appreciate your work.
Put that bolt right down in the pan that's down here. Now your filter comes right out. There's some more fluid.
Now, we're looking at it with the pan and filter off. What you're seeing with all the ribs and everything is your valve body. What you want to do, if your transmission is shifting well, you just want to check all the bolts on that valve body. There's, I think, 24 of them. Just make sure they're torqued to about 8 foot-pounds. It's not very much, it's not very tight but that's where you want them at. You just want to check them and re-torque them.
If you are having shifting problems with your Explorer transmission, then you want to check out my other video, which is 'Replacing the Valve Body Gasket to Fix Sluggish Shifting'.
Here's your new filter coming with O rings. Make sure they're installed on both ends. Smaller ring goes towards the rear. Push it, tuck it in. The bolt, reconnect. I'm going to take that up to about 8 foot-pounds.
OK, so you want to make sure you clean out your pan real good. Use a razor blade scraper to scrape off the gasket and then you can use some mineral spirits and steel wool. If your gasket has been glued on at some point, you want to get it as clean as possible. Use a wire brush or something like that, but normally you can just pull on the gasket and pull it up and off. Also you want to clean the inside of the pan, as well as you can. Use some solvent, WD40 or kerosene or something, and clean out as much dirt as possible.
So, you can see here we got the pan, my new gasket. It does only go on one way. It's going to be kind of a pain to get on there, but what we're going to do is to get it in place and take two rear bolts, push them up through. You can do more if you want, to hold it in place.
We're going to put it in. Here, I'm just going to start it. Screwdriver the gasket a little bit.
I always like to work all the bolts in by hand first and then tighten them up snug. Now, I'm just going to torque this up to 10-foot pound. Try to do it in a crisscrossing pattern. Then after I do the crisscrossing pattern, I'll just go around one by one and double check them.
Once your pan's all on, then you're going to want to fill up your transmission. Your dipstick has a little grid here that shows you where full is. What you want to do is you probably put about three quarts in and then start it up and let it get warm, and fill it until it's in the middle or towards the top of that grid. You want to use Mercon V type automatic transmission fluid in this Ford Explorer. If you're doing a different type of car make sure you use the correct fluid for whatever vehicle you're working on.
We hope this helped you out. Brought to you by www.1AAuto.com. Your source for quality replacement parts and the best service on the internet. Please feel free to call us toll free, 888-844-3393. We're the company that's here for you on the internet and in person.
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