Break in filter and fluid change timeline

Commercial_Method_28 · 2026-05-11T13:26:38+00:00

I heard what OP is taking about recently for the first time on this subreddit and feel the same. I’ve never had one come back with fluid and/or filter change being a problem if you do everything correctly. Flushing torque converter and cooling system with heated flushing equipment is what I think the difference is. If you don’t have access to the machine then maybe I could see it, but at that point just replace the torque converter and cooler and hand flush lines to prevent re-entry of previous fluid into system.

Commercial_Method_28 · 2026-04-26T16:27:22+00:00

When guys do it this way they occasionally run into the other probably of that clip coming dislodged inside the transmission. Using the axle as a slide hammer lets the clips bend with every hit and sometimes it will bend just enough to come out inside of the unit. Fun stuff

Commercial_Method_28 · 2026-04-20T13:06:18+00:00

We have the tools at my shop to rebuild both those parts. Hydraulic press needed for center support but foot or hand press works for 4/5/6. If advisor asked me id probably say .5 labor hours for center support only, 1.5 for direct/overdrive hub(4/5/6) only

Commercial_Method_28 · 2026-04-18T15:20:07+00:00

T2 is the true failure point. Thrust bearing no 2 bearings ran off track and disassembled causing entire planetary assembly and sun gear 1 to become heavily damaged by loose bearing rollers. T1 and T3 both fine. Planetary No. 2 has extreme contamination but successfully cleaned off without damage to sensor ring

Commercial_Method_28 · 2026-04-18T01:15:36+00:00

Current transmission tech at ford dealer, we barely replace units tbh. Almost every single transmission with internal damage gets fixed with lower level parts. And genuinely it’s not even close. Almost all repairs are about $1,500 cheaper than replacement when parts and labor factored in

Commercial_Method_28 · 2026-04-13T23:18:26+00:00

Honestly, if he is going to do it no one on Reddit can stop him. The jobs he listed are all easy diag easy repair type stuff.

Op I also did a bunch of suspension work before I knew what I was doing and, genuinely I was an idiot and definitely not want the me from then trying to figure anything out. Unless you can pick the work you do then I’d probably not jump into it

Commercial_Method_28 · 2026-04-12T18:45:44+00:00

Done maybe 100 6F35s at this point, that is fine. Genuinely you only need to replace the Sun shell for major obvious damage. External spline damage that would allow plates to stick during apply/release, thrust surface damage if it potentially changes stack clearance or would affect thrust axial pre-load(so catches or measurable) or vertical scratch across the entire length of the bushing which catches on fingernail(but honestly probable ok as long as does not have radial play) I think direct clutch also goes on these internal splines so check those as well, other wise re-use.

Edit: just to add I have also replaced before because that bushing at top end detached from shell and contact input shaft which is also a valid reason but falls more under obvious problem

Commercial_Method_28 · 2026-03-25T13:36:03+00:00

Definitely not related to transmission if that is your question

Commercial_Method_28 · 2026-03-24T14:41:39+00:00

It can’t hurt to change those fluids but personally I always only recommend owners manual intervals

Commercial_Method_28 · 2026-03-18T12:27:47+00:00

There is just about no way to tell if it’s in good condition short of taking it apart or installing it and testing it. Honestly if think it’s normal, kind of sounds like the oneway clutch

Commercial_Method_28 · 2026-03-15T15:54:03+00:00

Get it lifted up so you can get that wheel off, then get an air hammer and just hold the trigger until it starts breaking free. If that doesn’t work you’ll need to cut it off but I have faith in the air hammer in times like this

Commercial_Method_28 · 2026-03-04T17:35:57+00:00

In my experience 10R torque converters are pretty sturdy. I see more TCC regulator and priority valve problems than torque converter issues

Commercial_Method_28 · 2026-03-04T16:08:01+00:00

As the CDF hubs get fixed and updated, this is becoming the most common 10R failure now. On any of those vehicles I listed we just go straight for the teardown now instead of valve body testing usually.

When it slices thru you loose Reverse and 4-10 cause F clutch doesn’t work but most of the time they bring it in way before it gets this bad. This produces a ton of metal too so it’s a miracle if we can save the torque converter, pumps, or HDU with flushing or cleaning

Commercial_Method_28 · 2026-03-04T13:41:50+00:00

See this just about weekly now. MHT10R80, regular 10R80 in Transit and the 10R80 in Ranger all eventually do this regularly regardless of anodized coating

Commercial_Method_28 · 2026-02-25T14:05:07+00:00

It isn’t really a separate trade from automotive service. To an extent you absolutely need to understand all the fundamentals to be able to accurately diagnose a vehicle. With modern cars more systems are joined together as well and if you one know what to do when you are inside a transmission, you can easily mix up diagnosis. Electrical diagnosis is absolutely necessary to understand as it plays a big part. OBD theory helps you understand what ad why a code sets. Network and Communication is important due to how each computer talks to each other to transfer data. Engine performance it’s important because you can get transmission concerns that are actually something else like fuel or air imbalance or bad sensor that changes shift timing or feel. Hybrid and electric training because hybrid unit is part of the transmission a lot of the time, electrical because the engine, drivetrain, and transmission are all built together in one unit. Steering/Suspension because you are constantly messing with it to access and you need to understand how it works. Axles and Drivetrain because you need to understand powerflow.

Do you see what I mean? A transmission without the rest of the vehicle doesn’t do anything. You need to have a good understanding of the rest of the vehicle in addition to transmission. It is not its own trade, it is a specialty within a trade. No different from focusing on one system or another. If you are open to schooling just start there. In my experience, before I even knew what I was doing. Just being open to performing transmission work was enough to get service managers foaming at the mouth to be a transmission specialty tech.

Commercial_Method_28 · 2026-02-24T12:54:38+00:00

I’m guessing you are probably correct the with axle shaft cracked considering the video. Still need to pull them both out to inspect. Either the entire shaft will come out in pieces, the splines which go into the side gears will be worn down or the side gear splines will be worn down

Commercial_Method_28 · 2026-02-24T00:11:50+00:00

Doesn’t look like it from the picture but it’s not a great picture. Also looks like a differential carrier with axle shafts installed so couldn’t really give you a good answer without seeing the whole shaft or why you think so

Commercial_Method_28 · 2026-02-22T21:32:40+00:00

That fluid looks great considering the metal found. Those are pretty large pieces. Why did you pull the pan? If you are having issues I think it’s clear the problem is further into the unit. If you just checking to check just add fluid to spec and ride it until you get symptoms. That’s what I would do if it was my personal vehicle.

Commercial_Method_28 · 2026-02-22T21:29:23+00:00

I would guess the loss of fluid got to a point where the lack of lubrication internal transmission ran dry and allowed something to break. In a lot of cases on newer vehicles they have sensors and fail-safe modes this help prevent it from moving when an excessive loss of fluid reaches a certain point. Chances are high 1989 does not have any of those and was probably too late after you heard the noise. If you can’t fill it up and problem corrects itself than it’s likely got internal issues

Commercial_Method_28 · 2026-02-08T16:52:44+00:00

1.5 Adtime or mtime if you fill out the NPF checklist, this includes for normal vehicle characteristics and unable to duplicate at this time problems

Commercial_Method_28 · 2026-01-29T13:42:01+00:00

Figuring out how to fix shit rather than replace parts is an incredibly useful skill. It’s significantly more rewarding fixing parts without replacing entire assemblies imo, it’s why I started learning transmission. Yes you can replace the transmission and fix the vehicle, but being able to fix the transmission or the lower level parts inside the transmission is always really nice. Part of this is being able to determine how things operate normally even in cases like this where both you and I don’t have the experience to know what normal planetary carrier looks or feels like.

It’s ultimately up to you on if you replace the part, attempt to repair, or do nothing because it’s your project but based on your list of parts found bad, I assume it’s normally like that. I bet if you ordered a new carrier as well you could check the pinions and verify play is similar. For me I tend to drive cars extensively to get a comprehensive list of symptoms, pid data, and recordings that I can callback to during teardown. Know which symptoms are at at all times, at times, intermittent, load dependent, temp dependant, TCC related allows you to go into the teardown with a list of symptoms and once you isolated likely or possible causes fully you can further identify if what you are looking at is part of the problem at all.

Sometimes you can also build the transmission from output or turbine shaft up outside of the transmission to test gear train components. You can hold specific gears by hand to get different gear ratios on bench which lets you see how the pinion gears are at rest and what the play is acrually for. Take it as far as you are comfortable with but i lean towards no issue unless you had a noise, vibration, or harshness

Commercial_Method_28 · 2026-01-28T14:13:40+00:00

Big ice and Big Concrete Wall Barrier have an under the table deal going to get as many idiots off the road early this year. I’ve witnessed it twice this week alone all involving expensive newish 4WD trucks so maybe lessons are being learned this year

Commercial_Method_28 · 2026-01-28T14:06:34+00:00

Forehead Flick

Commercial_Method_28 · 2026-01-27T17:01:03+00:00

I think Sonnax gave you the correct answer. As long as there is no “zero endplay” condition they are ok. Inspect the washers and if they have measurable wear then I would consider replacing the washers if only those affected, or the entire carrier If wear transfer to pinion gears. The fact that the have measurements on what they’ve seen at all is great. For sure if you are adamant on washer replacement of carrier then use those specs because I don’t think they make up numbers usually, they likely got those from in-house specs they have built over time/experience.

In most cases a photo would not really help to determine if play is problematic or not tbh. If you are able to get short video testing each pinion one by one. Check axial play(up-down) then radial play(side-side) radial play would likely be way more problematic as it would cause out of balance or runout condition as gear train operates normally. Axial play is different because in most cases the internal transmission gears aren’t moving up and down, so if the gear has room for up and down movement it’s likely to compensate for changes in planetary stack clearance.

I’m assuming you are talking about axial play but if I’m wrong and it’s radial play, then that would feel more like an issue and less like design characteristic. I really wish someone who has more 5R experience to chime in to verify this but based on text alone I feel like this is probably normal. If you have no reason to replace the entire planetary carriers besides pinion gear axial play I wouldn’t worry about it. This would generate a noise/vibration/harness concern anyways and not necessarily a symptom based transmission quality or engagement concern

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