Question....What is the best method for changing, flushing and converting to the Amsoil ATF. I gotten great results with the engine oil so far and look forward to getting it in the tranny. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
97 Mark LSC with 109,000 mile. Last tranny fluid change was at 40000 miles. No current leak issues and only slight hard shifts.
Thanks

"Bout all you can do is pull the pan, thereby draining it. When you pull the filter a bit more will drain out.
Then remove the little round rubber dust plug in the bottom of the bell housing, put a socket, extension and pull handle on the retainer bolt in the center of the harmonic balancer, then turn engine slowly till you see the plug in the torque converter and get it lined up with the access hole. Pull this plug to drain the converter.
Then after all have drained and you have cleaned the pan and replaced the filter with a new one, you replace the pan and the t.c. plug. Use the original gasket on the pan if it isn't damaged. It's a rubber and metal sandwich construction piece and far superior to the cork or composition gaskets that come with replacement filters. Fill with about 7 quarts and then start adding the rest while checking the level with the dipstick and shifting back and forthe to diffferent gears and then returning to park for checking. Be sure to not overfill.
Dave

dirty old man

OK....Thanks for the HELP. I wasn't sure if there was a drain plug available in the newer torque converters. I've never changed out the tranny fluid myself before, but I knew I wanted to be sure and drain as much of the old fluid as possible. I had read some other methods that suggest taking a return line loose from the radiator and adding new fluid as it pump out.? I guess that is how the quick lubes flush the fluid out?
Anyway. Thanks again. I appreciate your assistance. I'll tackle that project in the next week or so.

I know my '94 GenI has a t.c. drain plug and I'm reasonably certain the '97 Gen II does also.
If by some chance the t.c. doesn't have a drain plug then the method you mentioned will work, and that is how the quick lubes do it. But I don't much like that method as there is still an old filter in there.
Dave

dirty old man

Finally got around to the fluid and filter change over to Amsoil ATF. Old (65,000 mile) fluid color seemed pretty good yet, but I did have some debris stuck to the magnet in the pan. I guess thats normal? I drained the torque converter as suggested, dropped the pan and got a total of about 11 qts of old fluid out which I guess is not bad for a 12.8 capacity system (owners manual). So far the tranmission upshifts and downshifts much smoother. I look forward to getting it out on the highway really warming it up good.
Thanks again
Bruce

Glad to help Bruce, and I appreciate the endorsement for Amsoil ATF, which I have found to be way superior to just about any other fluid out there. The fluid's resistance to heat breakdown is way above any of the petro based or syn/petro blends.
Yeah, I think you got out just about all that will come out without dropping the valve body.And yeah, some metal residue on the magnet is normal.
Dave

dirty old man