checking tranny fluid on the 2002 mountaineer

devfan4life

I just recently purchased a 2002 montaineer and for maintenance purposes i cannot locate the transmission fluid dipstick in the engine!!! PLEASE HELP...

bretfraz

A buddy of mine just told me this the other day. Check in with the Explorer folks over in the SUV Conference for confirmation.

swschrad

which flatly stinks.

ANT14

There is NO transmission fluid dipstick, the tranny is sealed for life, as in, you don't need to worry about it ever. Just like BMW's, and a few other manufacturer's.

swschrad

when the fluid is gone, the life is over.

ANT14

When the fluid is gone, chances are the vehicle will be quite old already and needing replacement. The fluid used is not the kind to evaporate or just simply dissapear, so it's not an issue. BMW has been using this method of transmission for quite awhile already, and it's not an issue for them.

Worse case senario, something screws up in the transmission, they'll either have to open up or fix it and add fresh fluid, or simple install a new one.

opera_house_wk

My understanding is there is a drain plug that is removed. Part of the plug assembly is a verticle tube that stops at the correct level in the transmission. The transmission is set perfectly level and is slightly overfilled by pumping new fluid into the drain plug. Fill hose is removed and the excess is allowed to drain out. This sets the level.

swschrad

and gaskets can fail, along with shaft seals. I still think it stinks. non-maintainable components should have a warranty for the life of the vehicle, as determined by the owner. fully transferable. period.

ANT14

I believe how it's designed, there's no gaskets that can leak because they aren't located in areas that hold the fluid, as in, the bottom area/sections are the areas that are sealed for life.

But I'm just reporting the news, I do know they are sealed for life. Not sure the specifics of it so don't quote me.

nvbanker

So, I should be alarmed when my dealer does a trans service on my Mountaineer, and charges me for it, huh?

ANT14

Actually, I would ask him personally that I wanted to see EXACTLY what they planned to "check" on the tranny. If anything, they'll just run the computer to check if all is ok, and/or check around the tranny housing, check for any signs of any issue... THIS is what they might be charging for.... if anything.

nvbanker

Good advice. I've already had it reflashed once, made all the difference.