mudfuel07 wrote:
You might want to check on Ford-trucks.com. Mark K is over there and he has extensive experience with the 4R100. Also, I think that the Mercon SP has replaced all other fluids.
MERCON SP has NOT replaced all other fluids! Using MERCON SP in a 4R100 will guarantee the need for a rebuild. The 4R100 requires MERCON V.
The V10 and 7.3L 4R100 are similar, not exactly the same. The torque converters are different and have different part numbers. They have different stall RPMs. That alone drives a different part number.
The V10 does not keep the converter locked all the time. It does lock more than the 7.3L, but not all the time. The reason is different engineers programmed the two. One knew what he was doing more than the other one did. There is no good engineering reason why one would be locked more often than the other.
Getting back to the original question. That filter needs to be replaced, or just removed. It was added later, those trucks did not leave the factory with an external filter. I can argue it either way. If you want an external filter, get a new one. The one that is there will plug up and cause problems. If you just remove it your truck will be like 95% of the other 4R100s running around without an external filter and not have any problems.
