changing engine and tranny fluids?

[Fla904]

Picking my RV up day before thanksgiving and I am wondering If I should change all the fluids? I planned on changing the oil but have heard mixed answers on changing the transmission fluid.. Some say I dont need to and some say I do need to.. Its a 98 ford shasta with the v-10 has 58k miles on it. So should I change the tranny fluid, coolant, oil etc etc? or just the oil and Ill be good?

[DrewE]

jjrbus wrote:

On the flush, up to 40% of the fluid can be in the converter, if not doing a flush do multiple fluid changes. SOME manufactures recommend against flushes on their transmissions, follow manufacturers recommendation. Not Joe down the streets advice.

My spaceship is almost here, gotta go. Jim

The OP's '98 should have a drain plug on the torque converter. :C

[jjrbus]

Fla904 wrote:

jjrbus wrote:
Your transmission fluid without any records is potentially 17 years old.

A fluid change is how much? A transmission is likely in the $2500 range!

Your call. Jim

Very true, I've heard of transmissions fail after flushes/changes.
Some people say to change it and some say to leave it if it's not having any issues..

The internet is rife with misinformation and needs some thought. There was a group of people that commited suicide when a star was going by so they could get on the spaceship that was hiding behind it. Were they posting on auto maintenance before they left?

Take a transmission with 100,000 hard miles on it and change the fluid, 3 months later the transmission fails, obviously because the fluid was changed.

The #1 reason transmissions fail is due to fluid breakdown!

On the flush, up to 40% of the fluid can be in the converter, if not doing a flush do multiple fluid changes. SOME manufactures recommend against flushes on their transmissions, follow manufacturers recommendation. Not Joe down the streets advice.

My spaceship is almost here, gotta go. Jim

[carringb]

Drain and fill on the tranny is best. Avoid flushes. Drain and fill can be done in the driveway with a bucket and 1.5 cases if fluid. I do it every 100,000 miles however in your case I recommend just doing it simply because of age. Moisture is a killer of transmissions (you know, rust and stuff....).

[Fla904]

jjrbus wrote:
Your transmission fluid without any records is potentially 17 years old.

A fluid change is how much? A transmission is likely in the $2500 range!

Your call. Jim

Very true, I've heard of transmissions fail after flushes/changes.
Some people say to change it and some say to leave it if it's not having any issues..

[jjrbus]

Your transmission fluid without any records is potentially 17 years old.

A fluid change is how much? A transmission is likely in the $2500 range!

Your call. Jim

[Beavis01350]

Dont use synthetic trans fluid. It could cause more problems than you want.

[Fla904]

I just picked it up today, RV mechanic told me not to worry about the transmission fluid till around 75k miles. Oil has been kept up with but I'll probably change it wen I get back to north FL. Did replace one of the front tires, the rest have dates from 13-14 so they're still good. I did notice something I didn't see when I bought it which was some word rot/rust in one of the storage compartments, other than that everything seems to be great. Runs amazing.

[AJR]

I think the fluid changes you pointed out would be good if you do not know when they were done. If you do know when some were done. Just follow the Ford book. Belt inspection would be a very good thing.

[Oklahoma_Dan]

I start thinking of tire replacement at four years and not more than five. Most of these will age out before wear out due to all the sitting in storage they usually do. Just sayin'.

[Dusty_R]

I had a Ford mechanic friend tell me that Ford said not to worry about the multi ribbed fan belt until it started loosing pieces of rubber, cracking was nothing to worry about.

[rockhillmanor]

What ever you decide it's been my experience to NEVER allow the repair shop to FLUSH anything. "Just drain and replace fluids".

I've had them ruin a radiator, break ac line, etc.

The push to flush is just to add more money to your bill. And in any older vehicle it's an accident waiting to happen. And more bucks for them to repair. Just saying.

I would "highly" recommend that you change the front brake lines though.

The brake lines will look perfect on the outside but what happens is the inside degrades. Been there done that flying off an exit ramp MH towing and NO brakes. Common problem with the V-10 chassie. Repair shop knew exactly what the problem was. Brake line looked fine no leaks but the inside was completely shot. No fluid coming thru no brakes for me.:(

[jjrbus]

I purchased a 93 Toyota RV with no service records. I have changed every fluid,filter, belt and hose on it.

Brake and tranny fluid are hygroscopic meaning they absorb moisture, moister is not a good thing in these systems. The additives in coolant break down over time, not a good thing.

I missed the fuel filter and then read a post on someone with a used RV that got stuck because of a plugged fuel filter, so next on my list!

Learn to read the date code on your tires, tires over 7 years old are unsafe!

HTH Jim

[midnightsadie]

98 do all the above AND belts,,hoses. rubber rots.

[DrewE]

Do you have any previous maintenance records?

If not, it's probably best to assume that the fluids need changing. (Don't forget to also include flushing the brakes and changing the brake fluid!) You could get the advice of a trusted mechanic on the work needed.

Also check the date codes on the tires and inspect/replace them as appropriate. Most motorhomes require new tires due to aging long before the tread becomes too worn down.