Long-term Experience with Valvoline MaxLife Multi-Vehicle ATF in 4R70W, Anyone?

So...one thing troubles me a little:

Is there ever a risk that the torque converter plug, if too deeply inserted, could interfere with internal components?

I didn't check what clearance there was behind the hole in the torque converter housing, but I did see some component in there.

I fastened the plug to 10 ft-lbs. I couldn't really tell if it went in all the way.

I found the below pics online. I'm quite sure my plug went in deeper than this:

PICT7797.jpg20240202_191757.jpg
 
No hair is good! it's when you drop the pan,, and the magnet is covered with "hair" it's time for a rebuild. The fact there isn't anything stuck to the magnet, and the 'toy' being in the pan is the best news you're gonna get today. :) Any shudder or shifting problems could be completely explained by that fluid. It has as many miles on it as your car does. I personally replace mine every 25k miles, I think recommended is less than 60k...
Save the toy; it come in handy plugging the port of the next trans you buy, lol. It should be awhile, judging from the magnet.

I don't think the plug is long enough to hit. I've never heard of it being a problem.
 
Grog6 said:
that fluid. It has as many miles on it as your car does.
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Not quite. I did a flush through the cooler lines about 12k miles ago. A friend poured fresh through the dipstick tube while I monitored fluid coming out. Back then I didn't have ramps, so that was the maximum I could do.

I actually thought there was plenty on the magnet, but I have no frame of reference. The pan itself looked very clean; however, the filter housing had a charcoal grey layer all over, so did the bottom plate of the valve body.

I'm tempted to cut open the filter, but chances are I won't find anything interesting.
 
theterminator93 said:
I never had any issues with the drain plug. Just tighten it snugly with a 1/4" ratchet (don't overtighten it) and don't worry about it. The thread taper will prevent it from going in too far.
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I wasn't really confident in the "snug" by feeling alone.

The '97 Tbird/Cougar workshop manual says 20 ft-lbs; yet another factory manual I saw online (I think F-150) says 9-11 ft-lbs.

Being concerned about overtightening, I settled for 10 ft-lbs. I bought a torque wrench just for this as well as the pan bolts.
 
I used a torque wrench for the VB bolts. Inch pounds, lol. The pan is another spot. if you overtighten them, it 'volcano''s the bolt holes in the pan. If it was leaking before, it's going to pour, now. Yes, a lot of things you don't have to use a t W, but some stuff you should. ARP head and main bolts come to mind. The rear wheels need the 250lbs of torque on them, as it sets the preload on the bearing. And as I found, you have to spin the wheel as you torque it, to get all the play out. One side of the bearing fits loose, as the other side presses in. You have to put it in correctly.loose side goes to the inside.
 
dDUBb said:
If you continue tightening, it is either going to strip the threads in the TC or crack the casing.
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I didn't mean overtightening to that extent.

I meant that simply due to the dimensions of the plug and the clearance behind it, if fully inserted - let's assume the proper torque means it's fully inserted - the plug could touch the turbine or clutch plate or whatever component is in there.

I'm just a bit paranoid about this now...
 
Don't overcomplicate it or overthink it. If you're worried about it, just spin the crank by hand a couple times to verify no contact internally before you fill.
 
Don’t worry about it, it’s not going to touch anything internal

1706932523523.jpeg
 
Awesome! I knew vaguely what the insides looked like, but that's precise.
 
theterminator93 said:
Don't overcomplicate it or overthink it.
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Come on now. Overthink is my middle name.

theterminator93 said:
If you're worried about it, just spin the crank by hand a couple times to verify no contact internally before you fill.
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Too late; it's filled.
However, can we agree that if there was any kind of contact, it would be heard?
 
Speaking of noises though...

I did notice one, which I'm certain is unrelated because I believe I've heard it once or twice before.

Now you have to hold your speaker close to your ear and try to tune out the engine sound. There's a hollow clunk. It's subtle but it's audible.


Any ideas?
 
You’d strip the threads before it contacted the TCC is the main takeaway, as long as you’re using the correct plug with the tapered not threads that is and not just a generic bolt
 
XR7-4.6 said:
as long as you’re using the correct plug
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I reused the factory plug.

That's another thing. Manual calls for using a brand new plug. I suppose because it's coated with a sealant.

But everyone on here and on the web says they just reuse the old one. So that's what I did.
 
I always just reuse the plug. But it's been over 10 years since I had one with a drain plug. I keep the new tc when I get a new trans. After I pulled the dirtydog converter off the trashed trans in the tbird, from the 127.5 mph bug, I bought a marauder converter. They were like $245 at the time.
 
Upon secondary inspection, the plug isn't in  all the way, as can be seen from this sideways perspective. I also can't see any signs of fluid seepage at the plug (apart from preexisting moistness in the surrounding area).

Never mind the condition of the plug head. My socket wasn't fully seated at initial removal.

VideoCapture_20240203-112600.jpgVideoCapture_20240203-112646.jpg20240203_105625.jpg

By the way, I strongly recommend to mark the plug position on the crankshaft pulley; that way you don't need a helper next time you locate the plug.


Meanwhile, the pan looked fine. There was some moistness around the edge, but I attribute that to me coating the gasket generously with ATF before installation. There were no droplets at all, so I think it's tight.
 
It looks fine. It's never fully seated to the point where the hex head is flush with the OD of the converter case.
 
1997ThunderbirdLXV6 said:
Meanwhile, the pan looked fine. There was some moistness around the edge, but I attribute that to me coating the gasket generously with ATF before installation
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Why did you coat the pan gasket with ATF ? 🤔
 
To come back to the origin of this thread: I did ultimately decide to use MaxLife.

So far I can say that shifts are noticeably smoother, especially 1-2 and 3-4. I think 2-3 was always pretty smooth. Downshifts are practically imperceptible.
Not that the transmission was rough before, but there is an actual improvement.


Interesting observation regarding temperature: this fluid takes longer than what I'm used to to warm up. I just drove about 27 minutes, 16 miles, 8 of which were freeway (55 mph), the rest in-town (25-35 mph with frequent stops). Ambient temperature is 50-55°F.
By the end of my drive, this was my temperature:
Screenshot_20240203_131701.jpg

Which is right where it should be. I'm just used to seeing more like 170-190°F and more in hotter weather, and those temperatures usually arrive much sooner. When I got off the highway, I was still at 150°F.

This is encouraging, though a longer drive may lead to different results.
 
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