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

Just did the same drive back, with a bit more in-town driving. Starting temperature was 130°F.

This is my temperature at arrival. I'm impressed. I bet the new filter may also be a contributing factor.

Screenshot_20240203_145554.jpg
 
With your trans i such good condition, I would suggest getting a jmod done to it, and a new 12- piston, just to prevent future issues. And add a cooler.
 
This was always a curiosity, just not curious enough to actually do it. Thanks for the pics though. Can you cut open an oil filler next? 😂
 
On Sunday, I did a longer drive of about 220 miles roundtrip.

This is where temperature maxed out around 70 mph on the way home. On the way down, it was a few degrees lower. When speeds went down to 50-60 mph toward the end of my drive home, temperature settled in the mid-160°.

Screenshot_20240204_175024.jpg

With my old fluid and filter, long drives always produced temperatures of 180-190°. Granted, those readings may have been during higher ambient temperatures, so final verdict may have to wait till the summer. Still this is very positive.
 
Martin,

What are using again for your temperature reading>

Joe
 
Resurrecting this thread 2+ years later, as I just did my 2nd drain and fill using Maxlife, 32,000 miles after the last time.

Don't judge, but the pan did not come down! Reason being, last time I cut open the filter, and there was nothing; plus the old fluid had no floating matter at all; plus I just didn't feel like it. I think I'm settling for doing a filter change at every other fluid change.

What I got out:
  • 3 Quarts siphoned from the pan. That's a bit less than I expected (last time was closer to 4 Quarts), but I have been very conscientious not to overfill lately.
  • 6.5 Quarts from the torque converter. That's slightly less (last time was 7 Quarts). I did the drain first thing in the morning, and the engine hadn't run at all; some fluid might have drained from the torque converter into the transmission (?).
So 9.5 Quarts total. I did not flush the cooler because those lines are tedious to disconnect. This was more of a partial fluid change then...


As to the fluid itself, I just have no observation other than that it's working just fine. I do have some consistent moisture from the bellhousing now, but I attribute that to general aging rather than the fluid.


As last time...I can't help but obsessing over the torque converter drain plug. Last time I used a torque wrench to 10 lb-ft (conflicting manual sources stipulated between 7 and 20 lb-ft). This time, I trusted my feeling. Oh oh. Reusing the same plug, it didn't go quite as far in. (I definitely did not cross thread it!)

Last time:
VideoCapture_20240203-112646.jpg

This time:
VideoCapture_20260407-172536.jpg

That concerns me a little because...will it still seal the NPT way if it's less deeply inserted? I will monitor for leaks. I can always give it another quarter turn...but my feeling said Stop!
 
npt is a taper, like a cork. If it leaks, add 1/8 turn at a time until it doesn't leak. Obvious suggestion; If it's not leaking, leave it be. If you drive it in further, it resizes the hole it's in. It can split open, so don't do that! :)
If you're happy not changing the filter every time, I'd say fuck dropping the pan, and get the dorman with the drain plug. It'' make life easier.
I always notice an improvement after changing fluid.
 
Last edited:
As long as it’s not leaking it’s fine. The variance might just be how much inertia you put into the torque wrench, they’re usually not that accurate at the low ranges anyway.
 
I think your angle of picture is making it look weird. I bet it's not off much at all.
 
Ok, I said I wasn't going to drop the pan this time, but after watching that filter drop video (https://forum.birdcats.com/threads/are-dropping-filters-a-thing.1707/), my obsessive kicked in...

And indeed, upon pan removal, the filter wasn't fully inserted. It hung about a quarter inch lower, though the gasket was secure around the filter snout:

VideoCapture_20260409-171833.jpg

And yes, I forgot to take a pic of it fully pushed in, but it is about a quarter inch. As long as the gasket stays put on the snout, this appears to be a non-issue. Motorcraft filter btw.

The filter clearly does rest on the pan in multiple spots:

20260409_161511.jpg20260409_161515.jpg20260409_161534.jpg20260409_161631.jpg20260409_161626.jpg

All that appears to be a non-issue, so moving on...


The pan looked clean, and the magnet wasn't terribly full after 32,000 miles...

20260409_153556.jpg

...but what's this?

20260409_153549.jpg

This piece, flat, about 1/8" long, concerns me a bit. Thoughts?

20260409_153735.jpg

Upon cleaning, the magnet revealed many tiny bits, which are difficult to focus on but you get the idea. I'm guessing that's normal based on what I've seen on junkyard magnets. Correct?

20260409_161428.jpg


My greatest concern is in regards to these wires. From memory, I'm guessing it's the TCC solenoid (?). They touch the pan! Difficult to focus on, but there's wear on both:

20260409_213609.jpg20260409_181208.jpg

I moved and bent them slightly for them to sit with less of a downward curve, as shown below, but I'm not convinced that's a long-term solution. Is this a known problem? I know later years have a solid harness; would that fit my transmission?

20260409_182614.jpg

I imagine the pan is grounded (?), so a worn wire could put me out of business...


Finally, good to know, this is where the dipstick sits fully inserted:

VideoCapture_20260409-212248.jpg


After I was done, I idled the engine to check the cold fluid level; will check hot tomorrow. Then I pulled the car into my usual spot down the driveway. Then I was in shock: a half foot diameter fresh stain where I had been doing the fluid level check. It was getting dark, and I was getting upset and frantically looked for dripping under the car. And...minutes lates, I'm such an idiot. Condensation dripping from the muffler. Now winding down.

Thanks all in advance for reading long posts and for your continued encouragement!
 
The solid molded harness would require you to repin the connector and swap to later solenoids as the connectors are different. Not worth it IMO, I wouldn’t worry about the wires, that tiny of an abrasion after 29 years of touching the pan is a non issue, tucking them up should be all the piece of mind you need
 
This post made me remember that its a non-issue for us AOD guys, our filter literally has two bolts holding the filter in place you could almost hang off of it its held in so well, haha. In terms of the wear, that's so insignificant I wouldn't worry as XR7 said.
 
I have literally never seen the internal harness fail from rubbing through the insulation, or broken wires, or anything like that. The only failure I have seen is the seals in the connector fail where it comes out of the trans, and it starts leaking fluid through the connector. There are aftermarket replacement harnesses, but they don’t seem to be as robust as the original. They have thinner wiring, the connectors feel more fragile, and the seals don’t last as long as the original ones. Plus to get that out you have to drop the valve body. So if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
 
I meant to ask: how does the transmission vent when the fluid expands when hot?
I would guess through the dipstick tube, but the top of the dipstick looks like a tight lid (?).
 
That's very little wear. The black stuff is what wore off the plates. That pin looks like a bearing roller from a torrington. (flat bearing )
 
Grog6 said:
That pin looks like a bearing roller from a torrington. (flat bearing )
Click to expand...

It wasn't really a pin. More of a flat piece. Unfortunately I didn't keep it.

Grog6 said:
That's very little wear. The black stuff is what wore off the plates.
Click to expand...

A lot of freeway driving works to my advantage I'm sure.

Having driven with fresh fluid for two days now, it's a bit smoother (especially the 2>3 shifts and all the downshifts), but the improvement is incremental. I bet the old fluid could have been fine for a while longer.
 
1997ThunderbirdLXV6 said:
Having driven with fresh fluid for two days now, it's a bit smoother (especially the 2>3 shifts and all the downshifts), but the improvement is incremental. I bet the old fluid could have been fine for a while longer.
Click to expand...

Quoting myself here, kind of funny that the last time I did a drain/fill, I had this to say:

"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."

:unsure:

Bottom line, it's smooth. But it's not as smooth as that 2002 Crown Vic that I test drove recently and posted about. Which I'm guessing is due to shift strategy and a flatter torque curve.
 
Actually, freeway driving gets hot; our stock tune shifts back and forth between 3rd and 4th a lot, on the interstate. Each shift adds ~ 10 degrees, with stock cooling. The OD band applying heats up like hell.
I've seen those videos; Glacier 99 on rangerstation has the best guide.
If you want the 'pcb wiring, find an 02 trans, get the short cable that runs to the trans from the eec and rear o2s it has to be repinned.Get a rebuild kit and seal installers, and build you a good trans. If you keep your car, you'll eventually need one. Seals harden, scarf cut seals leak. Solid teflon seals on the direct shaft stopped me from detonating transmissions the last 10 years.
I think a bunch of us learned how to rebuild them.
If you don't have a sticker in the drivers door about 'calibration, You need to get that from a dealer, even if you're getting a tune.
I was told to get it before I started tuning it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Back
Top