Will A Transmission Flush Fix This Shuddering Ford F150??

We hear it all the time… Flushing the transmission fluid is a waste of money. Or they say it will just make it worse. That hasn’t been our experience, but we decided to test it with this F150. It came in with a shuttering issue, and we are going to show the issue and then do a before and after. Let’s see what happens! Enjoy!

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[theroyaltyautoservice]

Some of our viewers said our video was too bright and suggested changing some settings. We recently took it off of HD. Can you leave some feedback below on if you see a difference or not? We want to make it the best quality possible for those watching on both phones and the TV. Thanks for all the support and feedback!

[MsterTch]

Confirm shudder, drop pan, and inspect magnet. Usually, they look ok. If clean, go back with a new filter, pan gasket, friction modifier and fresh fluid (usually about six quarts). Fixes it every time, never had one come back. My shop does a ton of these.

[jdgimpa]

Back in the 1990s when I was the trans tec at a Chrysler dealer we had a TSB that told us to change the transmission fluid twice. To cure converter shudder. That along with a reprogram for the TCM took care of almost all of them.

[willgodwin]

Appreciation for Your Content

As an Automotive Instructor at our local high school, I want to take a moment to thank you. Your content is exactly what we need—descriptive, easy to understand for the DIYer, and incredibly valuable for my students.

Before teaching, I spent nearly 18 years as a BG Products representative, and I've now been in the classroom for 12 years. Like you, I knew this process would fix the truck, but I want to emphasize something that you probably know, is that the cleaner is the most critical part of the flush/exchange. It effectively removes gum and varnish residue from the torque converter and the valve body, ensuring proper function. Without it, the transmission would have likely continued to shudder.

Over the years, I’ve performed hundreds of fluid exchanges without issue. In fact, I’ve even saved transmissions that had already been condemned simply by performing a proper flush. That said, as we both know, this process is a service, not a repair—reinforcing the importance of fluid cleanliness in transmissions, power steering systems, brake fluid systems, and, of course, engines.

Keep up the great work! I truly appreciate the knowledge and expertise you share.

[donwilliams]

Had this similar process done on my 2018 Camaro, 8 speed auto with 12k miles. Solved the issue ! GM knew about the issue but wouldn't recall it. Cost me $500! Runs smooth now. Great video

[stefanpuffer]

Is that the customers truck being washed in the background? I've always done my own work, but once I had to take my car to a shop to do some work that I wasn't capable of doing. When I got my car back they washed it and vacuumed the inside. I can't tell you how appreciated that made me feel. This was 25 years ago and I still recommend that shop to this day. It was a very nice touch.

[mdb]

I suggest ATF/CVT fluid all day. I do my fair share, but many people say nope. They have been lead to believe that it's a scam by the giant YT stars. Thanks for showing this with real world results!

[gutierrezc]

This video was really informative—I learned something valuable here! If you're tackling this job yourself, it's best to replace the drain pan with one that includes a drain plug, along with a new filter. Since you can’t fully drain all the old oil just by replacing the pan, you’ll need to do a few flushes. For high-mileage vehicles, I’d recommend doing this every 5, 000 miles to gradually cycle out the remaining old oil. Before watching this, I would have simply replaced the drain pan and filter, topped off the lost oil, and assumed the job was done—without considering the residual oil still left in the system. Thanks for the helpful insight! You can still DIY this even without the fancy equipment these guys have if you do what I just said.

[vegasdavis]

I just want to thank you guys for what you do & for not being one of those shops that lies to customers & rips them off bc folks like you are very hard to find these days.

[Jimmyky]

I'm really impressed with how Clean and organized your shop is, , , you (Royalty Auto Service) and the Car Care Nut channel Has the Cleanest Shops on YouTube, ,
I must include The Car Wizard Channel as a Close Third Place.

[craigescapeddetroit]

My trans flush Trick.
Pulled a cooling line on the output of the trans cooler and used a hose going into a bucket.
Start the motor and when the flow slows down, shut it down and add fluid.
Repeat the process until new fluid starts to come out.
This process cleans out ALL the old fluid, even from the radiator-cooler, and the torque converter.
It does Not mix old fluid into the new fluid.
What came out was Brown, until it was coming out Bright Red.
Using the old fluid for the chainsaw bar and chain lube.

[GKGARAGE]

The fact that you ignored replacing the filter is mind blowing. And the lines are not monstrous to get to you could’ve literally went through the transmission cooler.

[MattSchuster]

I literally have this same truck. Started shuddering at 95k miles. 1st trans shop said i needed a full $5k rebuild. Got a second opinion, they said it needed a $250 service. I got the fluid changed (pan drain and filter, no flush). It worked like a charm! Saved me $4, 750! Turns out this is common on this 6r80 trans

[Ethan-xmfv]

I have a transmission flush machine also. Numerous customers said that they were told they needed a transmission. After cleaning and flushing saved them thousands

[Stephster]

My jeeps transmission was surging until I changed the fluid. On a side note, it's incredible to see the underside and bottom of that old truck like it just rolled out of the factory.

Cheers from the Rust Belt

[kellyscottlindner]

I have a Silverado 1500 with 130, 000 on it. Started with the shudder. After watching this video definitely going to have the transmission flushed. Thank you

[jodystorie]

So glad I watched this till the end and the reason is a quick change shop does not test drive the vehicle after servicing it because another car is behind you waiting to have their car quick serviced!!

[marks]

I would’ve wanted to pull the pan and see if the filter was plugged with debris that was going to reoccur and cause the same problem with r a worse one. But now that I know flushes have long history of fixing the problem permanently, I think you did the right thing. How’s that for 20-20 hindsight? I was a Ford Dealership mechanic in the 1970’s and 80’s and saw the benefits of a converter drain. I’m sure the manufacturers are saving $10-$15 per car by not providing converter drains and dipsticks but it’s a big disservice to their customers - in my humble opinion.

[ThePracticalMechanic]

We use the BG flush machine and go through the transmission cooler lines. The main problem with newer transmissions is the thermostat internal of the transmission. Most can be easily flush by Teeing into the cooler lines for your supply to the flush machine and return to the dipstick tube.
Most of the newer fords use Mercon LV or ULV which is $$.
There is also a reflash for most of the ford 6 speed transmission to prevent the transmission from downshifting to 1st gear on the highway when the output sensor fails.
The ford 10 speed transmission have an issue with the bushing migrating in one of the clutch drums and no fluid change will resolve that.
The GM 8 Speed transmissions have the shudder that feels like your driving on the rumble strip. Mobil 1 LV ATF HP will resolve the shudder and now jasper is recommending this fluid on many older GM transmissions.

[MoparDan]

Sherwood, I thought I would leave a comment on this topic as well. As a DIYer doing this in my garage, I did a transaxle pan drop and filter change recently. I drained out about 5.5 quarts. The complete capacity of the 62TE is 9 quarts. When I put it back together I replaced the OE pan with a Dorman pan with a drain plug like vehicles used to have to make servicing easy. My thought in the future is to drain the fluid without taking the pan off when I do an oil change on my Pentastar engine. In time that should keep most of the ATF+4 fluid fresh. My vehicle is a 2012 Chrysler 200 Touring convertible with 78, 000 miles currently.