Ford F150 - 6R80 Filter and Fluid Change

Here's an overview of changing the transmission fluid and filter in a 2010 Ford F150 6R80.

Dorman 265-854 - transmission pan with drain plug (this wasn't available when I did my service, but would definitely be worth the money)

**Be sure to confirm the correct filter and fluid for your application**

(FT-171 generally fits 2010 and older applications)

(FT-188 generally fits 2011 and newer applications; also may fit the 2009/2010 Expedition)

**Be sure to confirm the correct filter and fluid for your application**

[matthewbohn]

Ive watched about 8 videos about this today, and this is by far the best. No one else mentioned how they filled the trans, and you did it in your garage, not on a lift and all that. Thank you!

[norbertovalentin]

Greetings, I'm a mechanic of my vehicles, Yamaha YZ450, Harley Davidson, Ford Raptor and others. I wanted to share that the 6R80 transmission F150 when you change the filter and oil, the replace will takes 6 quarts approximately. To measure the oil level is important the engine need to be running. Move 5 second in each position P, R, N, D, M, 2, 1 then measure the oil level when reach the temperature of 190F.
The reason for measuring is because transmission oil expand for the additives at high temperature and cannot exceed the maximum level when is hot, because it damages other components for malfunction. Good luck!

[lylesorenson]

If you want to make less mess and make it more easy to handle the pan use a suction pump and pump out the fluid in the pan before you drop the pan. I did this on a Ford Explorer recently and it makes it a much easier process.

[qvb]

Everyone keep in mind that there are 2 different filters for the 6R80. One has a 1 inch pickup tube and the other has 1.5 inch I believe. If you get the wrong one the transmission will not go into any gear. One part number is FT188 and the other is FT171. If you're not sure which one then pull out your old filter and use another car or have someone take you to the parts store and compare the length of the pickup tube. Most auto parts stores have both filters in stock so you can compare it with yours.

[joe]

Thank you, best video on topic imo. I just did my 2011 f150 with ecoboost at 138, 000. Trans shudder had just started. Problem solved with oil and filter change. I did mine twice (1 week apart as the fluid was shockingly dark). I needed a little over 7.5 qts of mercon lv. I put 7qts in and drove 20 minutes till reaching 199 on the trans app gauge. I then was careful to remove passenger front tire and blocked frame and a arm so truck was level. Checking with truck at full temp with an external fan blowing into wheel-well and laying on the driveway on a thin pad did the trick. I only wore thin mechanics gloves but this is not for the faint of heart. Also beware if you have an 11-14 f150 and 21 pan bolts the factory torque spec is 80 inch lbs. i have a 7600+ page pdf factory manual. I also use a small hand suction pump and 3/8 clear plastic tube to get 3.5 wts out of pan before dropping. I then got another 3.2 qts out. I bought truck used at 110k and should have done this immediately.

Thanks again

I do have a stock height 4x4.
My steel ramps are approximately 10 inches high.(not sure if the angle allows more fluid out)
My local dealerships had best prices on filter and mercon lv by far. $34 for filter (they need last 8 of your fin as they have 4 variants apparently) $6.50 / qt LV.
Thanks again

[saleens]

I got 5 out and put 5 in on my 13 Raptor 6.2. Drove it around and it was perfect when checked. Also depends on how long you let your vehicle sits before you start working on it. Longer it fits, the more transmission fluid that can drain back to the pan.
It’s definitely more messy than hard. My Silverado was more of a pain. The exhaust crossover goes under the pan.
I know it’s a few years old but Great job on the video.

[bmfilmnut]

Well done! This is the best, clearest and most complete video I've seen on the subject. I'll be changing my fluid soon so I watched a bunch of videos. I really appreciate all the info you gave about fluid levels. I was trying to find out how much fluid was needed for a change (not total capacity) but this is the only video I found that mentioned it. But you went even further with your details about the level issues you had. Very useful information! Thanks!

[michellatour]

I replaced mine at 50K miles and the original factory fill also seemed low by almost a quart. Upon refill it took at little under 7 quarts to get it just at the bottom of the dipstick's cold level hash marks with the engine running, shift lever cycled for 5 seconds in all gears but truck not driven / ATF fluid still cold.
It makes much less of a mess if you syphon most of the old ATF out the dipstick hole and, wrap the exhaust crossover pipe with aluminum foil beforehand.

[ugabd]

Great job on the video! I did this job on my 2014 about 50k ago but watched your video as a reminder before doing it again. I actually drilled a hole in the low point of my pan last time and installed a drain plug so we’ll see how much of a mess I make this time. By the way, I have never drained as much fluid/oil out of anything as it takes going back in. 😂

[mikeyates]

This s an excellent, very detailed video on changing the transmission fluid and filter on a 6R80 transmission. I did the same service on my 2008 Expedition and have now purchased a 2014 Navigator with 70K miles on it. I only use AMSOIL products which have proven excellent for me both on the engine and the transmission. Excellent point on draining the pan from the rear of the transmission and purchasing the oversized drain pan. Thanks for this very excellent video.

[zensterful]

I would highly recommend changing the o rings on the Bulkhead connector sleeve, while you have the pan down. They like to leak and the only way you can change them is with the pan down.

[stephenarmstrong]

I have a 2010 F150 4X4 with towing package. It took all of 10 quarts to fill it at operating temp. I never checked the level before I drained it. I wasn't having any transmission problems prior to change. Still not having problems. Good preventive maintenance. Yep, it started running out at around 6 qts. I cranked it cycled through all the gears for a few brief seconds, then shut it of and added 2 more qts. Cranked it, put it in Drive with Ebrake on and left it while I cooked supper. Added two more quarts to get it halfway between fill marks. Checked it the next day after driving home from work. Still halfway on crosshatches. Invest in a set of Nomex arm sleeves to do this job. You will leave your skin on the cat otherwise. I already had a pair.

[captainobvious]

Hello Scruf's Garage👋🏾. Thanks for the video it was very helpful. I have a 2013 F-150 w/ the 6R80 transmission. When I dropped my pan I ended up getting 6.5 quarts out. When going back in I had to put a little over 8 quarts back in. 👍🏾

[bradvincet]

If you have high miles, you should replace the trans cooler lines as a precaution. They're known to snap at the quick connection fittings, and you could fry your transmission.

[spencerjames]

Yes! Thank you for the video. That is the ticket 6 quarts in until it overflows…. Put plug back in and start up and shift through drive and reverse (pump will suck up fluid) then add the last 1.5 quarts. 7.5 quarts total for the refill

[Powerstroke]

I thought I'd mention, I took mine to Ford service, as I was having a shudder issue on my 2016 F150 as well. I had them do a full transmission 'flush' and refill, of which took the shudder out completely. I also noticed in some video's, guys are adding the Lubegard Shudder fix, which is just a 2 oz product, which many swear by has fixed this issue. Thanks for the video! On edit- I see there are aftermarket 'dip stick's & flexible tubes' for vehicles, and noticed one fellow adding it to his F150 on Youtube, and thought this might be a worthy investment, having a normal dipstick again, plus the ability to add the fluid, and even easier if you have a pan with a bung to empty the fluid out! I haven't yet found one for my '16 F150 3.5 Ecoboost, but will continue looking.

[davideoverman]

I found one of those after market transmission pans with the drain plug for my 2016 at our orielly auto parts store for $50 and on rock auto same pan as orielly’s for $30

[derekhensel]

I bought a fluid transfer hand pump from Trak-Auto for $10 that I used to fill the transfer case during a fluid change. Can also be used to fill the diffs. Why not use it to evacuate fluid from the trans via the fill hole before dropping the pan, and save yourself some of the mess? It looks like you could remove enough to get roughly 1/2 - 2/3 of the fluid out before pan removal.

[killawattgarage]

Thanks for the video. Just did mine and next I take that pan off I am going to add a drain plug as it would make it so easy.

[robertmcbride]

BTW I bought one of those big drain pans at home depot for like$9.00. they have them in the cement section of the store, They are used for mixing cement & come in larger sizes, but I have the same one as in the video & it was perfect, it caught all of the oil.