Changed transmission fluid 98 3.8L

[kaniff82]

I changed the transmission fluid on my Windstar (98 3.8L 143k) after I got the flashing OD light earlier this week. It's always shifted with a bit of an attitude, but never much slippage or serious issue. And I had figured with the troubles these transmissions give, better to leave well enough alone, but the flashing OD light seemed to put me over the edge.

The fluid was pretty dark and looked foamy after the OD light came on, so it seemed like the time was right. It's like a new car now. The transmission shifts like butter and feels like there's a lot less drivetrain vibration.

I did note that the fluid did not have any particulate to speak of, dirt or metal, which made me feel better about changing it without adverse effect.

I changed it using the procedure from alldatadiy, which says to drain 3 qt from the return hose, add 10 qt, drain 10 qt and top up. Seems to have worked well and brought out a lot of the schmaltz.