Transmission fluid change..too late or no?

[96B-Mike]

I was talking to one of the mechanics at my job and we were talking about my car just passing 100k miles. I mentioned to him about doing a tranny flush/filter/gasket? since i havent done one yet since i got my car at 60k miles..he was saying that it is a bit too late since the transmission is so used to having the current fluids that if you change it probably mess up the gears (something along those lines)

*fyi* my transmission shifts great, i really have no complaints at all really (knocks on wood lol)

-so my questions for you guys that do you think it is too late to change the fluids at 100k+ miles? or if anyone had any +/- effect when changing the tranny fluids for the FIRST time?

[keiffith]

hes right if you were to do a "flush" at any millage.
a flush is when you simply suck up the tranny fluid from the fill/check tube, and simply replace the fluid. its the same thing as doing a oil change without replacing the filter. which is bad, since you leave any loose chavings and sediment in the tranny.

doing a filter and fluid change will not do any harm, unless something is actualy broken and is just waiting to fail.
replacing your fluid and filter will give you smoother shifts and better engagement.

if you can, let the trany sit overnight to drain almost all the fluid when you drop the pan.

[DTMAce]

To add to that:

Keep in mind, people get flushing mixed up with different methods. I personally have never used any type of transmission flushes on any of my cars. I do however change the transmission oil every 30-60k, depending on some factors, such as which vehicle, how hard its driven, color and smell of the fluid, etc. If the fluid is still a nice red color and smells like transmission fluid, its probably just fine, but if its turning brown or blackish, or stinks, yeah its time to change it.

Remember too, you cannot drain all the oil out, some will remain in places like the torque converter, and some other areas. But this is ok. When you pull the pan down to drain it, (yeah, you have to remove all those 10mm bolts) you have a filter to change in there, have to install a new gasket, and its a good idea to look in the pan for metal shavings or chunks. There is also a magnet in the pan to attract fine metal particles, this will always have some on it, that's normal. Just clean the pan and the magnet good when going back together.

[berettaboi]

i need to do this sometime soon too... i have the kit, just need the fluid and the courage to get under it and do it on jack stands... not excited about it

[Money pit Beretta]

A gasket is hard to find, a real gasket that is. Not to say you can't get one. There are Fel Pro gaskets out there and some cheap cork gaskets too. Yeah I'd say it's due for a filter and fluid change.
You ever changed trans fluid before? Be sure to wipe out the pan and clean off the magnet. Surfaces of the contact points between the trans and the pan should be cleaned. Use lacqure thinner or denatured alcohol.
If you want to get harder shifts and help your trans live longer get an adjustable modulator. The brand name is Pioneer and the part number is 747017. Advance Auto has them. Don't worry it's like 20 bucks.

[3X00-Modified]

Gaskets are not hard to find... A fully molded metal rubber gasket can be picked up at Napa with the filter.

http://napaonline.com/Catalog/CatalogIt ... cType%3aA)

A/Trsax Filter Kit (Rubber Coated Metal OE Style - Carded), Part Number: ATP 15927, $31.99

And I love the myths of "Oh no it's too late to change your trans fluid your over 100k!"

It's never too late to change the fluid, it may be too late to extend it's life by changing the fluid though, that's for sure.

[ronaconda]

Agreed that it is never too late to change the fluid. It may be too late to do a flush which will replace ALL the fluid. The flush i know of is a pressure flush which, if the fluid has been in there really for 100k, could do more harm than good. Do a fluid/filter change and go from there.

[89redtta]

A true tranny flush at a shop uses the tranny cooler lines the old fluid is pumped out by the tranny pump and the new fluid is sucked in it gets 100% of the fluid replaced its not recommended for cars over 100,000 miles i use to work for a shop that did flushes and we did tons of cars with out a problem but we wouldn't do a car over 100k if it has never been flushed before i would recommend a filter change.

[96B-Mike]

aight cool, so imma do a filter and gasket change sometime in the near futre..i think im gonna go to an actual transmission repair shop that is next block over next to my job..the guy seems real legit and has some nice ass classics

[spacecadetz26]

I think the original gasket is reusable if its the rubber/metal version. As long as your fluid doesnt look like hershey's syrup you should be ok just changing the fluid and filter.

[3X00-Modified]

It is reusable, and since this is his first time doing the change the odds of the gasket being cracked or squished is very slim. I kept re-using mine till it started to crack in places and when I found out I could get one from Napa that was OEM spec. Other filter kits actually state that the cork or rubber gaskets do not meet OEM spec... kinda odd that they sell it like that.

[DUBS28]

Right from the book:



Unless you constantly drive in harsh conditions 100,000 miles should be fine for a filter and fluid change. If the car just now turned 100,000 then I doubt its been deiven to harshly.
As far as the full flush, I have often wondered about that as well.
Strangly, on the filter and gasket kit I got last time it recomended changing it every 60,000 miles.
So, 15,000 miles, 60,000 miles or 100,000 miles, your guess is as good as mine.

[DTMAce]

I do however change the transmission oil every 30-60k, depending on some factors, such as which vehicle, how hard its driven, color and smell of the fluid, etc. If the fluid is still a nice red color and smells like transmission fluid, its probably just fine, but if its turning brown or blackish, or stinks, yeah its time to change it.

I stand by my original quote. LOL

[DUBS28]

Would you say, as far as an actual "Flush" (BG Transmission flush and fill) that the dealers do is not recomended? Or how oftern should that be done?

[3X00-Modified]

It all depends on their process of "flushing" Everyone says putting a high mileage trans on a cooler line flush machine is bad but I can't figure out whats bad about it... the is nothing being FORCED through the trans or abrasive and pulling stuff out, your only changing the dirty burnt fluid for fresh clean stuff, and honestly if people want to say the flush killed their trans because it was working before and now the fluid doesn't have all the particles in it anymore and it's slipping then the real issue is your trans was far beyond dead if the only thing stopping it from slipping was dirty abrasive fluid.

Some places will drop the pan, refill then drop again then refill and so on... a certain amount of times to try to get most of the fluid out or dilute it enough, others do the full flush using the cooling lines which there should be no issues with if your trans is healthy.

The main reason why dealerships wont do a flush on high mileage cars is the exact reason I posted above, people think that is what caused the failure and they will complain to the company, so to keep them out of that they just don't do it.