old wives' tale?

Don't flush it whatever you do. Drain and refill . only. Ask the shop if they will pay for the tranny rebuild you will need

will> I have a 2000 Forester with 176k miles and I'd like to change the

will> I have a 2000 Forester with 176k miles and I'd like to change the

If it is PROPERLY flushed there is no danger. An automatic transmission that fails after a PROPER flush would have failed very shortly without a flush as well.

A PROPER flush is just an "extended drain and fill", with no flushing agent, and no applied pressures or suctions.

The difference between a "drain " and a "flush" is several liters of dirty fluid - and that is ALL. It can NOT cause damage to friction materials, bearings, or gears.

The WRONG FLUID, hawever, can kill a transmission pretty quickly.

The only good alternative to a proper flush is a drain and refill with addition of a QUALITY transmission fluid conditioner.

BG Chemicals makes a good one. Likely a few others around as well, but they need to restore the additives that are depleted in the fluid you are not changing with a "drain and fill" (which only changes, optimistically, 25% of the fluid in the transmission)

It is JUST as risky NOT to do a proper fluid change/flush.

Hachiroku got it right, ref similar thread here.

Oil flushes of transmissions that have not been maintained properly is very risky. Many will fail afterwards.

In transmissions with proper maintenance, flushing should not pose a problem.

Good luck!

AS

Big Jim wrote:

LOL! Experience is an excellent teacher!