Transmission fluid: To Change or Not to Change

If you have an old transmission that is in bad shape, and has never had a fluid change, changing the fluid could cause problems.

If you have a transmission that has low mileage on it and is in good shape, doing a periodic change is a good idea. Check the "severe duty" schedule in the manual.

I personally don't think the flush is worth the extra money, and the chances of something going wrong due to poor workmanship is greater. The standard change is hard to mess up. But that's just me.

--scott

a good question, whose advice do you trust?

You might do the following - just as a lark, after driving the car at hiway speed for

thirty minutes, stop, and with the foot on the brake,

and the emergency brake engaged, "shift" through the gears, stopping in the park

mode, wait a minute or two, and then raise the hood.

Remove the x-mission dip stick, wipe, insert, remove, and view the fluid on the

stick, it should be a bright red color with no "burnt" odor, if otherwise, the

x-mission may need attention. Also the fluid level reading is

important. It is best checked after driving at highway speed for 15 miles in moderate temperature.

Too much fluid in the x-mission is a no-no, after going through the above suggested routine,

the reading on the dip stick should be even with the full mark or just a tad

below.Under normal use x-mission fluid is thought to be stable. If there is any

evidence of abnormal shifting / leaking, or any other abnormalities, then you might

want to have the $200 buck job pulled on the bugger.

At 45K miles, under normal use, without signs of need,

you'd think the x-mission was good until proven otherwise.

There is other preventative maintenance that should be done on the car at periodic inter

vals, that is outlined in the owner's manual, more important than those not listed.

"if it ain't broke - don't fix it, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".:--)

mho vfe

If you change the oil in your car when you should, then you should also change the tranny fluid. Just because there are no problems, does not mean you can't do preventative maintenance. Thats basically why you change your oil right? So that you don't have engine problems later down the road (hopefully not a dark deserted road either). Personally, I change my oil every 2000 miles on all my vehicles, except my motorcycles which get changed each riding season along with the rest of the fluids except brake and fork. (I don't put that many miles on either of them). I also change my tranny fluid every 24,000 miles, although lately i've stretched it to 25,000 miles (its just easier for me to keep track). Here is the kicker on the tranny fluid.... I still had my tranny shit the bed and had to have it rebuilt (at 126,000 miles) but I believe that is typical of the type of dodge tranny I have. So go figure, but at least I have peace of mind knowing I do preventative maintenance. Do you have to change the tranny fluid? No, you don't. It's not against the law if you don't, but I would recommend it. If you want to do it yourself, its only around 30 bucks or less to do.

Fwed

What's "dirty" about it? Does it smell burnt, or feel gritty, or have a different color than new transmission fluid of the type recommended for that car? (I don't think it should after such low time and mileage, BTW).

I do believe in changing the fluid every several years or tens of thousands of miles, but not necessarily in flushing it. Many cars have a filter in the transmission, and changing it almost always requires dropping the transmission's pan -- a mere flush won't do it.

Some cars also have routine adjustments to be performed while you're in there, following a procedure given in the shop manual, though that seems to be falling by the wayside.

Another risk of just a flush is that you might stir something up.

You could do both -- pan removal and therefore partial fluid change as well as a new filter (and wiping clean of the normal small deposit of guck on the bottom of the pan -- unless it is huge or contains obvious metal shavings, do not let anybody point to it and say you need an overhaul; one of the older tricks in the book), and THEN a flush, just as a convenient way of getting the rest of the fluid.

Frankly, if there is nothing wrong, I do just the filter/partial-flush routine on my own cars.

Best of luck,

--Joe

Have the tranny serviced according to the manufacturers time or mileage schedule.

This means, for many transmissions, dropping the pan and cleaning it, replacing the filter (if it has one), and adjusting the transmission IF it is the type that has band adjustments adjustments.

I do not recommend flushes...they aren't needed. Some here have claimed they can cause problems, and that is certainly a possibility, however slight.

Thanks for the advice everyone!

the pan removal/filter change/partial fluid change better?

You answered your own ? right there at such low mileage.

I prefer the flush; I've done it on all my auto cars; my parents cars; and on many customers. I've never had an issue with a transmission because of it.

just a question on what a flush consists of, the benefit of a flush job, and how

does the system handle the residual flush agent?

some transmissions create a "debris / foreign matter" that seems like it should be - flushed out.

mho vfe

You hook the machine up--interrupting the fluid flow to the transmission cooler. You put an additive into the trans, let it run and clean. Turn the machine in and it removes the fluid from one side while putting new fluid in the other. then when done you put the "conditioner" in which I think has a neutralized in it for any left over cleaner. I've removed a pan from a Ford Taurus after a proper flush was done; no film anywhere in the pan, Spotless-the metal flakes was still on the magnet, but everything else was clean. There are arguments both for and against the flush; and I wouldn't do it on a car that hasn't been maintained regularly or one with shifting problems prior; but everyone who I work with at both my old shop and new one has no problems doing it on there cars.