Shop says to change trans fluid every 6 months?

Hi everyone, Hope you are all doing well. I'm the guy in the Boston area with a pristine '89 Corolla SR5 with 152k miles. I haven't posted in a long time since the car hasn't had any issues. Every time I bring it in for an oil change, one of the mechanics at the shop keeps wanting me to sell him my car. Anyhow, right now I'm asking a question for my little brother:

He has a '97 Camry I4 automatic with 67k miles. He got it at 65k miles and the previous owner, my sister, likely did not change the trans fluid. After he did get the car, he did get the transmission fluid changed; the mechanic said that the original fluid was looking pretty dirty, but that he changed it and it was fine now. When he got the car at 65k miles, we took it a shop that we know and trust and they serviced everything on the car-- new timing belt, water pump, drive belts, oil change, ATF change, etc. etc.

My brother moved to Los Angeles and just took his car in for its first oil change there-- he went to an independent Toyota/Honda shop with a good reputation. He said that the mechanic working on his car told him that the transmission fluid looks a bit dirty, and recommended that he have the transmission fluid drained and filled every time he goes in for an oil change, for the next few oil changes. He said the shop said that flushing the system is an option, but not a good option (they did not elaborate).

My questions for all of you:

  1. have you heard of draining and filling your ATF with every oil change for several oil changes in a row?
  2. am I correct in assuming that my brother's car's ATF could be dirty despite a drain and fill 2000 miles ago, because 1. a drain and fill doesn't remove all the pre-existing ATF, and 2. if there was some gunk in the system originally, then it may have gradually dissolved into the ATF these last 2000 miles?

If #1 is correct then I'll tell my brother to do it, I just don't want him spend $70 for an ATF change every time he gets his oil changed these next few times if there's no value to it. I'm not in California so can't say how his ATF looks, and he himself doesn't know how to assess it.

Thanks, John

Reply to
johnyang97
Loading thread data ...

John,

I'll respond in the reverse order of your questions.

Draining and refilling the ATF does not remove all of the ATF, so some of the old stuff will remain in the transmission. Transmission flushes are OK when done about every 48,000 miles but if the transmission fluid is very dirty, flushing can lodge solid material in the valve body and cause trouble. This is probably the reason the shop did not recommend one, and IMO, the shop gave your brother good advice. Transmission fluid becomes dark because the friction material gradually wears off of the clutch packs and is carried away by the ATF. The friction material does not actually dissolve, it is just suspended in the fluid.

Changing the ATF every oil change will dilute the amount of suspended solids in the ATF, and the more you change the ATF, the more the solids will be diluted and the clearer the fluid will become. People do this in order to get the ATF as clean as possible, but the factory does not think this is necessary as it is not listed in the maintenance requirements or factory service manual.

As a compromise, your brother can get one more additional ATF change, but IMO, more than that is not really necessary.

Reply to
Ray O

I'm guessing that the mechanic thinks he's found himself a fish. I would agree to the fluid change only if the price was $7, not $7-0h. Transmission fluid replenishing seems to be another profit center, like replacing brake fluid and putting nitrogen in tires. Forgeddaboudit.

Reply to
mack

Me too...

Reply to
Hachiroku

Hi Ray, Thanks again for your great advice. As always, much appreciated, and I've passed it onto my brother.

Take care, John

Reply to
johnyang97

Hey Hachi, How many vehicles do you have right now? I thought that you are overflowing with too many cars. Eventually if I do feel the need to sell the SR5 (e.g., if my wife wants us to get a bigger car) I can drop you a line,

John

Reply to
johnyang97

Hi Jeff, Good point. My brother lives about 1.5 miles from work so has been taking the car on a ton of very short trips. About 7 months had passed during the

2000 miles he had driven the car. I was concerned that all those short trips are not ideal for the engine, so I'd told him to get his oil changed every 6 months. For someone who drives very little, I have never been sure what the best oil change interval is. I should tell my brother to pull the dipstick regularly to check I guess.

Even more extreme case--my landlord is elderly, only does local driving, and drives her car 1000 miles a year. She gets the oil changed just once a year, which is probably about right for her situation.

Thanks, John

quoted text -

Reply to
johnyang97

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote in news:993290ab-2be6-44df-818c-94fc54404624 @q77g2000hsh.googlegroups.com:

I've read Ray O's comments. I'd like to add some additional info.

The tranny holds about 8 qts (or more). Each drain and fill is about 4 qts (more or less). The other 4qts (or more) is stuck in the torque converter and does not drain. After you drain and fill and drive, you mix the old in the converter with the new in the pan, so the "new" is going to look "dirty" almost immediately, even if it is actually in pretty good shape.

The answer to this is to drain and fill several times during the year. This way the greater proportion of the fluid will permanently be clean and have functional additives. This is what I do, after some hard past experience.

Brand-new Dexron ATF is a transparent Kool-Aid red. Normal use makes the tranny fluid cloudy fairly quickly. Cloudiness is most evident when you drain the fluid into a pan, where volume exaggerates the opacity. Cloudy fluid does NOT -- by itself -- mean it has lost its anti-corrosion and lubricative capabilities.

There is considerable value to having a drain and fill done two or three or four times a year depending on mileage. Whether that value exceeds the $70 price is a personal question. I change mine myself (four times a year or more), so there's no labor charge for me. The job takes less time than an oil change and is usually performed during one.

Assesssing it is pointless. Replacement according to a set schedule is the only thing that matters, whether Toyota say to or not.

Reply to
Tegger

YOUR WIFE makes decisions about cars??? Uh, who wears the pants in YOUR family? Are you p'whipped? Why would YOU need a bigger vehicle? Is she getting fat(ter)?

I can drop you a line,

John

Reply to
sharx35

Who says woman think size doesn't mater? ')

Reply to
Mike hunt

6 right now...two on the way out, the hachiroku...???? Might be getting too beyond to work on.

Always looking for a nice 80's 'Yota...

Reply to
Hachiroku

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.