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what's the manufacturer's recommended service interval for your vehicle?
as to whether i do it, i did once. it was on the only vehicle i ever owned with an auto tranny that had enough miles to warrant it. i bought it used with TONS of miles on it, so it seemed the prudent thing to do.
i would normally say that at your mileage you should have done this at least once already, but oddly enough i was changing the oil on my wife's Accord today when i got to thinking about its tranny fluid. the car has 45K miles and i was worried i had overshot the recommended service interval. i checked the manual, and it says not to change until 120K!!! then again, it also states to only change motor oil every 10K and the filter every 20K, so it raises an eyebrow to say the least.
like you, i've heard that a flush is generally a bad idea for a vehicle that has gone so long without service. i don't have any personal experience with it, though. as to changing the fluid and filter yourself, it's pretty striaghtforward. you just have to take your time and use a cross pattern when re-installing the tranny pan so you don't get a leak.
Mike
Last edited by whiteboyslo; 01-16-2010 at 09:13 PM..
Every 30 k its good to remove the pan and replace the filter and any fluid and its also good to add a bottle of lucus trans additive. The additive has chemicals that help keep the seals flexable and inside parts clean .
Technically this is already done if the filter and pan fluid are replaced every 15000 miles or so. That's all that is required to maintain the transmission fluid for the life of it. However, there is hope if you have neglected to do this or acquired a vehicle with no knowledge of it's maintenance history. One of the easiest ways I have been able to change out all the fluid in my vehicles is by cycling in fresh fluid and pumping out the old. This is done by using the transmission fluid cooler lines. Pump out the old first and then pour in the new. Make sure the level is correct before you start and record how much you pump out.
Replacing all the fluid at once on high mileage automatic transmissions with poor or no prior maintenance at all... is not advised. Clutch packs, seals and other parts will not be able to acclimate to such a harsh change in fluid and then begin to fail. The best you can do in these situations is replace the fluid in increments while working in the new fluid from driving the vehicle.
what's the manufacturer's recommended service interval for your vehicle?
as to whether i do it, i did once. it was on the only vehicle i ever owned with an auto tranny that had enough miles to warrant it. i bought it used with TONS of miles on it, so it seemed the prudent thing to do.
i would normally say that at your mileage you should have done this at least once already, but oddly enough i was changing the oil on my wife's Accord today when i got to thinking about its tranny fluid. the car has 45K miles and i was worried i had overshot the recommended service interval. i checked the manual, and it says not to change until 120K!!! then again, it also states to only change motor oil every 10K and the filter every 20K, so it raises an eyebrow to say the least.
like you, i've heard that a flush is generally a bad idea for a vehicle that has gone so long without service. i don't have any personal experience with it, though. as to changing the fluid and filter yourself, it's pretty striaghtforward. you just have to take your time and use a cross pattern when re-installing the tranny pan so you don't get a leak.
Mike
Changing the oil in the transmission or the engine is a matter of different aspects. Even the manufacturer recommend to change engine oil in every 10K miles, you should consider the oil itself, your driving style and the climate in your region.
I like driving on high RPMs, so even though my car manufacturer recommends to change engine oil every 8-10K miles, I have to change it after only 3K miles, as the oil loses its characteristics.
So if you are not interested in mechanics (or just do not know anything about it), listen to the engine. If the engine noise is louder as it was, or some kind of low knocking noise is added to the usual one, or if the oil level is lower then it should be, you should change it. I change the oil filter every time I change the oil, as it costs $5 here and does not make any major difference.
The same is with the transmission fluid. Driving style and climate may influence on the liquids characteristics in both, good or bad way. So it is better to check all the fluids in every 20K miles, just to be confident everything is OK
I have Mitsubishi Galant with 2.4L engine and automatic transmission, my father has exactly the same car, even the same color, but I change engine oil i every 3K miles (5000km to be correct) and he changes engine oil in 8K miles. And even after 8K miles his car has a normal engine voice, while my car is knocking noise after 6K.
I changed transmission fluid 40K miles ago, but I think I have to change it in nearest future as the shifting speed slowed down, and he has never changed the fluid, even though both of our cars are second hand and he drives more then I do.
According to the manual, there is no service interval. I'm only supposed to inspect every 30000 miles. It also says to replace or correct as necessary, and two places have told me the atf fluid is dark.
I did find out I'm due to replace spark plugs soon.
Quote:
Originally Posted by whiteboyslo
what's the manufacturer's recommended service interval for your vehicle?
I've dealt with the whole transmission change/flush issue..and did it myself a couple of months ago because mechanics refused to change it right.
Basically I drained the pan, the differential fluid, and flushed the transmission.
I dont believe flushing is a bad for your transmission...All you're doing is disconnecting the transmission cooling hose, letting it drain into a pan while pouring fluid in until it turns bright red like the new fluid. Takes about 9-10 quarts for the whole job on a 94-96 camry.
I tried telling the guys at the autoparts store, but they tried to get all technical, but I had my instructions from toyotanation.com to help me out.
There's also no 'force' involved in a flush. Its basically the pump pushing the fluid, harmless...
I have found that autos can often benefit from a filter replacement and fluid exchange, expecially if the fluid has been overheated. I do that service on my cars about every 30K miles and have never had anything but good results.
The manual transmission in one of my cars is often subjected to high rpm and I have found that a lube change once a year aids shift action and feel.
good advise. I change mine in all my cars at 30-50k
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lux Hauler
Technically this is already done if the filter and pan fluid are replaced every 15000 miles or so. That's all that is required to maintain the transmission fluid for the life of it. However, there is hope if you have neglected to do this or acquired a vehicle with no knowledge of it's maintenance history. One of the easiest ways I have been able to change out all the fluid in my vehicles is by cycling in fresh fluid and pumping out the old. This is done by using the transmission fluid cooler lines. Pump out the old first and then pour in the new. Make sure the level is correct before you start and record how much you pump out.
Replacing all the fluid at once on high mileage automatic transmissions with poor or no prior maintenance at all... is not advised. Clutch packs, seals and other parts will not be able to acclimate to such a harsh change in fluid and then begin to fail. The best you can do in these situations is replace the fluid in increments while working in the new fluid from driving the vehicle.
As a previous poster mentioned, the the only correct way to do this is by disconnecting the cooler line and allowing the pump to cycle fresh fluid through the transmission, then drop the pan and change the filter.
No additives are needed.
Some manufacturers spec that it is acceptable to drop the pan, change the filter, then add enough fluid to replace what was left when you dropped the pan. This IS ok, but doesn't replace all the fluid. I live in an area with a hot summer climate, so I replace all the fluid.
If you have a shop do it and they want to add chemicals, "back flush," or suck the fluid out of the fluid filler tube, go find a place that will do it correctly.
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