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The transmission is a complex device with clutch sets and planetary gear sets that wear and need proper lubrication. Changing the filter and replacing the lubricant is simply proper maintenance. The stories about staying with old lubricant and being 'accustomed' to a quantity of old fluid are nothing more than old wives tales. Proper maintenance of any mechanism requires clean filters and good lubricant.
The stories about staying with old lubricant and being 'accustomed' to a quantity of old fluid are nothing more than old wives tales. Proper maintenance of any mechanism requires clean filters and good lubricant.
I will be doing a drain and fill very soon.... As "Las Vegas Drunk" mentioned, there is a drain plug on this car, so I'm just not going to worry about dropping the pan or the screen, I'll just do a drain and fill from this point on. Up to this point, it's had a flush every 30K miles... But based on what everyone's said, I won't be risking potential problems and will take a pass on a flush.
What happens when the same fluid is run in the transmission for high miles and is not maintained, all of the clutches and seals become acclimated to that old, seasoned fluid. If it is suddenly changed out then you induce a shock factor to those components and they begin to fail. Think of it like a blood transfusion, you just don't flush out someone's blood instantaneously.
My mom has a 1997 Oldsmobile Achieva SL with 179K miles. Yep, 179K miles. Transmission fluid and filter is original to my amazement and the transmission still shifts fine. Should be just leave it in there? Maybe drain out a quart at a time, drive a few hundred, change a little more, etc or leave it be? If the tranny went out tomorrow, we have got our money worths out of it.
My mom has a 1997 Oldsmobile Achieva SL with 179K miles. Yep, 179K miles. Transmission fluid and filter is original to my amazement and the transmission still shifts fine. Should be just leave it in there? Maybe drain out a quart at a time, drive a few hundred, change a little more, etc or leave it be? If the tranny went out tomorrow, we have got our money worths out of it.
Wow! If you want swap out the fluid I would certainly do it as slowly as you suggest. SLOWLY!!!
If you don't really care about the car then I wouldn't even bother.
I have a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi, have never changed the tranny oil, it has 232,000 miles, it runs good - no problems. Should I change the tranny filter?
I will be doing a drain and fill very soon.... As "Las Vegas Drunk" mentioned, there is a drain plug on this car, so I'm just not going to worry about dropping the pan or the screen, I'll just do a drain and fill from this point on. Up to this point, it's had a flush every 30K miles... But based on what everyone's said, I won't be risking potential problems and will take a pass on a flush.
DIYing it will also give you experience in how to check your transmission fluid level correctly, which is a good thing to know how to do.
After years of working on cars, my theory:
If the fluid has been regularly flushed (30k, 60k, 90k, etc.), keep flushing it.
If it's never been done, and it has over 100k miles on it, don't flush it. Drop the pan, change the filter, and top off.
If you have been regularly changing the fluid and filter then should be no problem. Normally this is with transmissions that have not been and can have blockages of passages from not doing it when new fluid is used. its the detergent thing he talked about. Hand best transmission guy I ever knew tell me that if people changed the fluid yearly after summer then he would be out of a lot of business. I have always changed at 25k and never had a transmission problem.
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