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The general consensus nowadays is not to flush, but rather do a drain and fill about every 30k miles, that should be often enough to keep the additives in the fluid replenished.
Some service managers will tell you the fluid is “lifetime fluid”, don’t believe that BS.
Absolutely correct.
Do not ever fall for the "flush" routine no matter what the service manage/shop tells you.
Only drain and fill. And replace or clean filter if transmission has one.
READ the owner's manual.
For average automatic transmission 2 years or 24,000 miles.
For the "lifetime" automatic transmissions such as the Aisin (Toyota) transmission 60,000 miles under hard use and 100,000 under normal use. Whatever "normal" is.
Hogwash, prove it! Show me a newer vehicle that requires transmission service every 24K miles under normal use.
Ultimately, who are you going to believe? The manufacturer or someone on the internet who you have no clue if they are honest or not or maybe even still living in the 20th century.
that should be often enough to keep the additives in the fluid replenished.
LOL!! Whoever told you that you need to face punch the idiot. ATF is the one fluid in your car that has nearly NO additives in it. Basically it's nothing more than hydraulic fluid with a little phosphorus to help soften the slamming of the clutches. Some will have a splash at most of a friction modifier but that's it. For Pennzoil Dextron VI Certified ATF the additive package looks like this- Calcium 80 parts per million, Phosphorus 218 PPMs, and boron 112 PPMs. That's not much more than a drop per quart, total. The reason you change ATF is the fluid will oxidize and become unstable causing excessive wear. The oxidation comes from the heat generated. The newer transmissions are going to suffer even more due to the non-stop friction inducing 10 speed shifting. Shifting causes high heat due to the clutches sliding against each other and no lockup during the shift sequence. The oxidized fluid will start to form varnish on the parts. Changing ATF will result in the varnish being dissolved by the new fluid. This is why a transmission of a lot of miles that has never been changed can result in leaking seals- the varnish that kept it from leaking are now is suspension in the fluid.There are transmissions out there that require fluid changes every 15,000 miles and then there are those like the new Ford specs that calls for ATF changes every 150,000 miles. If you value your transmission, regardless of makers recommendations, change at least every 35,000 miles or every other year. Even the new mostly synthetic fluids are prone to varnish if left in the transmission long enough.
FWIW, do any of you have a clue the difference between a "fully" synthetic fluid and a "100%"synthetic fluid?
LOL!! Whoever told you that you need to face punch the idiot. ATF is the one fluid in your car that has nearly NO additives in it. Basically it's nothing more than hydraulic fluid with a little phosphorus to help soften the slamming of the clutches. Some will have a splash at most of a friction modifier but that's it. For Pennzoil Dextron VI Certified ATF the additive package looks like this- Calcium 80 parts per million, Phosphorus 218 PPMs, and boron 112 PPMs. That's not much more than a drop per quart, total. The reason you change ATF is the fluid will oxidize and become unstable causing excessive wear. The oxidation comes from the heat generated. The newer transmissions are going to suffer even more due to the non-stop friction inducing 10 speed shifting. Shifting causes high heat due to the clutches sliding against each other and no lockup during the shift sequence. The oxidized fluid will start to form varnish on the parts. Changing ATF will result in the varnish being dissolved by the new fluid. This is why a transmission of a lot of miles that has never been changed can result in leaking seals- the varnish that kept it from leaking are now is suspension in the fluid.There are transmissions out there that require fluid changes every 15,000 miles and then there are those like the new Ford specs that calls for ATF changes every 150,000 miles. If you value your transmission, regardless of makers recommendations, change at least every 35,000 miles or every other year. Even the new mostly synthetic fluids are prone to varnish if left in the transmission long enough.
FWIW, do any of you have a clue the difference between a "fully" synthetic fluid and a "100%"synthetic fluid?
The friction modifier is what I meant. My Toyota dealer tried telling me the fluid in my Tundra was “lifetime” fluid, and then at about 90k miles I started getting some shudder and slipping when shifting. I drained the fluid and it was BROWN! I refilled it with Maxlife full synthetic, drove about 30 miles and drained it again. I did this four times, each time the fluid looking cleaner and more red.
That was 13k miles ago and the truck shifts like brand new again.
Some of the posters had 5 and 6 year old trucks.
This transmission(the 4L60E) is well known for failures early in life.
Surprised there has not been a recall.
Mercedes and Volvo's from the 90's have transmissions that last 200k and up.
I got 170k out of a 4L60E and then another 70k after it was rebuilt.. I wasn't happy about the rebuild only getting 70k.
The theory is.. If you change out the transmission fluid, the junk floating around in it that is providing extra friction to allow the friction plates to grab is gone.. And the transmission can start slipping.
In reality.. The problems were already there, the fluid change just made them apparent.
Hogwash, prove it! Show me a newer vehicle that requires transmission service every 24K miles under normal use.
Ultimately, who are you going to believe? The manufacturer or someone on the internet who you have no clue if they are honest or not or maybe even still living in the 20th century.
READ the other posts.
First stated was to READ the owners manual.
On my vehicles transmission fluid is changed every 2 years or 24,000 miles - a personal preference. The oldest is 21 years old and a daily driver. No transmission issues.
Just at the local repair shop. On floor were two large black plastic containers. What was in them?
Answer: two different automatic transmissions. For those customers who don't believe in changing automatic transmission fluid.
I just do a 25k change. I never believed in the lifetime fluid mantra. Not that any of my trucks have that. Or the it doesn’t need changing for 100,000 miles. Fluid is cheap. A transmission or engine isn’t.
I drain and refill. Change the filter or clean the screen if applicable
The general consensus nowadays is not to flush, but rather do a drain and fill about every 30k miles, that should be often enough to keep the additives in the fluid replenished.
Some service managers will tell you the fluid is “lifetime fluid”, don’t believe that BS.
Quote:
Originally Posted by unit731
Absolutely correct.
Do not ever fall for the "flush" routine no matter what the service manage/shop tells you.
Only drain and fill. And replace or clean filter if transmission has one.
No way.
This sounds like the weaponized autism I see on some F150 forums.
Of course, maybe the drain and fill a few quarts at a time folks are right and you really do want a bunch of trash floating in the torque converter rather than flush it in one shot.
I flushed my '03 F150 at about 165K miles and there are no hiccups at 270K miles.
My RAV4 says lifetime, but no way that is happening.
I am at 60k and want to do a drain/refill, but there is no dipstick.
Without all the proper tools to measure how much fluid is in there, you are SOL.
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