the transmission flush debate

[flyrite]

okay i recently bought a 92 seville. the transmission fluid is brownish and bubbly. now i am debating how i need to approach servicing the transmission. shifting is a lttle rough but not bad and certainly doesn't seem to be having difficulty. however i know it will become a major problem down the road.

my question is:

what is the best process for changing your transmission fluid?

some people claim that the power transmission flush machines used by places like jiffy lube and oil can henry's work fine. others say you can do it yourself and to drop the pan and replace the filter. then there is another camp that says completely changing the fluid and filter at this point causes problems.

so what is the best process? what have you done and what do you trust? my cadillac has 96,000 miles

i know there are some pretty knowledgeable folks on this forum and thanks in advance for any advice you might have.

flyrite

[elwesso]

Well, I would choose all of the above.......

To do the BEST (maybe some overkill here) here is what you do.......
1. Before you take it in, drop the pan, and clean it out, and the magnet... replace the pan
2. Take it in to have the flush done
3. Drive around for a while, and then when you get back replace the filter......

The reason you replace the filter after is because a lot of crap can get loosened, and it would be a shame to clog up the new filter.......

The people that say that you shouldnt change the tranny fluid dont deserve to drive a car.....

[kempie]

There are three things I do when buying a used car. Oil change, Radiator flush & change the trans. filter. If the fluid is brown I would definetly do the fluid change as Wes described. Pretty cheap trans. insurance.

[flyrite]

Originally Posted by elwesso

Well, I would choose all of the above.......

To do the BEST (maybe some overkill here) here is what you do.......
1. Before you take it in, drop the pan, and clean it out, and the magnet... replace the pan
2. Take it in to have the flush done
3. Drive around for a while, and then when you get back replace the filter......

The reason you replace the filter after is because a lot of crap can get loosened, and it would be a shame to clog up the new filter.......

The people that say that you shouldnt change the tranny fluid dont deserve to drive a car.....

thanks, also have you ever heard that the power flush machines may add too much pressure to the system during their process and it may cause harm to the tranny?

[Allante North *]

Hey flyrite,

This came up on the Allante site a while back and I will tell you what I did. I dropped the pan and changed it myself. I was scared of the power flush in that there is a possibility of cross contamination from the power flush. I did not want to risk having junk added to my system from lack of cleaning the system that offers the power flush. My .02 worth is to just do it yourself, or have a mechanic with a lift help you do it. Be sure to get the right filter and gasket to finish the job.

[elwesso]

If I were to do a power flush, I would take in my own fluid and have it done..... That way you KNOW you have fresh fluid......

And if the flush machine caused damage to the tranny, I would go back to the shop and tell them to replace the tranny!!!

Advance auto parts sells a tranny filter kit, get it from them.....

[MMNineInchNails]

I got my tranny filter from Autozone with a pan gasket for $11.

[elwesso]

There you go!!

And make sure you get ALL the old fluid out when you drop the pan, it can be pretty messy.....

[punkshox]

Originally Posted by elwesso

If I were to do a power flush, I would take in my own fluid and have it done..... That way you KNOW you have fresh fluid......

And if the flush machine caused damage to the tranny, I would go back to the shop and tell them to replace the tranny!!!

Advance auto parts sells a tranny filter kit, get it from them.....

You would tell Jiffy Lube to replace a part of your Northstar? More like take it to your local caddy shop and let someone qualified do it, on Jiffy Lube's dime... I'm sure their insurance can handle it.

[kempie]

I had the "flush" done on my Explorer when I got it W/60,000 mi. The word "flush" is a misnomer as it really is just a complete exchange of fluid. They add the new fluid as the old is pumped out by the trans pump. Completely new fluid, with its cleaning abalities, can dislodge some gunk that could plug a valve. Its not foolproof but if the fluid is really brown a filter change is only going to get less than half of the old out. Is that enough? I dont know. So I took the chance on a complete exchange and have had no problems with the Explorer trans, which is more fickle than the Cads.
Its your call....

[elwesso]

Originally Posted by punkshox

You would tell Jiffy Lube to replace a part of your Northstar? More like take it to your local caddy shop and let someone qualified do it, on Jiffy Lube's dime... I'm sure their insurance can handle it.

No, they would pay for it...... Jiffy lube probably wouldnt even have the tools to do it...

[2dfx]

Originally Posted by elwesso

If I were to do a power flush, I would take in my own fluid and have it done..... That way you KNOW you have fresh fluid......

And if the flush machine caused damage to the tranny, I would go back to the shop and tell them to replace the tranny!!!

We have a shop called Mr. Lube. My mom took the 96 Sierra in for a tranny flush.

2 weeks later, the transmission died - blew out the planar gears. $2850 for a complete rebuild. Mind you the 4L60 is garbage as well.

We lost the legal war as there wasn't sufficient evidence to prove that it was in fact their fault.

Do be careful - that's all I'm saying.

[elwesso]

Thats unfortunate....... But chances are it was on its way, or never flushed.......

[Devil_concours]

Originally Posted by elwesso

No, they would pay for it...... Jiffy lube probably wouldnt even have the tools to do it...

they do have the tool. IRC, they use bg flush machine which is used by the dealership.
I've had 2 bad experience with flushing so no more flushing for me.
Good ol' drop drain replace for all my cars.

[2dfx]

Originally Posted by elwesso

Thats unfortunate....... But chances are it was on its way, or never flushed.......

It had never been flushed...but it was working fine nonetheless.