Flushing fluids isnt just unnecessary, it's potentally dangerous.

autofoundry.com ^ | 9/25/2013 | Jason Lancaster

[Noumenon]

Lucas - Prince of Darkness.

[Noumenon]

All Lucas switches have three positions: On, Off and Intermittent.

[Zhang Fei]

From what I understand, automatic transmissions in front-drive Chryslers are trouble-prone, and many of the problems stem from not using the factory recommended fluid. Our ‘98 Sebring convertible has 141,000 miles on it so far, and thankfully the transmission has not had any problems.

He had never changed the fluid, ever, and he bought it new. In fact, the 60K transmission problem was the second time this happened. The first was at 40K, which was covered by the factory warranty. The second time cost him a couple of grand, since it happened just after the warranty expired, on account of mileage.

[Dr. Sivana]

..oh, and give your car a name, talk nicely to it while tapping the dashboard now and then and it will last longer and not break down as often. Not joking.

Agreed. My wife's 1994 Caprice wagon, "Wilma", is practically a member of the family.

[Moonman62]

I’ve heard that the synthetic will dissolve the gunk that keeps everything sealed in an older engine.

[Zhang Fei]

A common occurrence on Chrysler minivans I'm told. Partly due to the design that has smaller sized fluid porting or some such.

Would regular fluid changes (say every 30K miles) have overcome this design problem?

[fireman15]

I agree with most of the article. However if your automatic transmission fluid has been overheated and the fluid is dark and stinky or has any signs of sediment... draining the fluid, and inspecting and changing the filter is a good way to hopefully avoid expensive repairs.

My old Dodge Van automatic transmission actually quit working because the filter became clogged after it got overheated towing a trailer. I thought a tear-down would be necessary, but incredibly just changing the filter and fluid took care of the problem. With most automatic transmissions if your fluid gets really fouled you must drain it twice or more to get the majority of the bad stuff out. That is because if you drain them merely by taking the pan loose over half the fluid can still be in the torque converter and cooling system.

[glorgau]

And DO use synthetic motor oil because you can go up to 10,000 mi before an oil change!

You'll often get slightly better gas mileage. It will probably pay for itself.

[HiJinx]

And NEVER get a BLACK car because you will have to wash it constantly and it's about 10 degrees hotter on the inside on hot days than a white car is.

Sometimes, looking cool outweighs feeling hot.

[eyedigress]

I thought this article was about bleach.

(for you 1990-1996 Honda owners, change your Tranny fluid every 75,000 miles, Acura fluid only. No need to flush, just drain a few quarts and replenish)

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Would regular fluid changes (say every 30K miles) have overcome this design problem?

Uncertain. But I had a neighbor who did that and drove his Caravan for 170,000 miles with no tranny (no jokes please) problems. He took good care of his stuff.

[WayneS]

But, I heard that if you don’t flush your brake fluid every 32,751 miles, the Severkel valves on the torque extraction unit will get air-locked and cause premature lug nut failure...

...and reduced fuel mileage.

[gogeo]

Just try running that F150 for its lifetime...

...and it lasted the lifetime of the transmission, right?

[gogeo]

His advice about brake fluid was bad advice.

[golux]

Yes but the smaller wires enable a more stable random intermittent function in both on or off positions, and help to keep the instruments warm.

[9422WMR]

It (transmission) will not last as long as it should if you fail to change the fluids on a proper schedule.
The article insinuated that fluid changes were almost unnecessary.
I agree, as do my new car salesman friends. Never change the fluids, no never/S

[WayneS]

I never flush brake systems - ever.

But, if I notice that the DOT3 or 4 brake fluid in a particular master-cylinder reservoir has started to turn dark-colored (which is one indication that it is saturated with moisture) I will use a turkey baster to suck the ‘spent’ fluid from the reservoir, and then refill it with new fluid.

It seems to work to keep my brake systems operating well, but it does make our roasted turkeys taste funny.

[WayneS]

And you change the air in your tires every 15K miles, right?

[WayneS]

Ahhhh, Lucas - or, as many owners of old Brit-bikes prefer to call him, the Prince of Darkness.

[WayneS]

Twice.