Posted on 11/25/2018 12:30:57 PM PST by OKSooner
On my truck I never had touched the tranny until 170,000 miles. It started slipping once every few months or so. Not having been serviced before (so more gunk), it seems the consensus is to drain and fill a few times, with a few hundred miles in between.
That was my plan. I drained it, put in a new filter and cleaned everything. And tightened down all the little nuts that are holding the electronics in place. Then filled it. A few thousand miles later I haven’t done that again as I had planned. No slips yet though.
My truck had a bracket that was VERY difficult to drop the pan cover past.
170k miles? That’s pretty good by anyone’s book.
Even with a transmission known for reliability problems like the GM 4L60?
*********
I guess it depends on the age/mileage of the junkyard transmission.. A 4l60 is one of the more common ones ,, the transmission shops problem is that there aren’t maybe 10 basic automatics anymore like there were in the 60’s/70’s ... much greater chance for an error in rebuilding when you’re doing so many varieties... I like “ATP” automatic transmission parts for rebuild kits.
My mechanic wouldn’t do a pressure flush on mine because I hadn’t had it done at 30k miles. He said if it wasn’t done then doing it later (130k) it was recommended against because it could cause more harm than good
Cars is running fine
Right now I am driving a 1994 Buick Roadmaster wagon with the LT-1/4L60 combo.
We had a similar Chevy Caprice wagon that was obtained at 108,000 miles already on a Jasper rebuilt transmission (it had lived in the Smoky Mountains, which probably accelerated wear/tear).
The tranny went out again at 220,000, and we decided to get rid of the car. Our present Buick is at 218,000 miles now on the original transmission, but also needs a ring job/engine rebuild and a water pump (present is leaking slightly, should replace when the engine is rebuilt).
If the tranny goes, I figured I’d put in a rebuild, or maybe go up to a 4L65 if that is an option.I wouldn’t want to take a chance on a 25 year old junk yard part.
There is no combustion within a transmission. The obvious stated, the only soiling of the fluid will occur from wear of the clutches. However, what happens in t-fluid is the same thing which occurs in the engine (aside from combustion byproduct degradation):
Heat degradation of the additives which give the fluid its protective properties.
That stated, reducing the additive content by diluting old fluid with new fluid is just dumb. Flushing is not an “added service”:
It is the ONLY RECOMMENDED SERVICE for transmissions with a torque converter.
Intervals, of course, will vary depending on type of driving & climate. Hotter ambient temps make for higher operating temps, as does lack of auxiliary coolers. Towing slashes the life of t-fluid and it should be replaced based on inspection of the fluid itself even after one hard haul up a pass, all things considered.
Failure to monitor t-fluid condition and/or replace it annually are the greatest causes of transmission failure second only to abusive use (towing, hard driving, etc.).
Btw, fluid color is not necessarily an indicator that the fluid is Ok, harkening back to my comment about annual replacement for low-use vehicles. However, fluid color is definitely an indicator going the other way (replace/bad).
.02
Note: This is collated from multiple conversations with a now-deceased Conservative independent transmission shop owner with over 30 years experience at the time. He flushed every tranny with a service and sent people packing who didn’t want to spend the extra $$ for the fluid & extra time. fwiw
I had a (used) BMW 7-series and when it got to 150,000 miles I had the transmission serviced. It developed a transmission problem within a month or two. From now on, if it ain’t broke, I ain’t fixin’ it.
“My 97 Chevy Lumina has 208,000 miles. The filter was changed at around 20,000 miles then nothing except for very rare addition of fluid.
It works perfectly.”
Change the fluid now, and your trans is TOAST. The old fluid is weak, but functional. The seals in the transmission are now week. Put in some nice, new, strong, fluid and you’ll pop them.
At least that’s what I learned the hard way, several times.
I worked in an office which had a Xerox machine which had been working for six years with no maintenance other than replacing toner.
Finally the GSA paid for a service contract. When the guy came in and serviced it he joked that it would probably break down now.
Sure enough it did so within a week.
I have not had the transmission flushed or drained. I leave it alone.
My old 1992 Honda Accord would get stuck in gear sometimes. The fix was to pull the fuse that ran the computer that ran the transmission. Basically you reboot the computer. Known issue but I bet the dealership and transmission shops never mentioned it to their victims er... customers.
If you hear a ticking noise in any honda you may think you just need the valves adjusted but you may find the camshaft needing replacing due to wear and not because of oil but bad manufacturing. I read up on my honda and found it goes on for many years before and after 2003 which is my honda accord and in other countries too. I saw one post about someone in Norway having the issue.
My cars will only have their transmissions serviced by dealers with solid reputations....and then only as necessary - not 'as recommended" by the service shops.
drop the pan, change the filter and magnet, clean the pan thoroughly and reinstall. Add new fluid. the old fluid in the torque converter will pass through the filter and magnet. easy peasy.... i do this in my garage
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.