well, i have an 02 Accord dx auto, when you drain the tranny, approximately 2.5 -3 qts of fluid is removed and the remaining 3-4 qts is left in the tranny. I want to do the cooler line technique, should drain the fluid first, connect the bolt, then take a long funnel , insert in the fill hole, disconnect the cooler line , have assistant have an open bottle of atf fluid open and ready for fill and another assistant observing the fluid from the cooler line into the container while the engine is running. Some suggestions please
Tranny Fluid Procedure
- Thread starter Bluj40
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Buy 8 quarts of ATF.
Drain ATF through the drainplug.
Refill completely ~3 quarts. Overfill by 2.
Disconnect ATF line, aim into container, and start vehicle. Shut vehicle off when gallon container is full. Refill by 1.5 quarts. Check level. Top off as needed per owners manual(hot/cold/running/notrunning/whatever).
Repeat flush every 30k or continue with a simple drain/refill every 10k!
Only one assistant is needed for 'key' control while you are aiming!
Drain ATF through the drainplug.
Refill completely ~3 quarts. Overfill by 2.
Disconnect ATF line, aim into container, and start vehicle. Shut vehicle off when gallon container is full. Refill by 1.5 quarts. Check level. Top off as needed per owners manual(hot/cold/running/notrunning/whatever).
Repeat flush every 30k or continue with a simple drain/refill every 10k!
Only one assistant is needed for 'key' control while you are aiming!
I've done the disconnect cooler hose method by myself several times. I drain the ATF through the drain plug, replace drain plug, then refill the amount I drained plus a couple quarts. I connect some vinyl tubing to the cooler outlet and put it into an old gallon milk jug which is in a cardboard box to prevent tipover. I start the engine and run for maybe 15-20 seconds then shutoff and check the level in the jug. Then I add more ATF and repeat a couple times.
In my experience you won't be able to pour in ATF as fast as the AT pumps it out.
I think it's more risky to let the ATF get to low whilst pumping it out the cooler than it is to have too high a level in the AT. (This last time I did it, I miscalculated somehow and filled my 00 Outback so full it started dumping fluid out the breather on top of the trans. Just fired it up to pump out the excess and have had no problems.
Some AT's don't circulate ATF through the cooler in park but will in neutral.
In my experience you won't be able to pour in ATF as fast as the AT pumps it out.
I think it's more risky to let the ATF get to low whilst pumping it out the cooler than it is to have too high a level in the AT. (This last time I did it, I miscalculated somehow and filled my 00 Outback so full it started dumping fluid out the breather on top of the trans. Just fired it up to pump out the excess and have had no problems.
Some AT's don't circulate ATF through the cooler in park but will in neutral.
Since my Trooper did not have a fill tube located in the engine bay, I had to do something a little different for draining and refilling the torque converter.
I disconnected one of two cooler lines running to the radiator. Next, I verified that that rubber cooler hose pumped out the old fluid. I started up the car and pumped out about 1-2 quarts of old fluid. Using a plastic bottle pump purchased from Amsoil, I pumped in the new fluid through the inlet that the rubber hose had just been connected to. Doing it this way, I was able to easily see the color change as the old fluid pumped out.
I did it this way before I changed out the transmission filter because I wanted to make sure that I was able to see the color transition between the two fluids. I also like this method better than having a fill tube in the engine bay because when I do it this way, I can be absolutely sure all the old fluid comes out one end and the new fluid goes in the other.
Out of a nine quart system, about eight and half quarts came out before the fluid stream changed to a bright red color.
Bobby
I disconnected one of two cooler lines running to the radiator. Next, I verified that that rubber cooler hose pumped out the old fluid. I started up the car and pumped out about 1-2 quarts of old fluid. Using a plastic bottle pump purchased from Amsoil, I pumped in the new fluid through the inlet that the rubber hose had just been connected to. Doing it this way, I was able to easily see the color change as the old fluid pumped out.
I did it this way before I changed out the transmission filter because I wanted to make sure that I was able to see the color transition between the two fluids. I also like this method better than having a fill tube in the engine bay because when I do it this way, I can be absolutely sure all the old fluid comes out one end and the new fluid goes in the other.
Out of a nine quart system, about eight and half quarts came out before the fluid stream changed to a bright red color.
Bobby
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