How to have your trans.fluid changed
- Thread starter doolie92
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ls1mike
$50 Site Donor 2025
On that, you be fine just dropping the pan, changing the filter and filling it up, but do it now. You are getting late.
You may want to trough this in if you are in there.
http://www.zzperformance.com/grand_prix/products1.php?id=570&catid=105
Increases line pressure, so you get nice solid shifts and longer clutch life.
I have one in my Buick and love it.
You may want to trough this in if you are in there.
http://www.zzperformance.com/grand_prix/products1.php?id=570&catid=105
Increases line pressure, so you get nice solid shifts and longer clutch life.
I have one in my Buick and love it.
The gasket may be reusable, but don't count on it at this point.
A pan drop and cleaning is a good idea right now.
The downside is that only about 1/2 of the fluid gets changed.
You can install a drain plug [ get a good one and do a good job] in the pan. This will allow incredibly easy changes in the future. You can then swap out the fluid a few times more to get almost all of the fluid changed. There will be some wasted fluid.
A pan drop and cleaning is a good idea right now.
The downside is that only about 1/2 of the fluid gets changed.
You can install a drain plug [ get a good one and do a good job] in the pan. This will allow incredibly easy changes in the future. You can then swap out the fluid a few times more to get almost all of the fluid changed. There will be some wasted fluid.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Does it have a trans cooler? If so a cooler line flush is nice quick and easy.
Originally Posted By: Geo_Prizm
Never flush it.
Always flush the transmission to remove as much of the old fluid as possible. Skip the chemicals though, as they usually are not necessary.
Never flush it.
Always flush the transmission to remove as much of the old fluid as possible. Skip the chemicals though, as they usually are not necessary.
ls1mike
$50 Site Donor 2025
Not on a 4T65E with 85,000 miles if it has not been done before.
I have owned 4 cars with the 4T65E 3 of them supercharged all of them modified to run high 13's or low 14's, well except for the N/A 3800 I had. A pan drop and fill every 40,000 miles has netted me 190,000, 200,000 and 220,000 miles out of the supercharged cars and when I got rid of the N/A car it had 270,000 miles on the original tranny.
My current Buick has 77,000 miles on it and bunch of mods. It has had two pan drops and fills. A 4T65E is 13 qt transmission with the cooler and converter. A pan drop and fill is about 8 to 9 qts. On the Buick I added an Aux cooler as well keeps the shifts real crips and consistent. No need to flush it unless you think it is doing something wrong and it may be time for a rebuild anyway.
I have owned 4 cars with the 4T65E 3 of them supercharged all of them modified to run high 13's or low 14's, well except for the N/A 3800 I had. A pan drop and fill every 40,000 miles has netted me 190,000, 200,000 and 220,000 miles out of the supercharged cars and when I got rid of the N/A car it had 270,000 miles on the original tranny.
My current Buick has 77,000 miles on it and bunch of mods. It has had two pan drops and fills. A 4T65E is 13 qt transmission with the cooler and converter. A pan drop and fill is about 8 to 9 qts. On the Buick I added an Aux cooler as well keeps the shifts real crips and consistent. No need to flush it unless you think it is doing something wrong and it may be time for a rebuild anyway.
Kestas
Staff member
Transmission Fluid Exchange
For those interested, here's the fluid change method I use on all my cars that don't have a torque converter drain plug:
1. Pull the transmission dipstick. Fresh fluid is translucent and cherry red. Some darkening is normal, but if it is reddish brown or mustard color and smells like burnt varnish, it is worn out.
2. Make sure the fluid is warm.
3. Remove all pan bolts except for the corners. Remove the bolt from the lowest corner, then loosen the other corner bolts a turn or two. Carefully pry the pan to break the gasket seal at the lowest corner. Drain mostly from this corner. With good technique you can avoid or at least minimize the red bath.
4. Remove pan. Inspect the pan before cleaning. A small amount of fine grey clutch dust is normal. However, if you find metal shavings, there has been transmission damage. Remove all old gasket material. Some rubber gaskets are reusable. Clean the pan and magnet with solvent and wipe dry so there is no harmful residue. Shop air can be used to clean the magnet. Hammer back any pan damage from previous overtightening.
5. (Optional) Drill hole in pan at low point and install a drain kit available from most auto supply houses. Make sure the kit protruding inside the pan doesn't interfere with anything on the transmission.
6. Replace filter.
7. Position gasket on pan. Some gaskets have four holes slightly smaller than the rest to allow four bolts through the pan and through these smaller holes to hold the four bolts and gasket in place.
8. Hand tighten pan bolts in a criss-cross pattern. After that, use a torque wrench to tighten bolts to proper ft-lbs as per manufacturer.
9. Refill the transmission using only the amount shown as “refill capacity” in the owners manual (or an equal amount that was drained), using the type of fluid specified for the vehicle.
10. You now have replaced the trans fluid and filter according to manufacturer’s requirements. Fluid is changed in the pan only.
You can stop here and go to Step 17 if you just wanted a regular drop-the-pan fluid change. For a complete exchange of the fluid (including transmission body and torque converter) continue with the next steps.
11. Obtain the total system capacity of the vehicle from the manufacturer. Have this amount - plus a bit more - of fluid readily available.
12. Disconnect the oil cooler line from the oil cooler. Tickle the ignition to find the flow direction. Direct the stream of fluid toward a receptacle. It is better to use a clear length of hose with a shoplight laying next to it so you can see when all the old fluid has left the system.
13. Start the engine, let it idle to pump out old trans fluid until you start seeing air bubbles. Shift through the gears while the fluid is moving - you'll see spurts of dark fluid go through.
14. Stop the engine. Refill transmission through fill tube with fresh fluid - same amount as pumped out (usually about 2-3 quarts).
15. When either the fluid color brightens or the total capacity has been replaced, shut the engine off and re-attach the oil cooler line. All trans fluid has now been changed.
16. Button everything back up. Clean up the mess.
17. Recheck the fluid level. With the car on level ground, set the parking brake and the transmission in Park or Neutral. Let the engine idle for a few minutes. Shift the transmission through all detents, pausing momentarily at each position, before returning the lever to Park or Neutral. Check the fluid level again and check for leaks. Refill fluid so it is slightly undercharged. This way it can be properly checked and topped off after a long drive.
For those interested, here's the fluid change method I use on all my cars that don't have a torque converter drain plug:
1. Pull the transmission dipstick. Fresh fluid is translucent and cherry red. Some darkening is normal, but if it is reddish brown or mustard color and smells like burnt varnish, it is worn out.
2. Make sure the fluid is warm.
3. Remove all pan bolts except for the corners. Remove the bolt from the lowest corner, then loosen the other corner bolts a turn or two. Carefully pry the pan to break the gasket seal at the lowest corner. Drain mostly from this corner. With good technique you can avoid or at least minimize the red bath.
4. Remove pan. Inspect the pan before cleaning. A small amount of fine grey clutch dust is normal. However, if you find metal shavings, there has been transmission damage. Remove all old gasket material. Some rubber gaskets are reusable. Clean the pan and magnet with solvent and wipe dry so there is no harmful residue. Shop air can be used to clean the magnet. Hammer back any pan damage from previous overtightening.
5. (Optional) Drill hole in pan at low point and install a drain kit available from most auto supply houses. Make sure the kit protruding inside the pan doesn't interfere with anything on the transmission.
6. Replace filter.
7. Position gasket on pan. Some gaskets have four holes slightly smaller than the rest to allow four bolts through the pan and through these smaller holes to hold the four bolts and gasket in place.
8. Hand tighten pan bolts in a criss-cross pattern. After that, use a torque wrench to tighten bolts to proper ft-lbs as per manufacturer.
9. Refill the transmission using only the amount shown as “refill capacity” in the owners manual (or an equal amount that was drained), using the type of fluid specified for the vehicle.
10. You now have replaced the trans fluid and filter according to manufacturer’s requirements. Fluid is changed in the pan only.
You can stop here and go to Step 17 if you just wanted a regular drop-the-pan fluid change. For a complete exchange of the fluid (including transmission body and torque converter) continue with the next steps.
11. Obtain the total system capacity of the vehicle from the manufacturer. Have this amount - plus a bit more - of fluid readily available.
12. Disconnect the oil cooler line from the oil cooler. Tickle the ignition to find the flow direction. Direct the stream of fluid toward a receptacle. It is better to use a clear length of hose with a shoplight laying next to it so you can see when all the old fluid has left the system.
13. Start the engine, let it idle to pump out old trans fluid until you start seeing air bubbles. Shift through the gears while the fluid is moving - you'll see spurts of dark fluid go through.
14. Stop the engine. Refill transmission through fill tube with fresh fluid - same amount as pumped out (usually about 2-3 quarts).
15. When either the fluid color brightens or the total capacity has been replaced, shut the engine off and re-attach the oil cooler line. All trans fluid has now been changed.
16. Button everything back up. Clean up the mess.
17. Recheck the fluid level. With the car on level ground, set the parking brake and the transmission in Park or Neutral. Let the engine idle for a few minutes. Shift the transmission through all detents, pausing momentarily at each position, before returning the lever to Park or Neutral. Check the fluid level again and check for leaks. Refill fluid so it is slightly undercharged. This way it can be properly checked and topped off after a long drive.
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Get a few feet of 5/16 inch or 3/8 inch fuel hose. Disconnect a trans cooler hose and attach the length of fuel hose to the disconnected trans cooler fitting.
Aim the end of the fuel line into a suitable container. Have an assistant start the engine and allow the transmission to pump itself "dry" (it won't really be dry) at idle speed. AS SOON AS the fluid stops pumping out, have the assistant stop the engine. Re-connect everything and refill with new fluid. You'll get much more old fluid out of the trans (about 90%)this way than any other way and you won't hurt it a bit.
Aim the end of the fuel line into a suitable container. Have an assistant start the engine and allow the transmission to pump itself "dry" (it won't really be dry) at idle speed. AS SOON AS the fluid stops pumping out, have the assistant stop the engine. Re-connect everything and refill with new fluid. You'll get much more old fluid out of the trans (about 90%)this way than any other way and you won't hurt it a bit.
Kestas
Staff member
Why do you specifically mention "fuel hose?" Isn't that rather expensive? Any hose will do.
FYI, for some vehicles, the tranny will have to be in Neutral, not in park for Scdevon's method to work. Most Chrysler autos and some others don't flow through the cooler circuit in park.
Some trannies have a drain plug on the torque converter. Many do not, however.
On an old Buick I've just pulled a cooler line and run it dry, filled and repeated a few times. Fluid went from black to clean and I was happy. Didn't even want to pull the pan for not having to buy a gasket. It's got a problem with a PWM solenoid anyhow.
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: Geo_Prizm
Never flush it.
Always flush the transmission to remove as much of the old fluid as possible. Skip the chemicals though, as they usually are not necessary.
There are times to flush, and times not to flush. A time TO flush is when you've owned the car since it was new and/or you know the fluid doesn't have more than 30K miles on it. After that point, the fluid starts to break down and deposits can start building up in the tranny. A flush in this case could dislodge these deposits and cause them to lodge in other areas of the tranny, clogging tiny, but crucial passage ways. In the event you have a tranny with fluid that has more than 30K on it, or you don't know how long the fluid's been in, then draining and replacing the filter is a safer method.
Originally Posted By: Geo_Prizm
Never flush it.
Always flush the transmission to remove as much of the old fluid as possible. Skip the chemicals though, as they usually are not necessary.
There are times to flush, and times not to flush. A time TO flush is when you've owned the car since it was new and/or you know the fluid doesn't have more than 30K miles on it. After that point, the fluid starts to break down and deposits can start building up in the tranny. A flush in this case could dislodge these deposits and cause them to lodge in other areas of the tranny, clogging tiny, but crucial passage ways. In the event you have a tranny with fluid that has more than 30K on it, or you don't know how long the fluid's been in, then draining and replacing the filter is a safer method.
Originally Posted By: grampi
There are times to flush, and times not to flush. A time TO flush is when you've owned the car since it was new and/or you know the fluid doesn't have more than 30K miles on it. After that point, the fluid starts to break down and deposits can start building up in the tranny. A flush in this case could dislodge these deposits and cause them to lodge in other areas of the tranny, clogging tiny, but crucial passage ways. In the event you have a tranny with fluid that has more than 30K on it, or you don't know how long the fluid's been in, then draining and replacing the filter is a safer method.
Replacing the filter should always be done if it is a media type filter.
Transmission fluid lasts long much longer than it used to. OEMs test the transmission for 150k on the original fluid. It is common for the fluid to outlast the unit. Deposits no longer build up and "gunk up" the transmission as Group I base oils are no longer common.
Even if there were deposits, transmission fluid has very little detergency and will not cause massive cleaning action. Flush machines or cooler line flushes rely on the transmission's own internal pump for fluid flow and does not have the capability of removing crud.
There are times to flush, and times not to flush. A time TO flush is when you've owned the car since it was new and/or you know the fluid doesn't have more than 30K miles on it. After that point, the fluid starts to break down and deposits can start building up in the tranny. A flush in this case could dislodge these deposits and cause them to lodge in other areas of the tranny, clogging tiny, but crucial passage ways. In the event you have a tranny with fluid that has more than 30K on it, or you don't know how long the fluid's been in, then draining and replacing the filter is a safer method.
Replacing the filter should always be done if it is a media type filter.
Transmission fluid lasts long much longer than it used to. OEMs test the transmission for 150k on the original fluid. It is common for the fluid to outlast the unit. Deposits no longer build up and "gunk up" the transmission as Group I base oils are no longer common.
Even if there were deposits, transmission fluid has very little detergency and will not cause massive cleaning action. Flush machines or cooler line flushes rely on the transmission's own internal pump for fluid flow and does not have the capability of removing crud.
Never, ever, ever flush a transmission under any circumstances. The 2004 GM has an O-ring reusable pan gasket and takes Dexron 3. You can get the NAPA filter kit and the fluid (NAPA brand Dex-3) at a reasonable cost. You will need 7 1/2 quarts of fluid after a pan/filter removal. Again, NEVER flush a transmission, ever.
Baloney.
Doing a cooler line flush flows the exact same path as always at the same pressures, etc. Absolutely no risk if performed properly.
But you must drop the pan and change the filter first.
Use any Dex VI and enjoy years of trouble free operation.
Doing a cooler line flush flows the exact same path as always at the same pressures, etc. Absolutely no risk if performed properly.
But you must drop the pan and change the filter first.
Use any Dex VI and enjoy years of trouble free operation.
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I have a 4T65E with 120K in my Buick. I did a pan drop/refill at 36K and again at 96K using Mobil 1 ATF. I added LG red both times. The fluid was still red both times and the A/T shifts flawlessly. I plan on going to 165K on the current fill.
I don't know if a flush is harmful but I don't think it's necessary regardless.
I don't know if a flush is harmful but I don't think it's necessary regardless.
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