Usually parts break in the trans is what caused failures . Heat kills the oil. Not changing the oil will shorten the life by parts by wear or sitcking the valves or valve body on an non eletric trans
How to keep an auto transmission running forever
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I put a drain plug on my F150 auto pan (4R70W). I use Mobil 1 ATF and generally drain 4 quarts out and put in new M1 at every 5K oil change.
198,981 miles in total with about 125K on this trans. My driving style has not changed, so it looks like my "procedure" has helped the second transmission last twice as long as the first. It's still going strong, by the way.
Chris
198,981 miles in total with about 125K on this trans. My driving style has not changed, so it looks like my "procedure" has helped the second transmission last twice as long as the first. It's still going strong, by the way.
Chris
Kestas
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I have 192K on a 98 ZX2 with the original transmission. All I did was fluid exchanges with Mercon every 30K. Still going strong with no hiccups.
I have a 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier with 208,000 miles. It is the original transmission and has had no repair of any kind. At 5000 miles I changed the fluid and filter for the first time. I used Mobil 1 synthetic replacement for DEX/MEC. After that I changed at 25,000 miles with Mobil 1. The last change was at 200,000 and I switched to synthetic DEX VI.
Originally Posted By: Steve S
Usually parts break in the trans is what caused failures . Heat kills the oil. Not changing the oil will shorten the life by parts by wear or sitcking the valves or valve body on an non eletric trans
By the posts on here that looks to be the trend. My dad never believed in trans. fluid changes till they got the Vibe. Actually in his defense he probably wasn't aware that it needed to be done. He had mostly manuals till the 80's and till the late 90's traded cars every 3-4 years. Broke that trend with a 00 Impala at 5-6 years.
They started to distrust the Impala when the trans started slipping. I tried telling them numerous times over the years to get it done.. never did. I did change it once in 03 or 04. Even the auto trans on the dead 86 F150 is shot. No fluid changes ever. The only problems I've ever had was on a 98 Escort when I didn't change the fluid till 65k. Fresh fluid fixed it.. for how long don't know traded it at 80k.
Usually parts break in the trans is what caused failures . Heat kills the oil. Not changing the oil will shorten the life by parts by wear or sitcking the valves or valve body on an non eletric trans
By the posts on here that looks to be the trend. My dad never believed in trans. fluid changes till they got the Vibe. Actually in his defense he probably wasn't aware that it needed to be done. He had mostly manuals till the 80's and till the late 90's traded cars every 3-4 years. Broke that trend with a 00 Impala at 5-6 years.
They started to distrust the Impala when the trans started slipping. I tried telling them numerous times over the years to get it done.. never did. I did change it once in 03 or 04. Even the auto trans on the dead 86 F150 is shot. No fluid changes ever. The only problems I've ever had was on a 98 Escort when I didn't change the fluid till 65k. Fresh fluid fixed it.. for how long don't know traded it at 80k.
JTK
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Obviously maintenance is important for AT life, but IMO, AT longevity is more closely a function of the specific vehicle and how that vehicle is used. Best case scenario would be a light weight, low horsepower vehicle that doesn't have to tote a lot of weight. Take away ANY of those and the AT lifespan is shortened. AT equipped vehicles of yesteryear seemed to last forever w/no service. All I can figure is the engines tended to be low HP, the cars had more cooling capacity and tended to rust apart much sooner than today.
Joel
Joel
Originally Posted By: Jim Allen
Hot enough to bake out moisture. That scenario never gets the oil hot enough to bake out condensation.
why or how would condensation get in a hydraulic setup? I know engines do get it, but because the combustion produces some,especially when it's cold.
Hot enough to bake out moisture. That scenario never gets the oil hot enough to bake out condensation.
why or how would condensation get in a hydraulic setup? I know engines do get it, but because the combustion produces some,especially when it's cold.
Originally Posted By: daves66nova
Originally Posted By: Jim Allen
Hot enough to bake out moisture. That scenario never gets the oil hot enough to bake out condensation.
why or how would condensation get in a hydraulic setup? I know engines do get it, but because the combustion produces some,especially when it's cold.
From moisture in the air. It isn't a huge problem overall and likely fairly localized, but when I wrenched in cold climates, I did see cars with sludgelike formations in the pan. I have also pulled dipsticks and seen condensed water at the upper end of the dipstick. In the cases of the sludgelike material, it was on vehicles that were shorthopped in cold weather.
Originally Posted By: Jim Allen
Hot enough to bake out moisture. That scenario never gets the oil hot enough to bake out condensation.
why or how would condensation get in a hydraulic setup? I know engines do get it, but because the combustion produces some,especially when it's cold.
From moisture in the air. It isn't a huge problem overall and likely fairly localized, but when I wrenched in cold climates, I did see cars with sludgelike formations in the pan. I have also pulled dipsticks and seen condensed water at the upper end of the dipstick. In the cases of the sludgelike material, it was on vehicles that were shorthopped in cold weather.
JTK
$100 Site Donor 2025
Originally Posted By: daves66nova
why or how would condensation get in a hydraulic setup? I know engines do get it, but because the combustion produces some,especially when it's cold.
Because hydraulic oil sumps and transmission cases need to be and are vented to the atmosphere. Air and moisture get in w/ normal expansion and contraction and should get vaporized out with normal usage.
Joel
why or how would condensation get in a hydraulic setup? I know engines do get it, but because the combustion produces some,especially when it's cold.
Because hydraulic oil sumps and transmission cases need to be and are vented to the atmosphere. Air and moisture get in w/ normal expansion and contraction and should get vaporized out with normal usage.
Joel
The only recommendation I have is research a design and buy a car with reliable auto transmission. Once the purchase is made, you can do little to extend/reduce its life.
Yes, while some A/t transmissions are built to last in excess of, say, quarter of a mil miles easily even with lowly ATFs, truth of the matter is, they rely on friction to engage and disengage the friction plates during shifting and whenever there's friction and friction materials, it spells "wear".
Don't just automatically assume that by using full syn ATF is gonna get you that miracle miles of out A/T gearboxes for if you observe the proper fluid viscosity and specifications and keep the fluid fresh and debris-free and within proper operational temp (yes, ATF fluid is known to breakdown quickly beyond certain "safe" operational temp, even the lowly OTC mineral based oil can keep the trannie running a long-long time.
Wear is wear and wear and no matter how you dice it, so long as there's friction and friction materials involved, it means eventually they will wear out.
No two A/T gearboxes are created the same though...and that's why some lasts significantly longer than others.
Q.
Don't just automatically assume that by using full syn ATF is gonna get you that miracle miles of out A/T gearboxes for if you observe the proper fluid viscosity and specifications and keep the fluid fresh and debris-free and within proper operational temp (yes, ATF fluid is known to breakdown quickly beyond certain "safe" operational temp, even the lowly OTC mineral based oil can keep the trannie running a long-long time.
Wear is wear and wear and no matter how you dice it, so long as there's friction and friction materials involved, it means eventually they will wear out.
No two A/T gearboxes are created the same though...and that's why some lasts significantly longer than others.
Q.
I tend to agree with some of your post. Wear is wear as we all know, but how much wear can be controlled in automatic, just as it can in an engine. The use of better filtration, barring any pre-existing mechanical issues ( weak hard parts) will usually extend the transmissions usable life. Yes it is an environment that operates on friction, but how much contaminants that exist in the fluid can be controlled.
It doesnt matter if its a gorcery getter or a loaded down rig that tows a large fishing boat. At the end of the day less friction equals more life for the clutches, bands etc.....
It doesnt matter if its a gorcery getter or a loaded down rig that tows a large fishing boat. At the end of the day less friction equals more life for the clutches, bands etc.....
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One of my biggest takeaways from being a member here is that OEM is not always "the best." I'll catch a lot of flack for this, but case in point is my Mazda3. 5 speed ATX requiring Ford "FNR5" or Mazda "M-V." First drain/fill at 6k made me sick. Switched to Amsoil, and later Castrol Import, which I am running now. Shift quality is improved, and the subsequent drains look REALLY nice. Import MV is a reasonably priced fluid, proven, high quality, and has really impressed me. Much cheaper and more readily available than either OEM replacement.
I'm not advocating going against OEM. M1, Amsoil, and Castrol Import are all approved for my spec. It's just that I'm not sold that OEM is best. They are often a compromise...cost $$$
I'm not advocating going against OEM. M1, Amsoil, and Castrol Import are all approved for my spec. It's just that I'm not sold that OEM is best. They are often a compromise...cost $$$
Originally Posted By: BTLew81
One of my biggest takeaways from being a member here is that OEM is not always "the best." I'll catch a lot of flack for this, but case in point is my Mazda3. 5 speed ATX requiring Ford "FNR5" or Mazda "M-V." First drain/fill at 6k made me sick. Switched to Amsoil, and later Castrol Import, which I am running now. Shift quality is improved, and the subsequent drains look REALLY nice. Import MV is a reasonably priced fluid, proven, high quality, and has really impressed me. Much cheaper and more readily available than either OEM replacement.
I'm not advocating going against OEM. M1, Amsoil, and Castrol Import are all approved for my spec. It's just that I'm not sold that OEM is best. They are often a compromise...cost $$$
I must agree/admit that domestically-sourced "so-called" factory spec'ed servicing fluids tend to fair the lowest in terms of performance/price (seems to go to the lowest bidder always) and I can cite the same thing with a lot of "so-called" domestically sourced Honda fluids.
While I would have no choice but to go with HOnda Genuine PSF for dad's civic, I'm in the midst of switching dad's ATF type-Z to Castrol multi-vehicle imports and ditto with my wifey's 04 camry which calls for T-IV fluid. I've already switched out my MTF from factory fill to MTF-II which is imported from Idemitsu, the OE supplier of domestic Honda vehicles. It's semi-syn and the shift quality is really good. As it currently stands, Idemitsu already released MTF-III for all domestic Honda M/T cars in Japan and it's full-syn. According to user's impression, it shifts even better than MTF-II.
That's another biggest gripe I have re: NA factory dealership servicing for most of the so-called OE fluids are somewhat mediocre if you are to compare to the original specifications, incl. bulk motor oil frequently being used in stealerships.
My subjective observations.
Q.
One of my biggest takeaways from being a member here is that OEM is not always "the best." I'll catch a lot of flack for this, but case in point is my Mazda3. 5 speed ATX requiring Ford "FNR5" or Mazda "M-V." First drain/fill at 6k made me sick. Switched to Amsoil, and later Castrol Import, which I am running now. Shift quality is improved, and the subsequent drains look REALLY nice. Import MV is a reasonably priced fluid, proven, high quality, and has really impressed me. Much cheaper and more readily available than either OEM replacement.
I'm not advocating going against OEM. M1, Amsoil, and Castrol Import are all approved for my spec. It's just that I'm not sold that OEM is best. They are often a compromise...cost $$$
I must agree/admit that domestically-sourced "so-called" factory spec'ed servicing fluids tend to fair the lowest in terms of performance/price (seems to go to the lowest bidder always) and I can cite the same thing with a lot of "so-called" domestically sourced Honda fluids.
While I would have no choice but to go with HOnda Genuine PSF for dad's civic, I'm in the midst of switching dad's ATF type-Z to Castrol multi-vehicle imports and ditto with my wifey's 04 camry which calls for T-IV fluid. I've already switched out my MTF from factory fill to MTF-II which is imported from Idemitsu, the OE supplier of domestic Honda vehicles. It's semi-syn and the shift quality is really good. As it currently stands, Idemitsu already released MTF-III for all domestic Honda M/T cars in Japan and it's full-syn. According to user's impression, it shifts even better than MTF-II.
That's another biggest gripe I have re: NA factory dealership servicing for most of the so-called OE fluids are somewhat mediocre if you are to compare to the original specifications, incl. bulk motor oil frequently being used in stealerships.
My subjective observations.
Q.
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I don't know about lasting forever, but I can tell you how I have made it so far to 271,000 mi on the original transmission in my 1993 Suburban 1500. The trans is a 4L60E (first year offered). I drop the pan and change the filter and fluid about every 40,000 and the first time I dropped the pan I installed a drain plug in the pan(welded on a boss and tapped to use the same plug as the engine oil pan). Everytime I change the engine oil(6,000 mi) I remove the trans plug and about 4 qts drains out.(holds about 10qts total)
Changing the 4qts like that has keep the fluid like new and the trans working fine. I drove this vehicle hard the first 200,000mi and towed my 19ft ski boat with it. I always used Dino fluid like Pennzoil or whatever name brand was cheapest.
Synthetic ATF would be better but I didn't want to spend the money for it.
My uncle owned a transmission shop and I worked for him rebuilding automatic transmissions in my younger years. I have rebuilt GM, Ford, Dodge, Mercedes, Toyota, Honda and Nissan automatics, most of the time running fluid to long that has broken down from heat is the cause of damage. I learned the way to get the longest life from a automatic transmission is change the fluid often enough so the fluid in the trans looks and smells like fresh fluid right out of the bottle.
Changing the 4qts like that has keep the fluid like new and the trans working fine. I drove this vehicle hard the first 200,000mi and towed my 19ft ski boat with it. I always used Dino fluid like Pennzoil or whatever name brand was cheapest.
Synthetic ATF would be better but I didn't want to spend the money for it.
My uncle owned a transmission shop and I worked for him rebuilding automatic transmissions in my younger years. I have rebuilt GM, Ford, Dodge, Mercedes, Toyota, Honda and Nissan automatics, most of the time running fluid to long that has broken down from heat is the cause of damage. I learned the way to get the longest life from a automatic transmission is change the fluid often enough so the fluid in the trans looks and smells like fresh fluid right out of the bottle.
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