Trans Fluid change Interval.

[greekguy7]

How often you guys change your trans fluid??

 

I figure every 40k-60k is fine with normal driving, but my trans went out at about 85k even though I changed it twice and it looked ok both times. The guy at the trans shop siad 25k.

 

I changed my father in laws trans fluid at 60k and it looked filthy, and now it has about 135k and trans still hanging in there with only one change ever.

 

Seems like some people change it often like I did and still have problems, while others never bother and they last and last. Not that I would recommend that!

[GnatGoSplat]

I put a drainplug on mine and used to drain and refill every other oil change. I don't do that anymore, not sure how long it's gone since... I change the oil when the computer says to which is usually between 4k-5k, so probably 8-10k on the tranny drain & refill till recently. It's probably been 30k at least since I last drained and refilled.

 

I've only dropped the pan and changed the filter maybe 3 times in 12yrs, if even that. I hate dropping the pan because I always manage to get my hair and practically every bodily orifice soaked in tranny fluid.

 

Anyway, trans has 202k miles and never needed repair. If it died today (and I sure hope it doesn't), I would still say it lived a full life.

 

[slick]

I usually did mine every other summer, which equated to about ever 23-27000 miles.

 

Shawn, the drain plug is a very good idea if you plan on keeping the car for a long time, or it has low mileage. But, I think changing it at every oil change might have been a bit overkill. But, then again, it wouldn't have had you been testing the trans. fluid at 3000 mile intervals.

[Turbo231]

It's in your owners manual under maintenance. That is your best bet.

[mfewtrail]

40-60K is an alright interval to stick to for doing "pan drops" to replace the filter and the 6-7qts or so of fluid that come out when doing so. I did the first pan drop on my GTP at 40K, I'll probably change it again when I hit 80K(if I keep the car that long).

 

I've only dropped the pan and changed the filter maybe 3 times in 12yrs, if even that. I hate dropping the pan because I always manage to get my hair and practically every bodily orifice soaked in tranny fluid.

 

 

Shawn, remove nearly all of the bolts and leave one or two in on one corner of the pan next time. Then loosen those last two and break the seal on the opposite corner of the pan(I use a screwdriver to gently break the pan away from the transaxle, I've seen guys pull them down by hand and they usually end up pulling too much of the pan down and get an ATF shower) and let it drain. I always do pan drops like this and I've never made a mess.

[PCGUY112887]

Ya know i've always sorta wondered this, i'm thinkin maybe these trannies don't really need fluid changing. Mine with about 110k miles on it was fine, very clean fluid, original fluid and filter and all. Look at cars just a few years older than mine (96), sealed trannies so you can't easielly change the fluid and it says in the book that they don't require it. Yet their practically the same transmission and the same fluid...

 

I say if the fluid looks ok and you don't think anything is wrong, just leave it.

[Supreme Cutlass]

Ya know i've always sorta wondered this, i'm thinkin maybe these trannies don't really need fluid changing. Mine with about 110k miles on it was fine, very clean fluid, original fluid and filter and all. Look at cars just a few years older than mine (96), sealed trannies so you can't easielly change the fluid and it says in the book that they don't require it. Yet their practically the same transmission and the same fluid...

 

I say if the fluid looks ok and you don't think anything is wrong, just leave it.

 

I think the opposite, if there wasn't a need to change the fluid, the engineers and mechanics who designed the tranny wouldn't give a mileage interval. If you hit the mileage interval or if there's problems beforehand, change it.

[Turbo231]

In theory, the transmission is a closed system and rarely is there contamination of the fluid. However, with low or no oil change transmissions, the manufacture's don't care about anything beyond the warranty period, so if they want to extend any changes of fluid to make the car more appealing to buyers, the do it to get more cars out the door.

 

The biggest problem with auto transmissions is heat. There is a pump that pressurizes the fluid...well, any pump imparts heat into the system...and with heat, fluids break down. Now, if you live in the North, and have a car with an auxiliary transmission oil cooler, heat is probably less of a problem and you can probably get more out of it, especially if you drive like a good driver. Take a car in the Nevada heat, the fluid is going to have less of a life.

 

So, the entire point, the fluid wears out, just like tires wear out. Can you drive on bald tires...sure, but if you're looking for the best of everything, change the fluid in your transmission as stated in your owners manual. That's why they put those little nuggets of information in there. It's how you run your car.

[GnatGoSplat]

Ya know i've always sorta wondered this, i'm thinkin maybe these trannies don't really need fluid changing. Mine with about 110k miles on it was fine, very clean fluid, original fluid and filter and all. Look at cars just a few years older than mine (96), sealed trannies so you can't easielly change the fluid and it says in the book that they don't require it. Yet their practically the same transmission and the same fluid...

 

I say if the fluid looks ok and you don't think anything is wrong, just leave it.

 

If the fluid stayed bright cherry red and clean looking, I would probably leave it alone.

The problem is the trannies of all 4 of my W-bodies run pretty hot. I think all W-bodies are probably this way, but I could be wrong. The fluid starts changing to a brownish red color and that's when I change it in order to keep it looking fresh.

 

[White93z34]

when i got my car it had almost a brand new trans in it, about 30k later i drained it. and i intend on doing it again soon since its been almost 30k.

[digitaloutsider]

The Regal has had regular transmission fluid changes it's whole life every 40k miles. I should probably drop the pan and do the filter soon.

[19Cutlass94]

I think we used to do it every 50k, which means its almost time to do it again. But now that the car is being driven all year round, should probably shorten that interval a little bit.

[GP1138]

I haven't done mine since I got the car, and it's past due. I beat on it a lot, and the tranny has a hard 1-2 shift.

[19Cutlass94]

I think every 4t60-E has that famous 1-2 shift. Some more noticeable than others.

[pitzel]

Most Dexron-III on the shelves these days (with the -H suffix) are synthetic blends (even if not explicitly stated on the bottle). Its fairly difficult, if not impossible to meet the Dexron-III-H standard without significant use of synthetic fluids.

 

This means that if you were getting 50k of good service out of a dino-based Dexron ATF, you should be able to get more life out of the new stuff because the synthetic base oils handle heat better.

 

There are some even newer Dexron standards of ATFs that can be fitted to the W-body's transaxles, currently being used as factory 'for-life' fills on new GM vehicles. Don't know if they are available in the aftermarket yet, but I suspect they will probably be $10/quart or more, probably $15/quart right now if you buy through a GM parts counter.

[Psych0matt]

40-60K is an alright interval to stick to for doing "pan drops" to replace the filter and the 6-7qts or so of fluid that come out when doing so. I did the first pan drop on my GTP at 40K, I'll probably change it again when I hit 80K(if I keep the car that long).

 

I've only dropped the pan and changed the filter maybe 3 times in 12yrs, if even that. I hate dropping the pan because I always manage to get my hair and practically every bodily orifice soaked in tranny fluid.

 

 

Shawn, remove nearly all of the bolts and leave one or two in on one corner of the pan next time. Then loosen those last two and break the seal on the opposite corner of the pan(I use a screwdriver to gently break the pan away from the transaxle, I've seen guys pull them down by hand and they usually end up pulling too much of the pan down and get an ATF shower) and let it drain. I always do pan drops like this and I've never made a mess.

 

I've done this on two different cars and still managed to make a mess

 

mine is probably past due, as well. it's only been maybe 10k, but that tranny was dropped in and has about 15k more than the car, and with the engine swap and sitting all winter (twice) it's probably time again

[Ned Flanders]

I'm an ex-Taurus owner, so the only good habit I picked up was being religious with the tranny fluid/filter changes. 50,000 miles or when it starts looking crusty.