gamble

luck of the draw

some ppl prefer flushes

some ppl prefer pan drops

i prefer pan drops but that is all that ever used to be recommended to do

so hmmm

i used to work in a lube shop where we had a trans flush machine, a decade ago for a year or two

i saw watched helped with alot of trannies flushings with it
i remember it was 50 bucks back then for a flush and was pretyt easy you just take apart a cooler line fitting almost always at the radiator tank

the shop owner always said that the filter was just a screen and you dont need to change it,
i remember him telling so many ppl this

but then he was no real mechanic and was employey by pennzoil(owned a franchise shop)

so..



but regardless,,, i never heard of any trouble from anyone regarding their trans after a machine flush job

so i dont know

im skeptical and like to change this screen that is actually technically named a filter

so thats what i do on my own rides and always have

ive seen so many filters that had gray slime(metal wear) and a few small aluminum bits and black grime(clutch disc material or rubber seal material) in them that its a good thing i did drop the pan on them and do it "right"

the 92 needs a pan drop like yesterday the fluid is starting to get dark and it does smell fine still but i already know there will probably be a considerable amount of black/gray collected in the pan and filter




each to their own

This "old wife" has seen two transmissions that were working perfectly fail within a month after a professional flush. There is no proof, of course, that they were not going to fail anyway, but trannys usually give some early indication. As a result of my personal observation, and scores of problems documented nationwide, I am simply not willing to take the chance of flushing the fluid in a transmission that is working well. I have never damaged a transmission by dropping the pan to drain half of the fluid. And, I know my pan is clean when I put it back up.

If you decide to ignore old wive'* tales, I suggest you make certain that the people at the place you take your car to do the flushing have a reputation for integrity and competence. Jiffy Lube (with its own web site of horror stories: http://www.jiffylubeproblems.com ) would NOT be such a place.

I've had mine, as well as a few other cars, flushed without issues. However, it normally isn't needed. Dropping the pan, and replacing the fluid and filter is usually all that is needed. I do some type of fluid work on mine every year. Sometimes, it is as simple as pumping some out (can get about a gallon) with a pump, and replacing that.

I know flushes extended the life of both of my transmissions. Particularly in failure mode. Great improvements each time. In discussing it with my trans builder, he stated a flush was a good thing, and only bad when done wrong or by an incompetent.

Anyone that takes their car to Jiffy Lube should search this Forum before going back.

Transmission flushes, when done properly, use your OWN trans pump to complete the process, which means no 'foreign' force is applied to the trans whatsoever. The old fluid is pumped into the machine on the bottom side of a piston in a clear (acrylic) chamber, and this forces the piston upwards. The top portion is filled with new fluid.

Think of it as a blood transfusion while you're still bleeding, but your own heart is powering both the bleeding and the filling.

There are other types of machines out there, but every trans shop (good shops that is) will tell you this is the only type of machine to use. My flushes run about 80 bucks these days.

I drop my pans, I dont trust my car to be flushed by anyone because you never know and I dont want to gamble with a tranny rebuild.

What about adding a Lucas Transmission Fix (that thick stuff) after changing the fluid. Does that do anything in the long run?

IMO and from my experience, Lucas is good, but only in one scenario. When you're already having problems that are causing excess heat, and the heat causes viscosity breakdown in your fluid.

On a 93 and older, the only way to know is by adding a sensor and gauge (like I did a long time ago). 94 and newer, you need a scantool. Or a gauge.

my ears are ringing i new i heard my name



check siggy

i would say flush it and hope it turns out ok

Thanks for all the input guys. I think i will wait til next month and then get it flushed. Once again, this is PURELY a PREVENTATIVE step as there is nothing wrong with the transmission since the rebuild by AAMCO 2 years ago...

I think flushing the transmission every 20-30K mi is great but isn't important to drop the pan change the the filter , clean the pan and pan magnet on some sort of regular PM schedule ? Particles can get trapped in that filter and debris settle in the pan . Any recommendation on how often to do a ban drop if you you flush the transmission every 20-30 K miles ?


BTW , other the years I have add a bottle of Lubegard red and have found that seems to help extend the life of the AFT ( stays original color and odor longer ).

-Thanks