[quote="bill buttermore"]

Also, as I understand it, some flushing places don't even drop the pan, clean it, and install a new filter.

[quote]

That is true. Back when I was more concerned about saving a buck and went to a cheap oil change place, I had a tranny flush done and that was all it was. I asked about a filter change, and they kind of gave me a dumb look and said it'* a flush. At the time I just thought maybe the newer cars didn't need a filter change.

ok I guess I"m leaning on doing it myself vs taking it to a shop to do a "power flush" I'm just trying to find something big enough to assorb all the fluid other than my driveway. My plastic oil drain pan thing will only hold about 8 quarts till it overflows, at 5 its up there. If I recall when you drop the pan its around 10 quarts right?

I'm thinking filter + gasket + anything else I should get?

8 qts shold be enough to hold the contents of the trans

I work in a Transmission shop, most of our mechanics started off building Automatics and I have heard NOTHING BUT horror stories, tons of them, my service manager owned an auto trans shop for ten years.
If its good now, leave it.

I wouldnt "flush" it persay, but I'd drop the pan, clean it and replace the filter, and then top it off, and have a fluid exchange machine hooked up to it and just swap over all the fluid.

see thats the weird thing, ammco wants me to flush it, but the other shop that seems more honest says if I flush it, I might start to loose gears or start to have slipping.

I'm thinking a bottle of some lucas trans fixer stuff along with a pan drop+filter change...does anyone see any problems that this may cause?

I personally dont see a problem with putting lucas in. It'* not gonna make anything worse.

Hans, we had this discussion here on BC a while ago last year and I posted a couple good links to articles online that are worth reading.

A couple things I specifically remember reading had to do with the flushing methods used by many (if not most) of the quick lube places out there. Done incorrectly, a flush CAN cause problems where there were none.

In the past I have successfully had trans flushes done on vehicles with over 60K and 80K on them respectively with no ill effects.

However, I am now a proponent of the drop pan and replace filter crowd. Not much chance of getting it wrong and it then becomes a regular once a year thing for me. You know, kinda like PM is supposed to be...

You really shouldn't get more than 6-7 quarts out of it when you drop the pan. Go to Walmart and get one of the jr's3800 patented sterilite clear plastic storage pans for under $5. It holds all the trans can throw at it and it'* large enough to catch everything. Worth every penny.

You can get a trans filter kit which includes the rubber gasket. I recommend that, unless you know that you have the OEM gasket still. Then use that.

Ok i have 182K on mine now, i did my pan drop at 175K and ever sense then iv been having problems with it not going into gear.

If you know its never been changed for more then 100K DO NOT DO IT!!!! cuz most likely your going to kill it quicker then if you just let it die on its own.

I'm with willwren: A flush has never killed a trans that wasn't already slipping, or about to die anyway. I DON'T recommend putting the "flush" chemical in the trans; I'd just use Dextron III for the flush. I think it'* an old wives' tale that won't die, personally.