tranny service, full flush or drain and fill

[leonard_nemoy]

I just had a full lube done on my truck including a drain and fill for my transmission (a4440f). The shop said my transmission fluid was pretty dirty. He informed me that a drain and fill only changes about 6 to 7 quarts of transmission fluid and he recommended I that I get the transmission flushed to change all of the old fluid. I have heard lots of bad stories about transmission flushes ruining transmissions and what not. My question is what do you guys do for your tranny's service. Flush or multiple drain and fills.

 

[MoJ]

Twice I’ve seen an otherwise well operating transmission have major problems after a flush. Coincidence? Maybe. But, multiple drain and fill for me.

 

[IanB]

Drain & Fill method is pretty hard to mess up/hurt anything, but it doesn't get all the old fluid out. A full flush should be fine as long as you use the transmission's own pump to move the fluid. It's when shops use tranny flush machines that use a high pressure pump to move the fluid that you run the risk of knocking loose debris that gets caught up in the small passages, etc and cause damage.

Do a drain & fill every oil change until the fluid looks clean, or do a full flush with the transmission pumping out, refill, pump out, refill, repeat until all the old fluid is out, either way will get the job done. Disconnecting at the trans cooler and running a hose into a bucket works really well if you're doing a full flush.

 

[ERG80]

Drain and fill the trans at every oil change is the safer bet. There is a flush machine that does all the fluid and matches the transmission pressure so it doesn't stir up sediment during a flush. I did it on my last cruiser without issue. I can't remember the model but if you search on here you'll find it.

 

[bajaphile]

I've been doing a drain and fill about once a year now and the fluid is brand new looking. I'll probably start doing it once every 2 years now.

 

[jonheld]

The shop said my transmission fluid was pretty dirty.

This begs the question, when was the last time you did a drain and refill?

 

[sea bass]

Just drain and refill 3 or 4 times I'd go with Valvoline max life

 

[Qball]

Drain and fill every oil change for the next 4 oils changes then you should be good for a while.

 

[leonard_nemoy]

This begs the question, when was the last time you did a drain and refill?

The previous owner had it changed at 181,000 miles. I bought it with 184000 and the fluid looked great. she just turned 240,000 so I figured it was time to change it. Even though my mechanic said the flush would use the transmissions own pump I think I will just keep doing the drain and fill every oil change for the next 3 or 4 changes.

 

[RWD]

I have been doing the drain and refill about once a year on my 97 LX and the fluid looks great. But it is now 21 years old and I don't think the pan has ever been dropped for a filter cleaning. It looks like the dip stick tube is attached to the pan. Question: How hard is it to drop the pan with the tube? Does the tube separate from the pan?

 

[jonheld]

The previous owner had it changed at 181,000 miles. I bought it with 184000 and the fluid looked great. she just turned 240,000 so I figured it was time to change it.

Yea, ya think?

 

[Jkemm]

I just had a full lube done on my truck including a drain and fill for my transmission (a4440f). The shop said my transmission fluid was pretty dirty. He informed me that a drain and fill only changes about 6 to 7 quarts of transmission fluid and he recommended I that I get the transmission flushed to change all of the old fluid. I have heard lots of bad stories about transmission flushes ruining transmissions and what not. My question is what do you guys do for your tranny's service. Flush or multiple drain and fills.

Clean out the pan/filter, reinstall pan and fill with new fluid. Now use the "Rodney method" to change out the fluid yourself. Doesn't get much easier and it is very gentle on your transmission, not to mention cheaper and more effective that multiple flush and fills.

Get some 3/8" id clear tubing from any hardware, remove grill (4 screws), hook tubing to upper nipple on your trans cooler. Start with transmission full of fluid. Start motor, pump 2 qts into jug, then stop motor. Refill transmission through dip stick tube. Repeat until you have clear, new fluid - approximately 8- 9 cycles.

 

[COYS]

I just plan on drain and fill multiple times over the next xyz oil changes 5k mile intervals.

 

[Sharky1528]

Need to do this... Anyone else have a favorite ATF Fluid Brand / Type ?

 

[Jkemm]

I just had a full lube done on my truck including a drain and fill for my transmission (a4440f). The shop said my transmission fluid was pretty dirty. He informed me that a drain and fill only changes about 6 to 7 quarts of transmission fluid and he recommended I that I get the transmission flushed to change all of the old fluid. I have heard lots of bad stories about transmission flushes ruining transmissions and what not. My question is what do you guys do for your tranny's service. Flush or multiple drain and fills.

Need to do this... Anyone else have a favorite ATF Fluid Brand / Type ?

Lots of folks seem to like Valvoline Max Life. It is synthetic and less than $18/gal @ walmart

 

[RFB]

Clean out the pan/filter and use the "Rodney method" to change out the fluid yourself. Doesn't get much easier and it is very gentle on your transmission, not to mention cheaper and more effective that multiple flush and fills.

Get some 3/8" id clear tubing from any hardware, remove grill (4 screws), hook tubing to upper nipple on your trans cooler. Start with transmission full of fluid. Start motor, pump 2 qts into jug, then stop motor. Refill transmission through dip stick tube. Repeat until you have clear, new fluid - approximately 8- 9 cycles.

View attachment 1720939

View attachment 1720940

@ajax1 is this accurate?? I need to do mine before coming to your place.

 

[BILT4ME]

@ajax1 is this accurate?? I need to do mine before coming to your place.

Yes, this is accurate. I did mine with a 5 gallon bucket, hose, and oil. I marked the inside of the bucket so that every mark was a quart and I would start/stop the engine, then refill and do it again.

I went from dark trans oil to clear, bright oil doing it this way. The shift improved (tightened up slightly) and I made sure the level was correct after a bit of driving.

I managed to spill a bunch in my driveway because the hose fell out and I started filling too fast on the dipstick line and overflowed it. So, make sure you have plenty of oil dry on hand as well.

I bought 20 quarts of oil.

 

[ZackR]

Yes, this is accurate. I did mine with a 5 gallon bucket, hose, and oil. I marked the inside of the bucket so that every mark was a quart and I would start/stop the engine, then refill and do it again.

I went from dark trans oil to clear, bright oil doing it this way. The shift improved (tightened up slightly) and I made sure the level was correct after a bit of driving.

I managed to spill a bunch in my driveway because the hose fell out and I started filling too fast on the dipstick line and overflowed it. So, make sure you have plenty of oil dry on hand as well.

I bought 20 quarts of oil.

Did the same thing but with two quart intervals. Also made a mess, the key is to secure the hose to the bucket handle so it can't pop out. Its very satisfying to see the fluid turn from dirty to clean on the final interval.

Also after the flush be sure to check the fluid level once its warmed up and the engine is running.