Auto Tranny Flush Decision

Thanks Yall for the info I learned here and did more research and made a decision (thanks dll)

The thing is its a 1995 with 65K miles and the 4L80E auto overdrive tranny SHIFTS RUNS AND DRIVES PERFECT and has NOOOOOOO leaks and I wanna keep it that way and Im confident the Overdrive function has a lot to do with my getting 10 MPG (plus some other things Ive done the tree huggers may not like lol)

Ive decided to just take it to my mechanic buddys shop with the big professional flush machine n let him do it alllllll so its done RIGHT before I head West to the Mountains and high temps. Trannys hate too much heat I figure..

It already has an auxiliary up front radiator type fin cooler,,,,,,,,, and now Im adding an after market extra deep internal fin/tube cooling type tranny pan with drain plug,,,,,,,an external filter kit,,,,,,,, (plus internal filter may need to be for the deeper pan) a pan magnet,,,,,,,,,refill with Synthetic Oil,,,,,,

Heck it may blow up after I do all that grrrrrrrrrrr and some say if it aint broke dont fix it BUT IM JUST NOT WIRED THAT WAY when it comes to long RV road trips I HATE BREAKDOWNS so preventive maintenance is my big thing.

Take care yall n thanks again to help me make a decision

Ol John T and all in Indiana

lots of ifs...

if the fluid is not prestine red and smells clean , then no, leave it alone. If the fluid is dirty and the smells burnt, then yes, change it.

changing the fluid if its clean will not make it last longer.

Changing the fluid if its dirty will not magically fix the transmission of wear and worn out clutches in the torque converter.

however it the fluid is lightly dirty and has 80,000 on it, clean fluid will help it go further. If its filthy dirty and full of clutch materials,, well, it might be better to get a rebuild.

Now John,

Yer gonna worry yourself sick if ya keep it up. :>)

Put a tranny temp guage in that rig. Keep it under 270 and it'll last ferever.

Promise.

Allan

You really really really promise me Allan????Geeeeeeee you wanna take away all my fun, its in my nature to WORRY about my RV and keep workin on things till I break them lol

PS Im still pickin on that dern 5 string ODE Banjo, at jams I can take a placeholder solo and roll the chords n KEEP IN TIME n hit several of the melody notes if its a simple 3 and 4 chord bluegrass or country song wooooo hoooooooo

John T

I dont even imagine why it would need a "rebuild" as you mentioned, it runs shift and drives PERFECT and has NO leaks, I just wanna KEEP IT THAT WAY plus insure it stays cool in the summer mountain climbs which is why Im opting for the extra deep cooling pan and external filter and pan magnet and at 65K miles figure a good flush n change to syn fluid shouldnt hurt... Of course once I see what the old fluid looks like as you mentioned I will know more

Thanks for the info n take care

John T

John RVs are really hard on trannies I had an 86 dodge chassey and I had to drain and adjust it about once a year as it would slip. I have seen other just come all apart with no apparent reason. The biggest trouble is they put a small car type or tranny in these things to save money. If I were you I would change it over to a standard with a two speed behind it. You will increase power and MPGs but eat a hole in the pocket book.
Good luck on your trip.
Walt
PS I hate long trips I worry the whole way there and back that something will break and leave my sitting out in the back of know where.

Hope you see me before you leave!!! Hey I have a banjo and an old trombone (1929 I have been told) and I cannot carry a tune on the radio. Need to see if you guys are interested?

I second the tranny temp guage. Will save a lot of headaches and cash. And usually those problems come out on the side of the interstate out in the middle of nowhere nebraska and get mucho expensive. That goes whether it is a RV or hauling any ole loaded flat bed or other type of trailer. That and if it shifts in and out of overdrive when pulling the hills, get out of OD till it flattens out.

Not much point in having a cooler if you don't know the temp and whether you need a cooler or not. Or whether the cooler is big enough to do the job. A temp guage will tell you when you need a coffee or potty break as well.

Have heard more horror stories than good stories about trans flushes. Hook up the cooler lines to the machine and back flush the trans and filter. Not replacing the filter or cleaning the pan of 65,000 miles of junk. Know several people who have done it and had trans troubles shortly after the flush.

No problem, Im NOT leaving until after New Years, I should get at your legal work in the next day or so and will give you a call.

John T

Had a buick that kept slipping until it would only go about 20 mph. Changed fluid and it gradually got better over couple days and back to normal. Had a boss that was a car dealer. He said anytime trans acts up, change fluid. Will fix 9 out of 10 cars.

I have always changed trans.oil and filter every year with no problems.Took to shop told them to just drop oil and change filter.When picking up truck the trans acted up in shop lot.I went back and asked them what they did to trans all we did was flush I said I told you I did not want a flush.Rest of story went about 15 miles truck quit moving no more flushs for me.All flush does is loosen up dirt.

Maintenance is a good thing..... Will they be R&R all of the fluid? or, just drop what is in the pan?

any AMSOIL folk out there???? My neighbor was An AMSOIL guy. Is there truth to this..... He told me, "that because the molecules are smaller with this synthetic, it will be apt to leak"???

sl

I flush alot of trannys and "fix" them.

Our flush machine uses no outside air but only your transmissions pump to do the job. It flushes 17 quarts through the system. the machine is basically a bladder tank, when one side is full it pushes fluid into the other side until it fills up and pushes it out the other side.

I was very concerned about the trans flush machines. I have heard many horror stories about the machines that use use shop air and backflush systems. I have had no problems at all in 10 years.

If it backflushes I would shy away. If it just exchanges fluid I would go ahead.

Joe

Redblood, I started a new thread, please take a look, thanks. steve

My wifes 98 Mercury started to shudder on upshifts at 180000 miles.A tranmission flush fixed it.I suspect the transmission fluid breaks down at hi milage.Just draining the trans mission leaves fluid in the torque converter.They used to have drain plugs no more.

(quoted from post at 07:22:52 10/28/09)
Maintenance is a good thing..... Will they be R&R all of the fluid? or, just drop what is in the pan?

any AMSOIL folk out there???? My neighbor was An AMSOIL guy. Is there truth to this..... He told me, "that because the molecules are smaller with this synthetic, it will be apt to leak"???

sl

Click to expand...

I'm an AMSOIL dealer. AMSOIL itself will not make a transmission or engine leak. One theory is the cleaning characteristics of pure synthetics clean away alot of the crud around seals that is helping hold the fluid in. Once the fluid is removed they can leak. Your neighbor may be partially correct in that AMSOIL's synthetics are from pure ingredients and the smaller the fluids components the less friction, sludge ect.