transmission flush

does anyone know how to do a transmission flush? i have heard a couple people say that flushing your trans can do all sorts of crap to your truck, and you should "drain" your trans.... how do you do that? maybe if i drilled a hole into the torque converter? I paid $200 for this supposedly, "the best tansmission fluid you can buy", that is what my local parts supplier said. it is from royal purple. and i don't want to put this fluid in and make a mistake. someone please help, i don't want to take it to the dealer or transmission shop, and want to save some cash...thanks you guys....

does anyone know how to do a transmission flush? i have heard a couple people say that flushing your trans can do all sorts of crap to your truck, and you should "drain" your trans.... how do you do that? maybe if i drilled a hole into the torque converter? I paid $200 for this supposedly, "the best tansmission fluid you can buy", that is what my local parts supplier said. it is from royal purple. and i don't want to put this fluid in and make a mistake. someone please help, i don't want to take it to the dealer or transmission shop, and want to save some cash...thanks you guys....


Just drop the pan and change the filter.
Than top it off with fluid........ that's what i do and never had any problems.

does anyone know how to do a transmission flush? i have heard a couple people say that flushing your trans can do all sorts of crap to your truck, and you should "drain" your trans.... how do you do that? maybe if i drilled a hole into the torque converter? I paid $200 for this supposedly, "the best tansmission fluid you can buy", that is what my local parts supplier said. it is from royal purple. and i don't want to put this fluid in and make a mistake. someone please help, i don't want to take it to the dealer or transmission shop, and want to save some cash...thanks you guys....

In the past - I've always done "the double dose" when it comes to tranmission fluid changes. You flush AND drop the pan and change the filter (don't remember which comes first). Dropping the pan allows you/or whoever to see the pan bottom and wipe it out clean. You can see if there are any bits, pieces, specks, metal grinds etc.. Just dropping the pan doesn't get all the fluid out of the system - and if you are putting $200 worth of something in there - you sure don't want it diluted. At the same time - you want a fresh filter in there and remove any pan sediment before putting liquid gold in there. Also - alot depends on how many miles you have on this fluid change. Myself - I'd flush - put in fresh fluid - flush again - then drop the pan, clean pan, and filter change. Sound dumb? I don't think so if you're spending $200 on Royal Purple - and the cost of several quarts of tranmission fluid and a second flush right after the first - isn't much (you won't get charged full price for a second flush - should be able to talk them into a pretty cheap price I'd think).

White Lightening

well this is one thing i recommend taking to your local transmission shop to do they'll inspect the valve body and small parts that do wear out, at that time they'll recommend if a flush is needed or not, also dont flush unless you have had it done every 50000k or so if it's at 120k dont flush just change your fluid check out 4l60e.com and sonnex transmission parts these trans do have small plastic pc's in the valve body that wear and do need replacing every so offten pending on the wear and tear. THIS IS NOT A PLACE TO CUT CORNERS TO SAVE A BUCK! take it to your local shop and have them inspect it they know best.....:iceslolan

well this is one thing i recommend taking to your local transmission shop to do they'll inspect the valve body and small parts that do wear out, at that time they'll recommend if a flush is needed or not, also dont flush unless you have had it done every 50000k or so if it's at 120k dont flush just change your fluid check out 4l60e.com and sonnex transmission parts these trans do have small plastic pc's in the valve body that wear and do need replacing every so offten pending on the wear and tear. THIS IS NOT A PLACE TO CUT CORNERS TO SAVE A BUCK! take it to your local shop and have them inspect it they know best.....:iceslolan

Busta,

How often do you recommend a newer transmission be flushed and/or pan dropped?

Busta,

How often do you recommend a newer transmission be flushed and/or pan dropped? every 30.000 miles if you want to keep it

every 30.000 miles if you want to keep it

I'm with Busta on this, you don't want to intermittently change your ATF. If you have never changed it and it has over 30-40,000...don't change it. ATF either needs to be changed on a regular basis or not touched. When people change the fluid after 70,000 miles, it drastically reduces the life of the trans.

silveradoking, I wouldn't mess with it. I think these fluids are made more for people putting together a newly rebuilt trans with no fluid in it at all. I can't see the Royal Purple helping your performance enough to justify all the hassle of doing this. BTW, DON'T DRILL THE CONVERTER! That would be bad. The only way to get that fluid out is to take it off the trans, and it holds a few quarts so whatever you add will be mixed with it. Honestly, I would just sell the Royal Purple on ebay or something.

Busta,

How often do you recommend a newer transmission be flushed and/or pan dropped?
well i think it's kind of stupid because your manual says fluid change i think at 160k(again i use k iam in canada sorry gents) but iam told to flush at 50k??? i too am a little confused by this one also..most shops wont flush it for you unless you can prove that you've done it evey 50k because of how many develop problems after the flush then come down on the shop who did it saying it worked fine befor the flush and now it slips? i've being a mechanic since '93 iam no tranny mechanic it is it's own trade for a reason. iam in heavy equipment for the last 5 yrs so lots has changes since class 'A' days, this is why i recommend taking it to your local tranny shop one with a good rep..dont forget most dealers dont have a tranny mechanic most send them out or just change them, i know my dealer doesnt have one..they just change parts there, they can't seem to fix anything!! sonnex transmission.com has list of parts to upgrade your tranny to make it stonger and shift wayyyy better, remmember these stupid things have PLASTIC parts that do wear out and need replacing so have a shop take a look...final note 4l60e.com is very good feel free to e-mail the tech's with questions they helped me lots when my tranny blew and guess what it happened after a flush! stupid me..

oh snap! forgot to mention i had the corvette shift kit and solinoids put into my tranny (i dont really tow anything except my hog) wow what a diff so white lighting i sugest you look into this since you have a race truck! shifts wayyy better..and if you dont have a tranny cooler get one they're dirt cheap for the insurance you get of not overheating the fluid...later

does anyone know how to do a transmission flush? i have heard a couple people say that flushing your trans can do all sorts of crap to your truck, and you should "drain" your trans.... how do you do that? maybe if i drilled a hole into the torque converter? I paid $200 for this supposedly, "the best tansmission fluid you can buy", that is what my local parts supplier said. it is from royal purple. and i don't want to put this fluid in and make a mistake. someone please help, i don't want to take it to the dealer or transmission shop, and want to save some cash...thanks you guys....

I just drain and replace the fliud/filter. I have heard a lot of problem with the reverse flushing.

Every 6 months if suck all the fluid out and pour in new.

My last truck tranmission lasted 350,000 miles like this.

Hmm..I've 105K on mine now..I'm guessing to leave it alone? Never done anything to it.

jeverett i did mine a 105k and she blew shortly after that at 107k, check wit hyour local tranny shop no matter what enyone say's on any forum!!

Just curious I have a 2000 silverado with about 55k miles on it do you think I should get it flushed or is it past the point of no return, and leave it? Or just have the fluid changed?

i hear some great responses, i have about 80, 000 kilometres on my truck, and i want to make sure that i have the smoothes running truck out there, i really take the best care of my "baby", i use all the best stuff fully sythetic stuff from royal purple. i even change almost always prematurely my diffs, transfer case fluid, collant, brakes, etc i do all the work myself, how esle will i learn? but the only thing i haven't changed is the transmission fluid and power steering fluid? supposedly the two most neglected changes on everyones vehicle! what do you guys think are the chances of screwing up... is it hard to change those small plastic pieces? tanks.

hey you guys.. i have 80,000 kilometres on my truck. i read that the it is best to change your fluid around 50 k, yet due to ill fatedness i went to the local parts shop and bought what i need and changed my transmission fluid. i changed the filter and those stupid small plastic pieces. which were a tough one i then used the ol' unhook the cooler lines, start the truck and then pour method to flush the old crap out. i then put in about 15 litres of some cheap transmission fluid and let it all come out. then i poured in about 13 litres of the good stuff from royal purple. i then also installed both a b&m trans cooler which i got dirt cheap and i b&m transmission pan for about 5 litres extra. i turned her on and she shifts so fine, i am very pleased. i probably don't recommend that people go through what i did... but i am that type of a guy.... o well..

Glad it all worked out for you :) I'm scared to change mine with all my miles on it.

well you got balls! cool.:thumbsup: good job on the cooler and deep pan! should have got the corrvettte shift kit. oh well next time.

silveradoking--It sounds like you got all the old fluid out and replaced it with the good stuff without having to pay for a shop flush. What year is your truck, and do you remember which line pumped fluid from the trans?

I took the easy way out. Since the pan has a drain plug, I drained and filled with Mobil 1 twice over 2 weeks, then dropped the pan, changed the filter, and filled with M1 again. That was at 35k miles, and I plan to drain the pan about every 30k from now on.

I have seen a lot of internet posts about problems with flushes on high-mileage or neglected transmissions. The theory is that the flush stirs up crap from the pan that causes problems. Or you could be like my friend who had his Neon trans flushed, and then called for help because it was shifting funny. We added 3 quarts because the guy who flushed it didn't tighten the line.

But the best thing anybody can do for their trans--especially if the fluid has never been changed--is change it. Trans fluid breaks down with use just like any other oil, and will eventually gum up the valves and solenoids. And the longer it goes without a fluid/filter change, the more metal particles and clutch materials build up. GM's overdrive trannies are especially hard on fluid because they make more heat than the old 3-speeds. All the more reason to add a cooler and do regular fluid changes. So if you have high miles, stay away from flushes, but change the fluid and filter! There's no reason not to, especially on the trucks with drain plugs.

Flushing a transmission is a big no no even properly done.Dirt get inside the valve body and causes problems.My father know someone has his own transmission shop that loves getting them in with problems because the transmision was flushed.He cleans the valve bodies out because of the transmission flush.

What I don't understand - is why aren't transmission fluids changed after say 5,000 or 10,000 miles the first time?

With my engine oil - on a new engine - I changed at 1,000 miles even though the dealership said 3,000 (standard length). But I did it myself at 1000 (like I have done with bikes and cars since I was a kid). My engine oil showed considerable signs of engine break -in, just like you'd expect - and certainly I wouldn't want that running around inside the engine another 2,000 miles. It doesn't mean I wouldn't change every 2500 or 3000 now - but the break in period on moving parts is SOOOOO important (get it broke in then get the fluid changed).

But I never hear it done on transmissions - which have at least as many moving parts (and costs to repair) as an engine does.

Any opinions on that first transmission fluid change being more important than the others?