Flushing Your Transmission?

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Is flushing your transmission a good thing?

When it comes to George Nitta, Mothballs and WD-40 go hand in hand with him. George can archive anything he wants and leave out whatever he won't but as his show producer on two radio stations I can vouch that he did make that claim.

Sorry Craig. That doesn't cut it for me. Nitta does encourage his listeners to use a formula of putting in the equivalent of 5 mothballs and 1 oz. of liquid WD-40 per gallon of gasoline. But to repeat myself, his rationale for using the WD-40 in that formula was for its water displacement properties. AFAIK, he has never singled out WD-40 as the catalyst that actually boosts power.

And if you're going to continue and insist that Nitta has said that, whatever. Other people can go to his website and listen to the radio broadcasts themselves to judge whether they sound edited or not. (BTW, those recordings are so complete, they even include all the commercials, even for some companies that are no longer in business.)

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Is flushing your transmission a good thing?

But they didn't prove it either.

Why don't you do a search on the web and see how many other experts suggest or debunk the mothballs?

So we have some folks who have actually experimented with the idea who claim there is merit. And some folks who have come to the opposite conclusion. IOW, there is mixed opinions on the issue, which is a far, FAR cry from being an "old wives tale," as you initially put it.

Wrong bias. Before spending money and expending effort, you need to know that it will accomplish some desired objective without harm.

Whatever. If you decide not to use naphtalene mothballs out of concern that it will harm your engine, that's up to you. It is a reasonable concern. HOWEVER, it doesn't change the fact that you speak on this topic with no personal experience or data to offer. You are relying on the studies of others. It's not a put down or an insult. It is simply a fact.

All I can do is offer my own experience. In the past, I have owned 2 cars that have gone more than 20 years and 1 more that is just about to turn 15 years old. I have used either mothballs or liquid mothballs in all of them. None of them were ever harmed by mothballs. In fact, I have never had to change the original engines in any of them.

But you know, Gecko, I really would be interested if you could document any specific person(s) whose car was screwed up by using naphtalene mothballs. Up until now, I have never known anyone who ever claimed that it ruined their engine.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Is flushing your transmission a good thing?

Sorry Craig. That doesn't cut it for me. Nitta does encourage his listeners to use a formula of putting in the equivalent of 5 mothballs and 1 oz. of liquid WD-40 per gallon of gasoline. But to repeat myself, his rationale for using the WD-40 in that formula was for its water displacement properties. AFAIK, he has never singled out WD-40 as the catalyst that actually boosts power.

And if you're going to continue and insist that Nitta has said that, whatever. Other people can go to his website and listen to the radio broadcasts themselves to judge whether they sound edited or not. (BTW, those recordings are so complete, they even include all the commercials, even for some companies that are no longer in business.)

How far do his archives go back? I'd love to hear how our shows sounded over the airwaves.

As for WD-40 because it's not a recommended fuel addititive, nor does the makers of WD-40 make any recommendations as a fuel additive, it is not a wise idea to be putting in something that isn't recommended by either the manufacturer of the vehicle nor the maker of the product itself into your car.

In George Nitta's case his views and opinions are his and only his and the radio station runs a disclaimer noting limits of liability to the show's host. As for WD-40. Have you seen what happens when you mix water and WD-40 together? WD-40 acts more like an emulsifier suspending water molecules with gasoline molecules turning the mix into a milky liquid.

This mix when added to the air/fuel mix acts almost like a water injection system that slows down the combustion almost like an octane boosting compound. That in effect raises horsepower in a high compression motor, but will do nothing for cars running on lower compression.

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Is flushing your transmission a good thing?

How far do his archives go back? I'd love to hear how our shows sounded over the airwaves.

Check out his website. It goes back to 2001.

As I said previously, I don't want to engage in a debate about the pros and cons of using liquid WD-40 in the gas tank. I did, however, want to get the record straight on the George's rationale for using WD-40. Whether one agrees with it or not is another issue.

But don't get the idea that I take everything the man says on his program as gospel. For instance, he speaks out against hybrid cars with the concern about how disposing of old hybrid car batteries would impact the environment. Hello George! Conventional cars also use batteries that eventually have to be disposed of. And in almost every case, the hybrid car batteries last longer, meaning that a hybrid car is expected to use *fewer* batteries during its lifetime as compared to a gas or diesel vehicle. (Of course, the cost of a hybrid car battery is significantly higher than a conventional battery. But that's another story. I'm sticking to the environmental concerns here.)

And then you have the advice that George gives out which is sound, on the surface. But when you think about it, you scratch your head. For instance, whenever he gives car-buying advice, one thing that he repeatedly urges his listeners to watch out for in test-driving is making sure the car offers ample rear visibility for the driver. Now, this advice, in and of itself, makes sense. All other things being equal, a car with good visibility makes it safer to drive and easier to manuever. George says that. THEN,.... when you go to his website, there's a picture of him posing next to his prized 1974 De Tomaso Pantera. Now, if anybody here has ever driven one or even just sat in the driver's seat, you would know that a Pantera from the early '70s era had very VERY poor rear visibility. For one thing, the rear windshield is small to begin with. And what little view you can see out of it is made more confined by the fact that the windshield is deeply recessed, creating sizable blindspots on both sides. (Worse if the car has a rear spoiler.) It leaves you overly dependent on the rear view mirrors in assessing the traffic conditions going on behind you. That can be an iffy situation when you are driving in heavy traffic.

So whenever I hear George preach to the choir about buying a car with good visibility, I always just shake my head. A Pantera owner concerned about good visibility for the driver?

But with all that said, it should be emphasized that when it comes to the areas of automotive mechanics and maintenance, George is in his element and has very few peers that can hold a candle to him. In my opinion, what he has forgotten about cars is far more than what all the participants in this thread will ever know collectively. And I know that I'm far from being the only person who holds him in high regard. Talk to all his loyal customers who have kept his repair business going for over 40 years. Talk to the folks at UH who picked him to teach car care classes at the College of Continuing Ed. Talk to the producers of KITV Good Morning Hawaii, who featured him in numerous car maintenance segments. Talk to state legislators, who utilized his expertise to shape and modify the Recon Law over the years. Talk to the automakers/attorneys who have used him to provide expert testimony.

Or,.... nevah mind all dat and listen to some anonymous, faceless folks on the internet who have no professional reputation to uphold or fall back on.

[MyopicJoe]

Plz recommend a place to have my transmission flushed

I want to get my transmission flushed and filter replaced. Can you suggest a good place near Puck's Alley / Moiliili / UH area? I'm willing to go as far as the airport area if you think it's worth it.

There's a Jiffy Lube down here, but my mainland friend says to stay away from them. Whatcha think?

Thanks.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Is flushing your transmission a good thing?

I think by 2001 he was doing his shows on KGU under Salem Broadcasting. He used to air his shows on KHVH before that. It was during KHVH is when I first met him and produced his shows at the Queen street studios. He later left to join KGU and I met up with him there for a year when KHVH asked me to come back on board. That was late in 2001 and was the last time I worked with George.

And yeah he always showed me pictures and I was able to see his Pantera up close at one of his Kakaako shops (behind BMW). His Pantera has vanity plates: NITTA. I always joked to him that his beloved car was really a Ford in disguise. He always corrected me by saying, "It's only the block!"

One thing I admired about George however was his committment to the Junior Dragster program.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Plz recommend a place to have my transmission flushed

I want to get my transmission flushed and filter replaced. Can you suggest a good place near Puck's Alley / Moiliili / UH area? I'm willing to go as far as the airport area if you think it's worth it.

There's a Jiffy Lube down here, but my mainland friend says to stay away from them. Whatcha think?

Thanks.

Nooooooo don't take it to Jiffy Lube!

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Is flushing your transmission a good thing?

And yeah he always showed me pictures and I was able to see his Pantera up close at one of his Kakaako shops (behind BMW). His Pantera has vanity plates: NITTA. I always joked to him that his beloved car was really a Ford in disguise. He always corrected me by saying, "It's only the block!"

Yep, in those days, it had the Ford 351 Cleveland engine in there. Same engine that could be ordered for the Torino and Mustang. Panteras weren't called the "poor man's Ferrari" for nothing.

One thing I admired about George however was his committment to the Junior Dragster program.

Of course, his children were Jr. Dragster drivers. But even if they weren't participants, I still think he would been involved. He is very community minded.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Is flushing your transmission a good thing?

Yep, in those days, it had the Ford 351 Cleveland engine in there. Same engine that could be ordered for the Torino and Mustang. Panteras weren't called the "poor man's Ferrari" for nothing.



Of course, his children were Jr. Dragster drivers. But even if they weren't participants, I still think he would been involved. He is very community minded.

I almost got the Gas Company to sponsor him with a Propane powered dragster but he wanted us to buy an entire dragster, the Gas Company changed their minds at that point. It wasn't in their strategic plans.

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Plz recommend a place to have my transmission flushed

You might want to give Kiyo's Transmission a call.

[oceanpacific]

Re: Flushing Your Transmission?

Back in 1994, Nitta threw his hat into the gubernatorial race in a crowded Democratic primary field headed by Ben Cayetano. I had my own call-in radio program (infomercial type) at the time and invited him to be a guest for the entire hour.

Since then, I have made more than a few appearances on his weekly program on both KGU and KUMU.

George was on TV lately spearheading an effort to revive Waialae Bowl.

[pzarquon]

Re: Plz recommend a place to have my transmission flushed

You might want to give Kiyo's Transmission a call.

Seconding Kiyo's. The garage is a mess, but that's how you know there's genius at work! A lot of times, other auto shops will send customers' cars there for transmission work... so eventually I started taking my cars straight to the source.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Plz recommend a place to have my transmission flushed

Seconding Kiyo's. The garage is a mess, but that's how you know there's genius at work! A lot of times, other auto shops will send customers' cars there for transmission work... so eventually I started taking my cars straight to the source.

Soooo....George's floors are so clean you can almost eat off of it.

[MyopicJoe]

Re: Plz recommend a place to have my transmission flushed

You might want to give Kiyo's Transmission a call.

Thanks for the tip. I'll give them a try.

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Plz recommend a place to have my transmission flushed

Seconding Kiyo's. The garage is a mess, but that's how you know there's genius at work!

You see that as a sign of genius? Here's how I see it.

All those dozens of dead transmissions that you have to tip-toe through to walk around the place tells me how *ignorant* many car owners are when it comes to performing simple (but very vital) maintenance, like flushing the tranny once a year.

I said it before. You can believe the words of some people here who claim that tranny flushes are not necessary. Then you can go down to Kiyo's and see what are the sad, ugly, and very costly results of following that advice.

If you examine those trannys that died before their time, you'll see that the vast majority of the damage can be linked to ATF fluid that became burnt/contaminated due to age and heat. The old fluid could no longer do the job of keeping everything lubricated and running smoothly. But the owners kept driving and driving, blatantly ignoring the warning signs of dirty fluid, gasket leaks, and slipping until it was too late.

As far as Kiyo's service goes, yes, they do a good, honest job. That's why they are so busy. But as a suggestion to Joe, if you go down there and want to see for yourself whether I'm telling the truth or not about how trannys fail and die, do wear shoes (not slippers) for your safety.