Flushing Your Transmission?

[GeckoGeek]

Re: Is flushing your transmission a good thing?

To me if your tranny is old and is looking like it's slipping badly to the point of overhaul or replacement, you may as well try the tranny flush.

Not much to loose at that point. But if it's working fine and you're just worried about it.....

Just change the fluid and leave it at that.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Is flushing your transmission a good thing?

I disagree. See my post above.

Somehow I knew you were gonna disagree but damn so fast?

To me if your tranny is old and is looking like it's slipping badly to the point of overhaul or replacement, you may as well try the tranny flush. The worst thing that can happen is basically the rebuild or replacement which is what one would have done if not a flush.

[GeckoGeek]

Re: Is flushing your transmission a good thing?

Bottom line is tranny flushes are a good thing and that we can all agree on.

I disagree. See my post above.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Is flushing your transmission a good thing?

Very well then. Sorry if you feel that I somehow misconstrued what you said.



For the sake of maintaining the peace, I will refrain from commenting on that.

Well okay then...I'm sorry too Geez this needs to go on the apology thread.

Bottom line is tranny flushes are a good thing and that we can all agree on.

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Is flushing your transmission a good thing?

This is what I mean FM.

Very well then. Sorry if you feel that I somehow misconstrued what you said.

And to answer your question on my Bimmer, NEVER...it's a 5-speed not an automatic. You don't flush a standard tranny unless you love tranny fluid all over your clutch plate.

For the sake of maintaining the peace, I will refrain from commenting on that.

[GeckoGeek]

Re: Is flushing your transmission a good thing?

Changing the fluid is a good thing. Maybe even techniques that help get all the fluid changed.

But I wouldn't use a chemical flush. It would be an especially bad idea to do it to an older transmission where the varnish may be what's holding things together. I think there's been enough cases of transmission failing shortly after a flush that many mechanics do not recommend it.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Is flushing your transmission a good thing?

Whatever the case, just because neglecting the tranny happened to work out for you does not make it wise/sound practice for everyone else.

This is what I mean FM.

And to answer your question on my Bimmer, NEVER...it's a 5-speed not an automatic. You don't flush a standard tranny unless you love tranny fluid all over your clutch plate.

[MyopicJoe]

Re: Is flushing your transmission a good thing?

Everything you said was true, except for the last part. Why wait for a vehicle to be "high-mileage" before you start doing tranny flushes?

I don't think Craig was advocating waiting until your mileage was high before having a flush. You might have been a little too nit picky with his wording.

I would hardly characterize that as "blasting" you.

When my posts are quoted in a reply, I tend to take it more personally. When I quote others, I find it useful to tread a little more carefully because it's very easy to have your tone and intentions misunderstood.


I think the warning against a transmission flush, which I read online, was a special case. The transmission system had been neglected for a long time so a lot of gunk had built up. Then the system was flushed with some high pressure system which made the gunk break off and clog the system, much like a heart attack.

If your tranny is in relatively good condition, or they use a gentle flushing system, I don't think you'll have that problem.

A friend of mine recommended a flush/fill every 30K, though he prefers a drain/fill every 10K and skip the flush unless you've just bought a used car.

Thanks to everyone for your replies.

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Is flushing your transmission a good thing?

Why the hell am I even defending myself anyway? Try reading my post before blasting me okay? Sheez!

Blasting you? Well, if you took your own advice to carefully read posts, you would find that I did say that everything in your initial post "was true," except for the very last part. I would hardly characterize that as "blasting" you.

If I may ask you a question, though. How often do you flush the tranny on your Bimmer?

[salmoned]

Re: Is flushing your transmission a good thing?

130,000 miles, no problems and I've never even checked the transmission fluid. Okay, now I checked and it's black. So what, I have no problems...

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Is flushing your transmission a good thing?

working as good as new.

Flushing a tranny is a good thing whether it's old or new. Good practice if new, but not a bad thing to do if it's old and slipping.

And I don't know where you get the idea that neglecting a tranny was a wise thing to do. It's not like I chose to neglect it. I just didn't know like Joe.

Why the hell am I even defending myself anyway? Try reading my post before blasting me okay? Sheez!

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Is flushing your transmission a good thing?

it's never too late. My 97 Astro Van got it's first tranny flush after 137,000 miles and a lot of hard shifting. Two mechanics told me a tranny flush wouldn't help and could damage it even more.

Well here it is closing in at almost 160,000 miles and the tranny's working better than ever.

Working better than when it was new? Or just "good enough" so that you can still get from point A to point B in one piece?

Whatever the case, just because neglecting the tranny happened to work out for you does not make it wise/sound practice for everyone else.

Joe, if you want your tranny to last as long as possible in top notch condition, have it flushed once a year. Better yet, go with a high quality synthetic fluid for even less wear on your tranny and longer intervals between flushes.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Is flushing your transmission a good thing?

Everything you said was true, except for the last part. Why wait for a vehicle to be "high-mileage" before you start doing tranny flushes? If you wait for the transmission to start slipping or shuddering before you do a flush, the damage has already been done and it's too late. Like closing the barn door after the horse has already bolted. By then, flushes won't do anything to fix the serious problems.

A new car owner should start doing it right away to keep their transmission in "like new" operating condition right off the bat. That way, you'll really get your full money's worth with tranny flushes.

it's never too late. My 97 Astro Van got it's first tranny flush after 137,000 miles and a lot of hard shifting. Two mechanics told me a tranny flush wouldn't help and could damage it even more.

Well here it is closing in at almost 160,000 miles and the tranny's working better than ever.

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Is flushing your transmission a good thing?

A tranny flush costs anywhere from $100 to $200 but is well worth it, especially for high-mileage vehicles.

Everything you said was true, except for the last part. Why wait for a vehicle to be "high-mileage" before you start doing tranny flushes? If you wait for the transmission to start slipping or shuddering before you do a flush, the damage has already been done and it's too late. Like closing the barn door after the horse has already bolted. By then, flushes won't do anything to fix the serious problems.

A new car owner should start doing it right away to keep their transmission in "like new" operating condition right off the bat. That way, you'll really get your full money's worth with tranny flushes.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Is flushing your transmission a good thing?

flushing is an important part of transmission maintenance. Like brake fluid, tranny fluid is hydroscopic in nature meaning it absorbs water. After a period of time your tranny fluid can become too contaminated with not only tranny particulates but water that can damage the tranny itself.

A simple draining of tranny fluid doesn't get all the bad fluid out.

What happens if you keep running bad tranny fluid? Your bands start slipping causing rough or late shifting as you accelerate. Eventually you'll have to overhaul or replace that tranny which will amount to the thousands of dollars.

A tranny flush costs anywhere from $100 to $200 but is well worth it, especially for high-mileage vehicles.