Transmission: Flush it or Forget it ?
#11
I believe in flushing the transmission & changing the filter.
Even if it is over the manufactures schedule.
Trans Fluids break down, just like any fluids, especially `if when the fluid is heated & cooled.. It does pay to maintain + do your homework on this subject...
There's many rides on the road with over 300K + that have never had any transmission problems, because they have been serviced & maintained...Your decision, your $'s, your transmission...I believe if you treat a ride with love, that it will love you back 4-Sure...If you treat it bad & don't take care anout your ride/investment ~>It will also treat you bad & cost you Big $'s 4-Real....Your choice ~>Your Ride ?
Even if it is over the manufactures schedule.
Trans Fluids break down, just like any fluids, especially `if when the fluid is heated & cooled.. It does pay to maintain + do your homework on this subject...
There's many rides on the road with over 300K + that have never had any transmission problems, because they have been serviced & maintained...Your decision, your $'s, your transmission...I believe if you treat a ride with love, that it will love you back 4-Sure...If you treat it bad & don't take care anout your ride/investment ~>It will also treat you bad & cost you Big $'s 4-Real....Your choice ~>Your Ride ?
Last edited by Space; 08-28-2012 at 07:53 AM.
#12
I think that whether you do a complete flush or not depends on the vehicle history. If you buy the car new or with low mileage then regular flush intervals is a good idea. If you purchase the vehicle used with higher mileage a complete flush may do more harm then good - unless the previous owner has properly maintaned the vehicle and has service records showing regular flushing. Otherwise, dropping the pan, replacing the filter and topping it off with fresh fluid would be my choice.
#17
This topic has always intrigued me. There's so many different view points it just depends on who you talk to. It's just like how to beak in a new car/engine. Some people say drive it easy for the first few hundred miles, some say say drive it like you stole it.
I'm starting to be a bigger believer in luck. I'll either get a strong/solid car that can take a beating or I'll get a lemon. My last car I bought brand new, with 8 miles on the odo. I followed all the recommened maintenance to the dot and with 48k miles it was having problem after problem. My wife has a firebird which she drives hard literally everytime she starts the thing. It has just under 175k miles on it and runs like a champ. Look how many people here have had their transmissions fail on their LS4 cars. Look on LS1tech or some of the other websites. Many many different kinds of people with even more styles of driving styles/habits. It can't be whether they flushed or didn't or whether they drained or didn't. On the other hand there's high mileage LS4 cars that haven't had any trans issues at all.
I think the biggest factor is did you get a piece of equipment that was built according to speck by a competant technician or did you buy something that slipped through quality assurance's cracks. Yes, machines build a lot of the components these days but humans are still the main factor. Do some technicians use a torque wrench when manufacturing transmissions while some don't? Consistancy, I think is the problem.
I've been a mechanic in the Air Force for the past 8 years, working on some the most technologically advanced equipment in the world and I always use the proper torque limits/grease/lubricant etc.
Joe Shmoe next to me, says meh, screw it, torque isn't really that important as long as you don't wrench it down crazy tight. I think the same kind of things happen all over the place, like the assembly line for example.
I don't know, I'm ranting now lol. Like I said earlier, I've always been intrigued by this. I don't know if there's a black and white, crystal clear, right and wrong answer. I think there's a lot of factors such as whether it's been serviced early on in it's life, driving climate(desert climates vs. winter climates), driving habits of the driver, daily commute(stop/go or highway) and simply whether or not you have a solid, well built transmission, or a piece of crap that had corners cut in order to build it for the cheapest price.
If anyone here is crazy enough to still be reading this rant...thank you lol.
I'm starting to be a bigger believer in luck. I'll either get a strong/solid car that can take a beating or I'll get a lemon. My last car I bought brand new, with 8 miles on the odo. I followed all the recommened maintenance to the dot and with 48k miles it was having problem after problem. My wife has a firebird which she drives hard literally everytime she starts the thing. It has just under 175k miles on it and runs like a champ. Look how many people here have had their transmissions fail on their LS4 cars. Look on LS1tech or some of the other websites. Many many different kinds of people with even more styles of driving styles/habits. It can't be whether they flushed or didn't or whether they drained or didn't. On the other hand there's high mileage LS4 cars that haven't had any trans issues at all.
I think the biggest factor is did you get a piece of equipment that was built according to speck by a competant technician or did you buy something that slipped through quality assurance's cracks. Yes, machines build a lot of the components these days but humans are still the main factor. Do some technicians use a torque wrench when manufacturing transmissions while some don't? Consistancy, I think is the problem.
I've been a mechanic in the Air Force for the past 8 years, working on some the most technologically advanced equipment in the world and I always use the proper torque limits/grease/lubricant etc.
Joe Shmoe next to me, says meh, screw it, torque isn't really that important as long as you don't wrench it down crazy tight. I think the same kind of things happen all over the place, like the assembly line for example.
I don't know, I'm ranting now lol. Like I said earlier, I've always been intrigued by this. I don't know if there's a black and white, crystal clear, right and wrong answer. I think there's a lot of factors such as whether it's been serviced early on in it's life, driving climate(desert climates vs. winter climates), driving habits of the driver, daily commute(stop/go or highway) and simply whether or not you have a solid, well built transmission, or a piece of crap that had corners cut in order to build it for the cheapest price.
If anyone here is crazy enough to still be reading this rant...thank you lol.
Last edited by 06athena; 09-12-2012 at 11:47 AM.
#18
I read your rant lol. I think so far I've been lucky with both of my Montes as far as quality goes. It's scary to know that some people don't quite understand responsibility, especially when it affects paying customers...
I've been recently wondering if I should do a flush. I'm the second owner with 84k on my 05 Monte and I have no idea what happened in its first 56k in Minnesota winters. When I got the car, it had a bunch of scratches on it and the coolant was mixed or never been changed, but that was it. Since I've bought it I've gotten routine oil changes and I generally understand what to look for as far as things starting to go wrong, and after two years the car runs like champ, minus occasional wear and tear repairs. I'm afraid that since I don't know what happened to it before I bought it that it may be a ticking time bomb ready to break suddenly. Transmission seems fine, and I do 90% highway driving, so I'm not sure if it's worth it, but I want this car running forever.
I've been recently wondering if I should do a flush. I'm the second owner with 84k on my 05 Monte and I have no idea what happened in its first 56k in Minnesota winters. When I got the car, it had a bunch of scratches on it and the coolant was mixed or never been changed, but that was it. Since I've bought it I've gotten routine oil changes and I generally understand what to look for as far as things starting to go wrong, and after two years the car runs like champ, minus occasional wear and tear repairs. I'm afraid that since I don't know what happened to it before I bought it that it may be a ticking time bomb ready to break suddenly. Transmission seems fine, and I do 90% highway driving, so I'm not sure if it's worth it, but I want this car running forever.
#19
Good rant!