Hey there. Bessie here.

Is it preferred that I go with an AC Delco Transmission filter and gasket, or will any do that fit my car?

Example:

PowerTorque FK190 - Automatic Transmission Filter Kit | O'Reilly Auto Parts

Or:

RPT Shift Pro Transmission Filter (A/T) 997142 - Read 1 Reviews on RPT Shift Pro #997142

Does that also go for transmission fluid? I was thinking about using Valvoline's Max Life Dexcon VI Fully Synthetic ATF Fluid.

Thanks!

 

Personally I like to stick with factory filters for some applications. Transmission I prefer to stick with what the factory calls for. There are a lot of good filter manufactures out there, and I am sure people have had very good luck with aftermarket filters. The transmission is different than the engine oil in my opinion, it is a lot less forgiving if things are not exactly perfect.
Fluid is something that everyone will have their own personal favorites, and there are many good brands out there. I like to stay away from the store brands (car quest, oreillys, etc.) and stick more with the name brands like Valvoline, Havoline etc.
With all of the engine work I have done I have found some interesting stuff in engine condition. I have found that people that use the cheaper store brands of oil sometimes have more buildup in their engines. Could be the way they drive their cars, could be the quality of the oil. The worse engine I ever saw the owner used a cheap motor oil and did not change it often. Back then the discount stores carried a brand of oil that came in what looked like a school milk carton. The lable was white with big black letters that said engine oil. My opinion as long as you stay with a popular high quality fluid you will be fine. Make certain you use the type of fluid that is recomended for your car, but the brand should not make a big difference.

 

Hey there,

Got another question for you: do I need to replace the pan gasket?

I found the cheapest ACDECLO filter on Amazon:
However, it doesn't come with a new gasket. Could I reuse the one i already have or is it best to get a new one?

Thanks!

-Bessie

 

The factory gasket is reusable. get the good gasket if you buy a new one...


I re used mine on my 02....no leaks. On an older car its still prolly best to change it just to be sure. I took a chance and won lol

 

I'll voice my opinions based on my knowledge and experience with GM cars in general.
- All my GM cars recommended fluid and filter change at 100K miles (pan dropping), UNLESS you are in very high temp climates or doing a lot of up hill driving, then perform this process sooner.
- I have followed that above statement on many GM v6, automatic cars (early 90's to present), never once a transmission problem. And this is on cars that went well over 200K.
- Yes, this does not drain fluid out of the torque converter or the cooler, but you end up changing well over 50% of the fluid. I am with the belief that yes, you still have dirty fluid in the torque converter and such, but the amount you swapped out is sufficient for proper use and longevity of the car.
- Make sure to CLEAN the inside of the transmission pan. Much of your contaminants sit in the base of that pan.
- I quit using the free/cheap gasket that comes with the filters. Experience is that gasket ends up failing before you put 100K miles on it again. There are claims of the factory/oem trans pan gasket being re-usable. Personally, my opinion, it's a metal core gasket with a rubber coating, exposed to hot/cold and trans fluid. For a few extra bucks, buy another OEM style gasket (I have been using "re-usable" gaskets from ATP, just like OEM, worth getting).
- I never had a flush done. Anyone I have heard with transmission problems resulted after a flush. Since my experiences with pan drops/fluid/filter changes have been fine, I have trouble going against what works for me.
- Admittedly, I changed my Monte's trans fluid/filter ahead of schedule. I changed it at 70K miles, because it is hardly driven being a summer only car since I bought it (has about 80K on it now).
- Each model trans (Ford/GM/Mopar, whatever), just like the engine, can have things that enthusiasts learn that go beyond what the manufacturer recommends. Yes, the 4t65e has a bad rep and plenty of Monte owners who experienced that rep first hand. Best advice, do your best to service it regularly and see what happens. Sometimes, changing the fluid more then once in a short amount of miles could help.

Since Fords were brought up.... Side notes on what I learned from Fords on an '01 v6 Mustang (owned by my ex-wife):
- Some Ford transmissions (at least this one) has a tell tale for if it has been serviced. It has a white ball with a stem on it in the trans pan (and the pan has a low spot for this thing to rest). Worried the crap out of me when I dropped the pan and found that. It was in the trans to prevent debris from falling in during the car's assembly. Once the dip tube was installed, knocked that ball into the pan!!! If you drop the pan and the ball is missing, then the pan has been dropped before. If the ball is there, either the pan was never dropped, or someone was really going for that factory feel.
- Ford has a method to drop the pan, rotate and drain the torque converter (so the system should be fluid free, shy of residue left in the system). Due to other issues with me and this car, I admittedly opted NOT to drain the torque converter. As a result, I did not have a fill spec from Ford to do a GM-style pan drop/fluid/filter change. I ended up filling and checking the dipstick until it was at the correct level (and made a note of how much fluid was required if I ever needed that info again).

Finally, I have also known people to never service the transmission at all and get over 200K miles. I don't recommend that, but it has been known to happen. Rolling the dice like that could be costly.

 

That would be my wifes expedition. We got it almost 10 years ago with 75,000 miles on it. I don't know if the fluid had been changed at the dealership or not. We used it to pull our 32 foot camper all over the western United States over the years. Now it has somewhere between 240,000 miles and 280,000 rough miles (hard to tell because the odometer is not accurate). I have never serviced the transmission on this vehicle. Partially because I was always too lazy to crawl under it, partially because whenever I thought about it I didn't have the $100 to do it.
Now it is just used for my kids to drive around town, so I probably wont be spending any time messing with it. The fluid is just a little darker than it should be but does not smell burned, so I will just let it go. I do not suggest anyone doing this!
It does make a lot of sense that a flush on a high mile transmission is where the problems come in. I did not think of that, a partial fluid and filter change by dropping the pan shouldn't cause problems that a full flush would. The ones I know of that have had trouble after a fluid change were all after a full flush.

 

Thanks for all the info! I will definitely be doing a transmission filter/fluid change.

One last question:
Are the Transgo Shift Kits worth it? I go easy on the car to prevent it from shifting too hard, but I've read everywhere that this kit can really help. With it being so cheap and relatively easily to do inside the transmission pan, should I give it a go?

Sorry for asking so many questions. Trying to learn as much as I can.

 

I threw one in mine. It did feel a bit better. x2 Gasket is reusable and I'm at 200k miles on my 3400 Impala and it's still factory (as far as I know when I got the car at 60k miles) I reused my gasket i had on my 04 Grand Prix but I got that car at 120k miles so it was oem design but whether or not it was the original is another question.

All at being said - it isn't that much to go ahead and buy a new one; look at it this way, you're saving so much money working on the vehicle yourself so you might as well get quality. I know for a few posts you're talking about a drain to the pan. You can add one or buy a pan with the drain.

Sounds like you're on the right track, best of luck

Cheers

 

Bump on opinions from others about Transgo. Really curious what people think about the kit before I consider getting it.

 

This is the only thing that I've heard great things on for the 4t65e: The Sure CureŽ Kit - SC-4T65E - Sonnax

For shift kits and everything, I would just recommend a tune to increase line pressure and decrease shift times to prevent the clutches from slipping and overheating