Trans. Service Help

[Phil94850]

i have a auto tranny and the car has around 200k on it so i decided the tranny fluid needed changing. it was badly discolored. anyways.. i looked under the car for the tranny drain plug and never found one. does my model have a drain plug for the tranny ?

i ended up unplugging the upper trans cooler hose and pumping out about 3qrts of the old stuff and refilling with 3qrts of the new stuff ( dexron III ). ive read where its better to slowly change the fluid instead of all at once. I had a conquest TSI and changed the rear end fluid and about a month later the rear end went out so im a firm believer in the slow change method on older cars.

so when do u guys suggest changing out about another 3qrts and another and so on to finally get all fresh fluid in the tranny ?

[dmelviØØ7]

When I do trans flushes I use about 15 qts aka all a once and then some. If your trans/fluid are in bad shape you will lose your power to go, but it sounds like you knew that. But I reccomend the full change at once, just my opinion.

[RussB]

Yes, there is a drain plug right on the tranny case. 1"/25mm hex. I use the same aluminum crush washers that are on the oil drain plug.

I flush my tranny all at once (12qts) and do it annually.

[dmelviØØ7]

Yes, there is a drain plug right on the tranny case. 1"/25mm hex. I use the same aluminum crush washers that are on the oil drain plug.

I flush my tranny all at once (12qts) and do it annually.

The best way to do it is through the hose on the radiatopr though so that you get all of the old fluid out of there too.

[uwackme]

You're better off with a complete flush at least once every few years. The torque converter holds a good bit of fluid that doesn't leak out with the drain plug. The flushing machines are designed to get all the old stuff out and new stuff in. Only runs about $89.95 and considering the cost of the tranny replacement, well.

[Pete]

I flushed my 1997 GLT auto through the hose that runs to the radiator and I did it two quarts at a time. I used a kit I picked up from IPD and used Mobil 1 ATF. I did 12 qts I believe. I don't think doing it all at once would hurt the tranny performance, Volvo's can take it.

My thinking is when you do it, use a synthetic for long life, do it right, then leave it alone. If the tranny runs fine after the flush, and you're not subjecting it to harsh use, you're good for 100k. Just keep an eye on the color of the fluid.

[Drew]

On an auto tranny with over 200k miles on it the very last thing I would ever do is a full flush. Especially, when the fluid looks bad and hasn't been changed for some time.

Heck, I'm not into full tranny flushes even on a young tranny.

Let it be and run it. Your fluid is full of clutch material that was once on the clutches. I cannot see any good coming to a somewhat neglected 200k mile tranny being flushed.

or

Personally, I do a drain and fill every 15k. You'll dump about 4 quarts each time.

[Guest Guest]

There are lots of people who think that power flushing is very bad for an older tranny, because it seems more likely to break up crud that then gets free to circulate. Others say no to that, but why take any added risk. The full change using the line to radiator cooler is different than a power flush, it just used the regular internal pressure pump to push all of the fluid out, so less risk of breaking up stuff that can circulate. For me, a slow change can't be worse, and is likely to be a big help. I am in the camp that changes about 4 quarts every couple of oil changes, and that keeps it in fine chape without any particular effort. I use a vacuum pump and suck it up from the tranny fill tube, get about 3 1/2 quarts that way which is about the same as you get with the drain plug. I would avoid Mobil 1 type fluids in yours, since I expect that they will have greater cleaning additives as their engine oil does. At least for a while, stick with the cheap Dextron III and let it work the junk out slowly. I'd change the several quarts at least once a month for a while. You can tell when it stays nice and red and then go to a more mileage related change period. I'm sure you wil get lots of conflicting advice, but try to go with the route that has the least risks, since you don't now have a crisis on your hands and can take all the time you want.

[Guest 850T-5]

If the tranny suddenly goes out after changing the fluid out, it was probably pretty much doomed anyway.

I have had two Volvo 960's and an 850 with 100K-150K, fluid looking black and wattery. Rather than messing with the tranny lines, I drained, refilled 3.5 quarts (what the pan holds) with each. Also pour in about half a quart of fresh fluid while the drainplug is still off to help get all the crap out of the pan. Put the drain plug back in, drove then repeated about 4 times in each until the fluid stayed pink after driving on the dipstick. I just used Shell Formula One tranny Dexron III.

I've never had a problem, also improved shifting and tranny performance in all vehicles.

I also read and heard a lot of "leave it", if the fluid is in bad shape it'l kill your tranny. I'd rather risk changing it out than just leaving some black wattery worn out fluid in there. Worn out, black wattery fluid can also kill a tranny by accelerating wear and promoting slippage due to the frictional properties having changed over time.

[rbrach]

i have a 98 s70 auto and after getting the fluid flushed this last summer i recently noticed that the car is shifting from 2nd to 3rd and from 3rd to 4th a little more smoothly. when i checked the fluid it was kind of a grey color but did not have a bad smell. i am trying to figure out wheather or not to flush my fluid again or if i am just doomed. with no burnt smell does anyone think that it would be a bad idea to flush now? thanks in advance

[stock850]

I think what you are doing is fine, keep it up. Maybe a couple of hundred miles in between refreshes, as a wild guess.

[Phil94850]

thanks for the help everyone :)