Tranny flush tomorrow - first dealer visit in years

[EasyRhino]

Time to do the tranny flush thingee.

Decided to have the local stealership do it this time.

Quoted me $199.99999 for filter, gasket, power flush, 14 or whatever quarts of Motorcraft V synth tranny fluid.

Guess I'm getting lazy. Haven't taken any car to a dealer for non-warranty work for years.

Wish me luck.

 

[BrooklynBay]

How many miles ago was the previous flush?

 

[Joe Dirt]

I always go to the dealer for trans flushes. One, I don't have the equipment for a pass through flush and I want it done right. Second, I want it on their documented watch...

I wouldn't think twice. For as much as a car payment is, $200 for a trans service and piece of mind is a small price every 35k or so...

 

[BrooklynBay]

Here's a machine if you want to do this yourself: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93019

It doesn't pay to get it for one time use, but it will save you money if you plan on using it several times.

 

[EasyRhino]

How many miles ago was the previous flush?

About 50K miles ago, plus I have done two drain and refills since then, about 7 quarts each, and it comes out reasonably clean, viscous, and un-smelly.

 

[EasyRhino]

Okay, got it back and it seems to work just fine. It might be my imagination, but it seems a little crisper.

We'll see if the "just did the flush and it died" curse gets me.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Did they make you sign an agreement to protect themselves in case the flush did damage or do you have a warranty?

 

[EasyRhino]

Did they make you sign an agreement to protect themselves in case the flush did damage or do you have a warranty?

Hey, you're sure up late! It's 7 pm here, what's that, 1 am in NY?

Anyway, your question: Neither, and at 103K miles I know that I am picking one risk against another.

Since you are the tranny expert here, if you were me, how would you plan the next 50-100K miles for tranny maintenance?

I'm thinking, drain and refill 7 of 14 quarts annually or 12K miles, and each third drain and refill, pull the pan, replace the filter and clean the pan. Then at 50K or so do the next flush, and repeat to 100K miles.

Also wondering if I should consider replacing the valve body and solenoid pack in advance of a potential failure??

Your opinion is appreciated, sir!

 

[BrooklynBay]

I'm up late losing sleep trying to help everybody out on here.. It's possible that they back flushed it with the dirty filter connected. This will push dirt out of the filter, and into the rest of the transmission. Find out if they flushed it with the new filter on. It's possible that the new filter might have gotten partially clogged if they did it with a new filter on. They could flush it with a dirty filter just as long as they don't back flush it. Either way, flushing it with a clean filter will ensure that no dirt will get into the rest of the transmission. I'm not a fan of using these pressure washing machines. It forces the fluid through, and could push dirt into different places at the same time. One method to do at home is the add a quart while draining a quart method as outlined in the sticky thread in the transmission section. A basic pan drop with a new filter is fine, but it won't remove all of the old fluid.

 

[EasyRhino]

I'm up late losing sleep trying to help everybody out on here.. It's possible that they back flushed it with the dirty filter connected. This will push dirt out of the filter, and into the rest of the transmission. Find out if they flushed it with the new filter on. It's possible that the new filter might have gotten partially clogged if they did it with a new filter on. They could flush it with a dirty filter just as long as they don't back flush it. Either way, flushing it with a clean filter will ensure that no dirt will get into the rest of the transmission. I'm not a fan of using these pressure washing machines. It forces the fluid through, and could push dirt into different places at the same time. One method to do at home is the add a quart while draining a quart method as outlined in the sticky thread in the transmission section. A basic pan drop with a new filter is fine, but it won't remove all of the old fluid.

Seems as if the ideal solution does not exist in the current state, perhaps bypassing the in-pan filter, installing an external filter and bypassing that filter when flushing the tranny, while ensuring that the flushing pressure is equal to or less than the normal tranny pump outlet pressure.

Sorry that you loose sleep for the good of the commonwealth. I rather suspect that you have provided me with guidance and insight that has resulted in savings, so thanks.

 

[BrooklynBay]

The internal filter is the primary filter as well as the lower sump which draws fluid out of the pan, so it's not recommended to bypass it. Sonnax has a cooler flow rate digital monitor. I'm not sure how much it is or where to purchase it.

 

[LVmounty]

Time to do the tranny flush thingee.

Decided to have the local stealership do it this time.

Quoted me $199.99999 for filter, gasket, power flush, 14 or whatever quarts of Motorcraft V synth tranny fluid.

Guess I'm getting lazy. Haven't taken any car to a dealer for non-warranty work for years.

Wish me luck.

Well good luck with that

 

[2002GreyHD150]

so how are you guys filling the 7 quarts into the 4.6 AWD tranny?

No dipstick. Where is the fill location?

 

[BrooklynBay]

There is a sticky thread in the transmission section with the procedure on how to check the fluid level, and refill it.