Transmission Fluid Cleaning???

[mgv366]

Ok, I got lazy yesterday and went to the local quick oil change place. After changing my oil the guy came out and said that my tranny fluid was dirty and he had this new machine to "clean" it.
He states that the machine hooks up to the tranny and pumps out the fluid, passes it through a machine and then replaces it in the truck and the fluid is like the day the truck was bought?? Has anyone ever heard of this?? Sounds like a scam to me.
Machine is made by RTL Industries.

 

[Ric94]

I have seen a machine that replaces trans fluid with fresh fluid and it works quite well, it replaces the fluid in the trans,converter and cooler with "fresh" fluid not recleaned. I would be suspect of something that "cleans" the old fluid.

PS if you plan on keeping your truck I would stay away from quick change places as I have heard many horror stories.

 

[Hartman]

A transmission flush is good BUT on a higher milage engine, it will put a lot of pressure on the seals, and could cause them to leak.

 

[aldive]

I have never heard of ATF cleaning, however, I do flush mine and have on every auto tranny I jave owned.

 

[Rhett]

If you have a lot of miles I would suggest you flush it yourself using the tranny cooler line quart-at-a-time no-pressure method rather than have one of those machines do it. The machines are ok but if the guys at the shop don't do it correctly, they subject your transmission to inordinately high pressures, and, as was said, this can damage the seals.

One time I was at a Jiffy Lube with a relative's car and watched the guys attempting to perform a transmission flushing on someone's Chevy pickup. Every worker at this Jiffy Lube was huddled around this truck, and they were all puzzling over how to operate the machine and perform the flush. A few minutes later, I heard this big pop/bang and the sound of liquid pouring on concrete, and guys yelling. I looked up from my Fast Fords magazine I was reading and saw them frantically running around; tranny fluid was everywhere, on the walls, floor, and all over some poor customer's truck. I think they finally got it done, but I'd hate to guess on the pressure in the lines that caused them to pop off and fling transmission fluid everywhere. Sometimes those guys are knowlegeable but you have to be careful...

 

[Hartman]

I work right next to a Jiffy Lube and I'll be the first to tell you that they haven't a damn clue as to what they're doing. They barely train these guys, the place is like a revolving door. They spill oil over customer's cars, lock the keys inside, start fires, and to top it off, they smoke CONSTANTLY around all that flammable materials.

 

[BradE.]

Plus, at places like Jiffy Lube, they don't change the filter with thier flush.

I'd do it yourself, it's not that hard to do, and replace the tranny filter too.

 

[doradexplorer]

I worked at a Valvoline INstant Oil Change for a while, and there was some basic training, but I never saw anything for teh tranny machine. I really liked the fact that the old fluid that went into one chamber did not have a light bulb behind it, while the new, fresh fluid did! Made the new fluid glow, and the old fluid looked like cr*p! All in the marketing, I guess.
I always try to watch whatthey do on my truck, even when i worked there.
Scott

 

[wired_af]

Yup those quick places are crap.

I swear it took them about an hour to figure out how to change the oil on my mom's mercedes.

 

[swep1]

I had always heard that the transmission flush machines didn't put undue pressure on the seals because it was using the transmission pump at standard operating pressures, but ever since having my transmission fluid flushes using one of those machines, I have leaky seals that on cold mornings requires the Explorer to thoroughly warm up, allowing the seals to expand and stop the pressure leak or else the darn thing won't drop into drive...

 

[Bill Kemp]

Swep1, Your problem sounds like one I had when my trans filter had come loose. Sometimes the o-ring seal isnt very good and the filter drops down and doesnt pick-up the fliud to circulate. Better get that checked as it sounds like your wearing out your trans. as we speak.

 

[GTO2050]

They are good for oil changes only. I have a friend that owns one and he is constantly getting his guys to try and sell these add-on services because they are pure profit. They offer the same kind of service for your engine as well to "flush" all the carbon out.

 

[swep1]

Bill, I posted my problem on this board a while back. My Ford mechanic says that his best guess is that I have some worn bearings in my tranny and that when I changed the fluid a while back (first time in nearly 95,000 miles that it had been changed...I'm the 2nd owner and didn't know it until after the fluid had been flushed) that it likely exposed the bearing issue. He says that additionally that the seals look a bit damaged and that's why they're having to expand to seal up the pressure leak when the car is cold. He claims that the seals could be replaced but says he's always hesitant to add new parts to an aging transmission for fear that it puts undue pressure on the rest of the older parts. For now, I'm riding it out and babying the car. I let it warm up a good 10 minutes in the morning and then gently feather the transmission before driving off. No problems dropping into reverse and once warm, no problems staying in drive. Does that still sound like what was going on with yours? If so, I can definitely have someone else give me a second opinion. I appreciate your input! Thanks.