a4ld Flush and Fluid Change Strategy

[mauidiver15]

I am getting prepared for some maintainance and I'm scoping out the tranny. I have been reading on past threads that a flush and fluid change on the automatic a4ld transmission after a long period of time of no maintainance is bad. That this dislodges gunk and such that gets into everything and blows up the tranny in a matter of weeks.

The question is - How do I go about taking care of the tranny so this doesn't happen and I can begin regular maintainance after this first tricky flush? What are the extra things to do?

Lemme know what you guys know/think.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[Redrig]

its a hit or miss situation. alot of guys say dont touch it if it hasnt been serviced before if its working fine now. i dont think mine was serviced before and it went anyway. some also say that service on them helped. make your decision and hope for the best.

 

[TPLYNCH]

Instead of flushing, just drop the pan/change the filter, but do it on an accelerated schedule (i.e. every yr/10Kmiles) depending on the current condition of the fluid. Sooner if really nasty to get the old crap out quicker, later if it's still in decent shape.

 

[Rhett]

How many quarts of trans fluid will you need to add if you drop the pan?

 

[Ross-N-Chicago]

I would ONLY drop pan and replace filter with updated one (you can tell b/c it has felt on the interior and not a screen) and leave it alone. I am an example of a tranny flush gone bad b/c I have lost my OD, have a front seal leak and overall crappy performance and a rebuild on the way. And I was very diligent in my tranny service as well.

On the contrary, doing a flush with regular ATF, a new filter and changing the filter out again in about 1000 miles may not be too bad. You just have to remember that ATF is highly detergent and will knock some stuff loose which clogs solenoid, screens, etc...

So, in all honesty, just drop the pan and have peace of mind. Maybe do it every six months and you'll have some pretty new fluid that won't shock the A4LD.

 

[TPLYNCH]

Originally posted by Rhett Browning
How many quarts of trans fluid will you need to add if you drop the pan?

I believe you remove ~ 4 qts from the system when dropping the pan...