Automatics past 200K miles.

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Originally Posted By: SL2
1989 Mercury Cougar LS

198K miles on 3.8L Engine.
198K miles on ORG Trans Just 2 Fluid changes.... (3rd in 2006..)

in 2006 I got another car, let this car sit, brake line rusted.. Engine was really hard to get started, but it did start. junked it. in 2009
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I had an '88 Cougar 3.8/auto that I purchased new that made it to 300K. The transmission made it right at 200K before a $5 internal piece made me lose everything but low gear. It was rebuilt and I put on another 100K before I parked it. The car had 300K on the engine and never had the oil pan or valve cover off. It did go through about 3 water pumps, 3 fuel pumps and an alternator. The last 25K miles has a couple of small oil leaks, but not enough for a repair.
The car was recalled for the famous ignition switch replacement and a recall for the catalytic converter.
I probably used a different oil each time and quite a few different brands of filters, including the orange one. (I no longer buy them)
 
Originally Posted By: Onmo'Eegusee
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
our worst was a 2004 Savana 3500 with the 4L-80E that grenaded at 145k miles. Only cost 1200 bucks to rebuild to orig specs and still going strong today.

One of the best ever is a 2000 Savana 3500 that was wrecked with mega miles (almost 400k!) and the engine and trans (another 4L-80E) were transplanted into my son's good friend's street car! Still running today!

These vans weigh 8800 pounds with nothing in them, and typically hit the street at 9500 or so 6 days a week. Tough trans.

What are these transmissions sitting behind? Thats really good. Maintenance?

A lot of 6.0 trucks and 5.7 vans.
 
my 89 Firebird 700R4 went 176k (until I had to retire it), no issues, drivin like it was stolen, transmission filter changes only every 4 years with valvoline durablend.
1992 Taurus, has 223k, original transmission, and yes, I've seen the records to prove it hasn't been rebuilt/replaced. Without Red Lubegard, the transmission slips in every gear, everytime. Transmission fluid still needs another flush. But it shifts smooth and runs well on leftover hodge podge of valvoline and mobil dex3.
friends now retired 85 Camry, 157k, engine lost all compression, transmission had the gear drop sound, but hooked up everytime with minimal services.
friends 02 Altima, this Jatco transmission has been to [censored] & back.
130k, has never been touched. The fluid still looks pink-ish, but shifts rough and doesn't hookup all to well. But I'm impressed with it.
 
I had an '87 Monte Carlo V8 with 252,000 miles on it when I sold it, and I seriously doubt the transmission fluid or filter on it had ever been changed once.

It did have an aftermarket transmission cooler on it though.

It was on the road for a couple more years after I sold it, however, I stopped seeing it around town in 2008.

I ran a Carfax on the VIN for it, and it died on July 3, 2008. It ended up at the junkyard, and the title had been turned in for it on that date.
 
Original 2004R trans in my 89 Caprice went 291k before the previous owner ran it out of fluid and it burned up. I replaced it with the one out of my 87 Caprice I retired with about 170k on it. It now has close to 200k on it. My 84 Cutlass has about 220k on its original 2004R. I've had 2 rear ends fail on me over the years (I was a teenager still and did way too many burnouts) but never lost a transmission. I changed the fluid and filter often on all of mine though.
 
My '86 F150 is somewhere in the mid to upper 190,000 mile mark, and the transmission has been working the way it should the entire time, even when it gets used for hauling very heavy loads (downshifting as well) and me not being able to honestly remember at even a hint of when the fluid/filter was last changed. I have the filter kit, just need to get some fluid and take care of it one of these days. My friend's father has two Dodge diesels, one with over 300,000 miles and the over with over 200,000 miles IIRC, and they are still going along. The one with over 300,000 miles I think needs some work done finally, but it's nothing keeping it from working.
 
Well my grandparents astro, and my shops astro van both died with 200k exactly. regular maintenace too. I find that pretty good.
 
Originally Posted By: ClarkB
Conventional BITOG wisdom is that all automatic transmissions will need serious work before 200K miles. I would like to hear of vehicles with automatic transmissions with 200K+ miles. I'll start us off:

I know of two Toyota trucks (one Tacoma, one T-100, both 3.4 sixes), one with 200K and one with 270K.

My wife's family had an '88 Camry that went to ~205K miles.

I had an '89 Accord with a cra-ppy (F4?) auto that made it to 202K miles.

None of the above 4 transmissions had any work done with them. Only one (the Honda) was really due.

I'm curious to hear of more as I think the auto has made spectacular strides in the past 2 decades and I think that there are more of them out there with really high miles, people normally don't think about the transmission lasting (unless you're on BITOG).

Clark

I've had three Toyota/Lexus vehicles with a derivative of the A340e transmission. At 205,000, 221,000 and 259,000 miles, respectively, the transmissions all shifted properly and without drama.
I've also had two Toyota vehicles with the auto trans that mates to the 1MZ-FE motor - I don't remember the trans code, but with 256,000 and 219,000 miles, they also shift properly and without drama. Transmission fluid service on all of the vehicles has been shoddy AT BEST.
Each and every one of them shift better with 200,000+ miles than a brand new Dodge Grand Caravan.
 
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I had a 91 S-10 that went 270,000, a 1991 Corrvette that went 198,000 beat to [censored] miles before it died, a 1988 3/4 ton Chevrolet that went 205,000 and two Turbo dodges that made it over 200,000 on the A413. Can't say my Accord or Jetta TDI treated me that well.
 
Originally Posted By: ClarkB
Conventional BITOG wisdom is that all automatic transmissions will need serious work before 200K miles.

Clark


Maybe all FWD econobox autmatics will need attention before 200k, but not ALL automatics.

I've had several rear-drive 3-speed Mopar automatics from the 60s and 70s (A-904 and A-727) pass 200k miles without a hiccup. My dad has a 4-speed A-518 in his old beater 92 Dakota that's never even had a fluid change in 230,000 miles, still works great. The rest of the truck is a mess, but the A-518 keeps plowing on.
 
Over 250K miles on the original 4T60E in the 98 Grand Am my girlfriend used to have. We sold it to a coworker of mine he's still driving it.
 
92 camry 206,000 miles, transmission never touched, pan dropped 3 times to replace screen and approx 30,000 mile fluid drain and fills with Amosil ATF
 
Originally Posted By: ClarkB
Conventional BITOG wisdom is that all automatic transmissions will need serious work before 200K miles.

I'll have to disagree with that. Maybe 30 years ago. For anyone that doesn't get at least 200k on a modern transmission I'd say they bought a peice of [censored] car, never maintained it, or got a lemon from the factory.

The AW4 in my Jeep is at around 230k and works like new. Pretty much everybody that owns an AW4 expects it to last at least 300k or more. (400k isn't uncommon) During the first 194,000 miles the ATF was only changed twice, pan bolts haven't been touched since they left the factory.
 
Originally Posted By: SecondMonkey
Originally Posted By: ClarkB
Conventional BITOG wisdom is that all automatic transmissions will need serious work before 200K miles.

I'll have to disagree with that. Maybe 30 years ago. For anyone that doesn't get at least 200k on a modern transmission I'd say they bought a peice of [censored] car, never maintained it, or got a lemon from the factory.

The AW4 in my Jeep is at around 230k and works like new. Pretty much everybody that owns an AW4 expects it to last at least 300k or more. (400k isn't uncommon) During the first 194,000 miles the ATF was only changed twice, pan bolts haven't been touched since they left the factory.

Or they hammered the [censored] out of it, all the maintenance in the world can't help loading it up on the converter at the track to run the 1/4 mile.
 
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