Routine ATF change...from Dex VI to Maxlife

[boro]

Did my regular 15k fluid/filter change on the trans today. 96 Chevrolet S10 'LT' extended cab pickup, 4.3 Vortec/4L60E, 81k miles.

I know 15k is more than a little excessive, but I don't mind doing it...plus I'm determined to maintain those like factory new squishy shifts, especially since I only do pan drops and not a full fluid change. Maybe I'm weird but I don't like firm shifts...at all. I don't wanna feel them. I do want them to be quick though, not sloppy.

And it seems with that I've been successful. Anyway, just wanted to share my thoughts coming off of Dex VI onto Maxlife. I wanted to try it cause I've heard good things about it and with such frequent changes saving a buck is always good.

Two noticeable differences. One is that Maxlife smells FUNKY. I'm not sure what it would smell like once it was burned, and I'm not sure I'd want to...

Second is that before I had a shudder between 25 and 30 mph that I was very close to having to do an unpleasant test to determine if it was the trans or the driveshaft...fluid change completely fixed that. Really odd at these miles...I'm half tempted to blame the Dexron VI since it never did it before and has been doing it for several thousand miles.

And a minor note that may simply be attributable to a new fluid change...the shifts are a tiny bit smoother, although they really didn't have much to improve on from where they were.

Fluid inside when changed was a healthy shade of slightly darker pink than new, only a little clutch mud on the magnet.

Anyway my impressions are favorable...and after the shudder I think I'll be sticking with Maxlife.

Final note...I've been using Pro-King filters from Advance Auto for years, never had a problem with them and never thought twice about it since I just change them out every 15k anyway...but someone told me that they may not be the best. What are your opinions on this filter?
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[AzFireGuy79]

Here is the problem with blaming any issue on ATF alone in your situation. You are doing drain and fills, meaning more than half Of the old fluid give or take is still in The transmission, effectively diluting the new stuff whether its Dex III or VI . To get a good idea of any fluids performance, you have to do a cooler line flush or several drains. The improved shift quality provided by the maxlife is likely to be short lived. Dex VI is a much better fluid.

 

[Jakegday]

Originally Posted By: AzFireGuy79
Here is the problem with blaming any issue on ATF alone in your situation. You are doing drain and fills, meaning more then half Of the old fluid give or take is still in The transmission, effectively diluting the new stuff whether its Dex III or VI . To get a good idea of any fluids performance, you have to do a cooler line flush or several drains. The improved shift quality provided by the maxlife is likely to be short lived. Dex VI is a much better fluid.



really, 50%? thats a little sarcastic, dont you think?? according to my FSM, my grand prix holds 10.1 quarts. a pan drop will release 7.8 quarts. according to a haynes manual, i dont remember the exact numbers, but my fairmont loses about 75% with a pan drop...

i think between 70-80% would be a more accurate figure

 

[panthermike]

Depends on the trans.

Our Corolla only yields about 3.2 qts from dropping the pan. It holds roughly 9 qts. That said, I do drain/fills since the pan has a drain plug

Glad you like the Maxlife, I'll be trying it soon.

 

[boro]

On the 4L60E 50% is about accurate. The capacity is 11.9 quarts (a little more with my aftermarket cooler) and I got out about 6.5 quarts.

As for Dex VI being a superior fluid...in some aspects and in some cars it may very well be. I've only run Dex VI for one 15k interval, Dex III only before that. I find it a little suspicious that I developed a shudder in a very well maintained low mileage transmission during that time that went away immediately following a fluid + filter change. A little searching yields results of others having similar problems.

It seems Dex VI works better in some transmissions than others. The 4T65E in the Lucerne loves it, that's the factory fill...as did the 4T60E in my old LeSabre.

I'm not knocking Dex VI, it's a great fluid...but some transmissions don't respond to it as well as others.

Those of you who have drain plugs are lucky, I wish mine did...because it doesn't though I step up the change interval to every 15k miles, single pan drop fluid/filter change.
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[ponderosaTX]

With a pan drop, you did NOT run Dex VI during your last interval. You ran about 50% Dex VI and 50% whatever ATF was there before (Dex/Merc?). Valvoline claims that the new formulation MaxLife is a Dex VI clone even though it is not Dex VI certified. (I suspect that MaxLife uses a different but additive package than the Dex VI package available solely through Afton. Valvoline also markets a Dex VI fluid but it costs more than MaxLife.) So after your last pan drop, you are now running about 75% Dex VI/MaxLife and 25% whatever was there before. So you transmission should shift better regardless of the relative merits of Dex VI and MaxLife because most of the fluid is now Dex VI or Dex VI cloned (MaxLife).

 

[boro]

Even so, I find it curious that my trans had no problems until the Dex VI (Castrol) was added...nonetheless, I like the Maxlife, and I think that is what I will use in the future even with the smell. I was running Dex III prior to that.

Any thoughts on the Pro-King filter for a 15k change interval?
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[shrooms]

The MPV shifts way better on Dex VI. Seems to like the thinner stuff.

 

[justinf89]

Maxlife is dex VI certified. I'd use it without a second thought in even new transmissions.

 

[Mike_dup1]

Quote:
really, 50%? thats a little sarcastic, dont you think?? according to my FSM, my grand prix holds 10.1 quarts. a pan drop will release 7.8 quarts.


my info says total capacity is 13.5 qts

 

[drfeelgood]

I own a 2003 Tahoe. At 50k, I dropped the pan and replaced filter and put in 6-7 quarts of Maxlife.The previous complete fill I did with M1 ATF at 5k. The 4L60E spec'd Dex 3, but GM recommends upgrading to Dex 6.
The addition of the Maxlife made a noticeable improvement in shift feel.
As a matter of fact, I've had very good results from all of the various Maxlife products that I have tried.
YMMV

 

[AzFireGuy79]

How is maxlife Dex VI certified being That it doesn't meet the viscosity requirement? Did they lower it from before?? If its above 6.2 cst there is no way it meets the spec.

 

[chevys10]

I just got rid of a 1991 S-10 4.3 with the 4L60E (hence my name). At 250,000 miles it still shifted great without ever changing the trans fluid. The only new fluid it saw was the very small amount needed to replace what came out of the cooler lines when I replaced the radiator 3 times. I know better now about the importance of fluid changes but man was that thing solid.....

I am about to use Maxlife in a Mazda trans based on the good reviews here.

If the ProKings work for you, keep using them. I like ATP for the nice gaskets with the "third hand".

 

[nicholas]

The new Maxlife is 6.2cst - this info is on the spec sheet on their website.
cheers

 

[sciphi]

Heh, my posts on Maxlife and Dex-VI are readily available, so they don't bear repeating here. It's fine in the LeSabre's 4T65 for the past 12k miles.

 

[NightRiderQ45]

Originally Posted By: justinf89
Maxlife is dex VI certified. I'd use it without a second thought in even new transmissions.
Totally false statement!!! Please do research before providing answers. Val Dex VI is certified/licensed, Val Maxlife is NOT licensed which makes it NOT certified...maybe suitable to use, but not certified.

 

[sciphi]

Maxlife ATF isn't Dex-VI certified, IIRC. It does meet many of the Dex-VI specifications, including viscosity.

Up to the user whether to run it in a new transmission.

 

[ponderosaTX]

MaxLife ATF is not Dex VI certified. Until recently, it was too viscous because it was marketed as a Dex/Merc upgrade: similar fluid, better specs. But Valvoline recently dropped the viscosity of MaxLife to conform with Dex VI specs. The Valvoline technical data sheet claims it meets Dex VI specs but I am skeptical. The same crew claimed it was a suitable replacement for Dex VI BEFORE Valvoline lowered the viscosity. These guys have zero credibility. Moreover, why market a certified Dex VI and a Dex VI clone? Afton makes the only licensed additive package for Dex VI, so I presume they charge a premium. Could MaxLife covertly meet Dex VI specs. It depend on how much you trust Valvoline. I don't.

 

[unDummy]

Who says Afton is the best?

I'd wager that Maxlife is better than DexronVI.

Why have both? In order to sell to those that worship their owners manual and drink GM's koolaid.

 

[ponderosaTX]

If the Valvoline talking heads freely lied about the suitability of old MaxLife (before the viscosity change) for Dex VI applications (with NO qualifiers), what makes you think their assertions about the new MaxLife are credible? Many newly designed transmissions REQUIRE a lower viscosity fluid like Dex VI. Valvoline belatedly realized this fact and lowered the viscosity of MaxLife. When you can buy certified Dex VI at Walmart for $3.77 a quart, why put your faith in an engineering/marketing team at Valvoline that recommended using a grossly out of spec fluid in Dex VI applications?