should I have my tranny flushed or just drain

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I have a 2004 Chevy Avalanche, quite often I will tow a boat but most miles are not towing. I had the tranny drained and filter changed at about 45k and am getting ready to have it done again. Is there any benefit from having it flushed, drained and filter changed instead of just draining and changing the filter. Also is there any additive I should use in there. I haven't had any type of problems from it so far and I am at 100k miles.
Thanks
 
Does that truck have a Torque Convertor drain plug? If so, I prefer the drain/fill. However, something like a T-Tech flush is a good flush method.

Oh, I forgot
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Since you already did a D&F, I'd say you are ok and still have low miles. If you just used Dex III on the refill, I'd say to proceed with a decent priced Dex VI, drain and fill 2-3 times if doing it yourself. If the shop is doing it, see what they dsay about a complete flush and refill with DEX IV. btw-unless you bring the fluid yourself, don't trust them to put anything except generic Dex III in.
 
OK, you are due for a total replacement of all the ATF. A drain and refill only replaces about 1/3 to 1/2. In your case the total fill is about 14 QTs and the drain and refill is about half according to the Amsoil website.

I would get 15 or 16 QTs of Amsoil ATF and do a cooler line flush. And consider a Magnefine filter.

There are lots of posts that go through a cooler line flush. It takes about 30 minutes and all it requires is about $1.00 of clear vinyl hose. Easier than you think.
 
A complete flush with Dex VI would be better than Dex III which is a popular but obsolete and now-unregulated specification. Forget about converter drain plugs. They are a thing of the past.

If you are using Dex VI and go for the complete flush (recommended) an additive is not needed. I have used Wal-Mart Dex VI at $3.77/qt with good results. It has a license number printed on the bottle, FWIW.

If you just do a pan drop and filter change and refill with good ole Dex III, I like to use a bottle of either Lubgard Red or even Platinum in a GM trans. Dex III can use all the help it can get, in my experience.
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
Forget about additives. Go for better ATF.


I agree completely. Additives for ATF are usually a bandaid for lower quality fluids. I would use the Amsoil ATF, do a complete flush, and add an inline filter. But some people might not see the true value in that. If a vehicle has an aux trans cooler, you could easily run that combo 100k miles in most cases, saving the money/time for a fluid change every 50k miles.
 
Get a full flush with Dexron-VI. Your pan magnets and pan filter are in good condition, so the only thing that is in need of service is the fluid itself. It is always best to replace as much of the fluid as possible.
 
Wow a lot to chew over, I have one mech who will do the flush with some additive, didn't catch the name, and all for about 160 might be a little high but I do trust the guy. Was just trying to cut some costs.
 
A run of the mill GM 4L60E trans. You've done well with it so far. A drain/fill or successive drains/fills at 36-50K is a smart thing to do. 100K would be perfect for a pan drop, magnet cleaning and filter replacement. I've got some experience doing cooler line flushes with newer 4L60E's and it's a two person job if this is what you want to do. You will need clamps and fairly substantial tubing, someone to 'man' the tube/jug and someone to work the ignition. On my 4L60E equipped Trailblazer, it would blast out 1gal of hot ATF in under 10sec! Initially I tried it myself. The hose hooked to my cooler line came close to the top of the gallon jug, blew out and did the crazy-daisy spraying ATF all over the place until I managed to scramble back to the ignition. They're pretty fat/hi flow cooler lines on the trucks, not to mention the GM Pushlock fittings are a joy until you figure them out. It's all totally doable, just wanted to let you know what you're up against.

Joel
 
I do drains and refills every year. I have nearly 295,000 kms on my suburban with the same transmission as yours. Old ATF is always as red and new looking as the old stuff coming out. For $20/year (I got a bunch of ATF on sale) its cheap maintenance.
Performs just as good as the day I got it.
 
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