To flush or not to flush...that is the question

[alaskanseminole]

I am continuing to prepare my '05 Mazda Tribute i (4cyl) for its journey to 200k. Today's question is to flush or not to flush the tranny.

The engine has 100K miles and the tranny has 89K as it was replaced at 11K. I pulled the stick last night and it’s a little darker than my '05 Pathfinder that has 101K on the tranny and a drain and fill done at 65K. So, here's my question:

If my goal is to reach 200K what's the best way to prepare my tranny for the journey?

1. Leave it alone and cross my fingers?
2. Have the dealership flush it?
3. Have the dealership do a drain and fill?
4. Have the dealership drop the pan, drain and fill?

If you're wondering why I don't ask the dealership, it's because I can't ever find two to agree with one another. Example, Ancira Nissan (here in San Antonio) will tell you tranny flushing will destroy your transmission while IPAC Nissan says it's the best thing ever. FTR, my mom had the trans in her Honda Odyssey flushed at 100K then replaced it a month later.

What say you, formum?

 

[salv]

The difference of opinion originates in what the shop is equipped to do. One shop has a flush machine, the other doesn't. The one that doesn't is just advocating for the service that they are capable of performing, the drain and fill.
Go ahead and flush it. I wouldn't wait until the fluid is toast to change it. In fact, I would flush every 60k. I flushed my Altima at 176k. It ran great until some old bat t-boned her.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

If the auto trans fails right after the fluid flush, it's coincidental and already on it's way out.

The CD4E in the Escapes/Tributes wasn't the most reliable. It probably wasn't a good idea to go 100K without changing the fluid.

 

[JHZR2]

I'd had been more proactive on one of the least reliable major items in your vehicle. I'd start with a vacuum removal and replacement of a few quarts, and then repeat in maybe 1000 miles. After that, I'd do a pan drop and replace the fluid and filter. Then go from there.

 

[spk2000]

I have had good success with a transmission flush. I did not use a dealer but a private shop. They used BG equipment and I asked for synthetic fluid which was about $40 more but had a higher temp resistance. My vehicle was spitting out tranny fluid after a few hours of driving. Would not do it on short trips though. Was told the fluid was old at about 82,000 miles and was breaking down overheating. Since the flush all has been good but just broke 100,000 miles.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I'd had been more proactive on one of the least reliable major items in your vehicle. I'd start with a vacuum removal and replacement of a few quarts, and then repeat in maybe 1000 miles. After that, I'd do a pan drop and replace the fluid and filter. Then go from there.


I agree, only I drop the pan and change the filter, fill with fresh fluid, drive and extract fluid. Then I fill it, repeat the process until I exchange about 4 gallons of fluid, not including what I replaced with the pan drop.

I prefer not to take a tranny line off an old car, so I use a Miti-Vac. Thanks JHZR2 for turning me onto it a few years back!

 

[salv]

We use the BG stuff with the flush machine. We do hundreds every year. Never had any issues.

 

[Doog]

When in doubt...flush it out...I do all of mine every 50k. ATF is cheap in comparison to a new trans. Cooler line flush is real easy.

 

[stephen9666]

OP-

Perform a search. There have been quite a few threads on this recently. Basically, it boils down the fact that most places do exchanges, which shouldn't cause a problem if your trans is in good working order.

 

[WishIhadatruck]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I'd had been more proactive on one of the least reliable major items in your vehicle. I'd start with a vacuum removal and replacement of a few quarts, and then repeat in maybe 1000 miles. After that, I'd do a pan drop and replace the fluid and filter. Then go from there.


This is what I would do. I don't believe a flush is bad though. Regardless, don't leave the old fluid in there.

 

[LeakySeals]

Is there a drain bolt? If so its $25 and 20 mins of your time.

 

[147_Grain]

Most of my vehicles have drain plugs on the transmission pan. After getting the break-in fluid out when new, each SPRING (before the summer heat arrives) I drain 4 quarts of ATF during the engine LOF change.

Rotating 4 quarts of synthetic ATF each year is inexpensive, keeps the transmission temps in check, and the fluid clear for decades. Never had a transmission failure using this method.

 

[walk23]

I'd advocate flushing. I had a Toyota Matrix and had it serviced at about 80K and it did well until it was totaled at 202,000 miles. I had an independent transmission shop perform a drain and pan inspection, then a complete flush. Spent about a bill and sixty.I think it was well worth it.

 

[LeakySeals]

Originally Posted By: 147_Grain
Most of my vehicles have drain plugs on the transmission pan. After getting the break-in fluid out when new, each SPRING (before the summer heat arrives) I drain 4 quarts of ATF during the engine LOF change.

Rotating 4 quarts of synthetic ATF each year is inexpensive, keeps the transmission temps in check, and the fluid clear for decades. Never had a transmission failure using this method.

+1! How I do it (excluding syn ATF, use factory T-IV). Once a year drain and fill in the spring (approx 20-25k). Transmission in the Camry has never been apart, not even for a screen/filter swap. The rest of the car is rotting and showing its age, but the transmission and its red fluid functions like new.

 

[Nate1979]

At least do something. In this case something is better than nothing. I always do periodic drain and fills but that is because it is easy for me to do myself.

 

[Jim Allen]

IMO, there is nothing to debate. Do a full fluid exhcange with a pan drop and filter change (if applicable). As I just said in another thread here, more than 50% of the reason for a fluid change is to get the contamination buildup out of the trans. Filtration in an automatic is typically minimal (I have no idea what the Tribute has by way of filtration) so the way you get out wear metals and clutch material is via a fluid change.

PS- Add to the above...or an additional filter such as a Magnefine, which is an inline filter that goes into a cooler line.

 

[SteveSRT8]

^^^Add to JA's input that there is no such thing as a flush. It's a passive fluid exchange!

The word "flush" conjures up all kinds of bad images...

 

[threeputtpar]

Originally Posted By: LeakySeals
Is there a drain bolt? If so its $25 and 20 mins of your time.


^^^^This! Yes, there's a drain bolt on the CD4E trans, and the cooler lines are so easy to access that it would be less than an hour and $50 of MaxLife to get all of the fluid exchanged. Flushing is for toilets.

There is no accessable filter to change, either.