Trans fluid change

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anylettuce

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Just hit 43k km on my truck. I have been reading up on when to change Transmission fluid and I seem to be finding a few thoughts people have got.
Change it before 60k then every 60k or so.
If you don't change it by 100 then never change it, if you do your transmission will fail in a short time period after the change.
 
do you tow or plow with your truck? what does the owners manual state? for instance, mine, with towing, calls for a change every 12k. more generally I would recommend 30k - 50k
 
Don't forget about the theory of changing once when the car is new to get the sparklies out, then never change it again.

Or the "drain and fill every oil change" theory.

Or the "I switched to Amsoil so now I'm good forever" theory, or "my giant cooler makes my fluid so cool that it never wears", or "I added a gigantic FL-1A oil filter on a remote mount that I change every time Democrats gain seats in a mid-term election".

My advice would be to do at least what the OEM says to do, but I'm just another crackpot on the internet
grin.gif
 
25K to 50K mile interval. I've had longer living transmissions with the 25K-35K mile interval. So 60 KM = 37K miles is right on target.
 
I suppose another factor is just how much of a hassle is it to change the fluid on your vehicle.

If its drain(or extract) and fill you are golden.
If you have to take off parts to service it, or you intend to pay someone to do it,then that can change your cost benefit calculations
 
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Don't over think it. Do a filter and fluid change now. Make sure to use an OEM filter and not some junk from the auto parts store. Also I have changed many transmission fluid on trans with well over 100k miles and have never had a problem. I always just drain and refill with a new filter. Don't go for the power flush machines. A fluid exchanger is ok where your trans acts as the pump and sucks in the new fluid while pushing out the old.
 
Nothing like giving and getting advice with a super-low amount of info to start with ....
crazy2.gif



How about telling us what vehicle it is, what fluid is OEM and your intended next fluid, what service factors are involved, what environments you see, any other inputs we'd want to know that would be beneficial?


Absent of that, you might as well just toss a coin; the answer can be no less inaccurate than what you've got now.
 
Originally Posted By: dnewton3
Nothing like giving and getting advice with a super-low amount of info to start with ....
crazy2.gif



How about telling us what vehicle it is, what fluid is OEM and your intended next fluid, what service factors are involved, what environments you see, any other inputs we'd want to know that would be beneficial?


Absent of that, you might as well just toss a coin; the answer can be no less inaccurate than what you've got now.


+1 general maintenance is always a good thing but without knowing more about the vehicle and the service history it is hard to judge. At the very least a fluid and filter change would be good.
 
It is safe to change transmission fluid as long as there are no problems with the trans.

The only time it's not a good idea to change it is when you already have problems, already slipping or jerking, then changing it will make it worse.

But short of that, it is never a bad idea to change the ATF.
 
I just did a pan drop & filter change on my Ram's 65RFE at 33.5k miles, using Havoline ATF+4. Got the break-in stuff out I figured. Now it has very infrequent intermittent shudder, but never shuddered before. The level is correct when hot on dipstick.

If it continues I'll take out a pint of fluid and add a pint of Lubegard Red, but I'm hesitant to do so as it's still under warranty.
 
Originally Posted By: Nyogtha
I just did a pan drop & filter change on my Ram's 65RFE at 33.5k miles, using Havoline ATF+4. Got the break-in stuff out I figured. Now it has very infrequent intermittent shudder, but never shuddered before. The level is correct when hot on dipstick.

If it continues I'll take out a pint of fluid and add a pint of Lubegard Red, but I'm hesitant to do so as it's still under warranty.


How about some Lubeguard Shutter Fix?

http://www.amazon.com/Lubegard-19610-Tra...ard+shutter+fix

Only 2 ounces.
 
Lots of different thoughts on changing ATF as you can see by the responses. On my Saab, draining the transmission fluid is as simple as draining the engine oil. About four quarts comes out, which is a little over half the fluid capacity of the transmission. What I and a lot of other Saab guys do is a drain & fill at every-other oil change, which is about 10k miles. It adds no more than 10 minutes to the time it takes to change the engine oil. Doing a drain & fill every 10k miles keeps the ATF nice and fresh. My Saab has 155k miles and the transmission is as smooth as a sewing machine (knock on wood!).
 
Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
Originally Posted By: Nyogtha
I just did a pan drop & filter change on my Ram's 65RFE at 33.5k miles, using Havoline ATF+4. Got the break-in stuff out I figured. Now it has very infrequent intermittent shudder, but never shuddered before. The level is correct when hot on dipstick.

If it continues I'll take out a pint of fluid and add a pint of Lubegard Red, but I'm hesitant to do so as it's still under warranty.


How about some Lubeguard Shutter Fix?

http://www.amazon.com/Lubegard-19610-Tra...ard+shutter+fix

Only 2 ounces.


Lubegard says it's better overall to use Lubegard Red to get the LWE benefit.

http://www.lubegard.com/pdfs/Shudderfixx_PS.pdf

I already bought a quart of Lubegard Red for $20 off Amazon. So two 16 oz. treatments at $10 each, with supposedly more benefit for minimal incremental bucks.

I think FCA would take a dim view of me using either additive while under warranty, hence my reluctance thus far. But if I'm going to add something might as well be the product with the most benefit. I haven't had it shudder in the last 3 weeks but I've only had around-town short trips on it since the last shudder, which was about 40 miles from town on the interstate. Shuddered when I was close to my destination briefly, but no shudder on the return trip. Very intermittent & unpredictable. Hopefully it's gone away but I'm ready now if it comes back.
 
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it is a 13 f150. I do plan on changing at about 60k with a new oil pan that has a drain port in it.
I am putting a good amount of miles on it and will mile it out in a short time. I need it to last and be reliable.
I do toe but not to much
 
Go ahead and change the transmission fluid now and every 50k miles after that. Maybe stick with oem fluid. Think u will be fine. I never used lubegard so I have no opinion on that. My truck has 180k+ miles on and it has a mix of supertech atf and maxlife atf in the transmission
 
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Originally Posted By: anylettuce
it is a 13 f150. I do plan on changing at about 60k with a new oil pan that has a drain port in it.
I am putting a good amount of miles on it and will mile it out in a short time. I need it to last and be reliable.
I do toe but not to much



You're 2013 F150 will be filled with a synthetic Mercon LV fluid. The Mustangs using LV only call for a fluid change at 150,000 miles.

Does the manual specify a severe service interval? On the first service do a pan drop and refill. The 6R80 trans is durable. My father just changed his fluid in his 10 F150 for the first time at 150k miles according to the normal service interval in the book. Fluid was still fairly red. Personally I would do the first pan drop and filter change early. After that follow the severe service interval if you tow.

Don't forget about the transfer case and differentials either. Transfer case should be changed the most often if you use 4x4. I change my transfer case before every winter as I use the auto feature when it is snowy. When the lady drives it in the winter I have her always keep it in AUTO. I'm not sure if the Ford has this feature or not, however.
 
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