Originally Posted By: threeputtpar
Originally Posted By: gregk24
Originally Posted By: JC1
Since the fluid isn't red, I would do a drain and fill first. Then after a week or two of driving, I would then drop the pan and change the filter. Then you'll have more of the old stuff changed. Just my 2 cents.
Regards, JC.
If there was a drain plug, I would gladly do that.
Go to Harbor Freight and pick up their cheap transfer pump and pump out as much as you can get from the fill tube. Then you can pull the pan without getting a shower of ATF all over yourself, and change out that filter. You will see marked improvements.
I'm still on the fence about upgrading to Dex VI versus a generic Dex/Merc fluid. GM says they are compatible, but that fluid in you trans right now is probably sheared down past the 100C viscosity of Dex VI, and the low viscosity is part of the banging shift problem. The trans cannot generate enough line pressure with the thin fluid to keep the clutch plates from slipping. You're far better off using a higher starting viscosity fluid that shears faster than Dex VI and just changing it more often than you would need to with Dex VI. JMHO.
Well, I had my local shop do the work today. They gave me a fair price for the pan drop + filter, and the coolant flush. So the trans filter was changed along with 6 quarts of fluid. This was enough to turn the fluid from light brown, to light red. The fluid now smells like transmission fluid, it has that sweet smell. But now since the filter is changed, and is good for another 50K or so, I am thinking about getting a pump and doing some "pump and fills" with Maxlife to change out even more of that old fluid.