I just got my car inspected(State Inspection) at a Midas shop in Nashua NH. As part of the inspection they do a courtesy check of all the fluids. They take samples of your cars fuilds and compare them to new ones.

My engine oil was darker than the new stuff..yeah okay big deal.

However my tranny fluid was a light brown color, not red anymore. I've never changed it and I'm about to go over 67K. The tranny seems to be performing ok other than the usual sometimes slip when you floor it(been doing that since day 1 even with a new TCM.

So have I waited to long and done some damage?

Also my power steering fluid is a little darker than the new stuff....I'm always a little cautious when dealing with places that want to sell you a service but the tranny stuff did get my attention...I gues I could check the damn dipstick myself to make sure

So how much does a tranny fluid change cost? Midas wanted 120.00 to do the system flush.

Most of the 67K is HW mileage with some stop and go in traffic.

 

If yours has turned brown, I would say change it. What would it hurt (besides your wallet). A little peace of mind...I do know people who have never changed their tranny fluid and never will.

Maybe switch to synthetic? Although i don't know if you can bring your own syn to put in the shop's tranny flushing machine. Anyone done that?

I've seen flushes advertised for 79.99. 120 seems high.'

ARFF

 

The tranny fluid should have been changed at 60K, by running it longer, you run the risk of problems down the road. By the time the tranny starts to exhibit symptoms because the fluid is shot, excess wear is usually taking place. You wouldn't wait until a problem showed up to change your engine oil would you?

$120 does sound pretty high, if you shop around you probably should be able to find better deals than that. Some shops let you bring your own fluid and others don't.

If you're somewhat mechanically inclined, you can flush it yourself with synthetic for less than it costs to flush it with dino ATF at a shop.

Here's a quick writeup on how to DIY from deadrx7conv:
buy 5 feet 3/8"ID (I think) clear hose($2) at HomeDepot/Lowes/Plumbingsupply....
Connect(use hose clamp) to either A)the pressure line from transmission(see ATF COOLER FAQ) or B)connect to transcooler exit point(flushes cooler).
Drain/refill transmission(~4.5 quarts).
Overfill by 4 quarts(optional) and start motor. Dirty ATF will be pumped out of clear hose into container of your choice. Do not let ATF pump run dry(it will gurgle/burp/bubble before running dry). Always monitor fluid level in container. Stop before the amount that exits is greater than amount used. And, if fluid is not clean, add ~4 more quarts and redo. You will see the fluid in the hose change color(means you are done).
Best if you have 2nd person(to yell at) in car(to shut off engine when container hits the 4 quart mark) with key while you hold the hose(don't hit neighbor's house with ATF).
This will flush your torque converter. The new fluid will displace the old fluid just like the flush machine. And it will save you money because you are not wasting new fluid(drain/refill method).

 

Has anyone tried taking the trans return and the cooler in line off for this? Picture this. You have two 2 liter Coke bottles (or whatever). One is filled with clean ATF fluid and the other is empty. Stick the return line in the FULL Coke bottle and the cooler in line in the EMPTY bottle. As the FULL bottle begins to empty you should see the EMPTY bottle becoming full. Keep adding to the FULL bottle.

Idealy, you could find two containers that match the quanty of the transmission (4.5 quarts right?). This way, you wouldn't have to run car/shut car off over and over again while putting in a little at a time.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by jnm2kse
However my tranny fluid was a light brown color, not red anymore. I've never changed it and I'm about to go over 67K. The tranny seems to be performing ok other than the usual sometimes slip when you floor it(been doing that since day 1 even with a new TCM.

So have I waited to long and done some damage?

Also my power steering fluid is a little darker than the new stuff....I'm always a little cautious when dealing with places that want to sell you a service but the tranny stuff did get my attention...I gues I could check the damn dipstick myself to make sure

I switched to AMSOIL Synthetic Transmission fluid at 51K with outstanding results. Quieter, shifts much better, also synthetic fluid reduces operating temp of tranny from 20 to 50 degrees which is a very good thing. I flushed it myself with 1 other person and it only took about 45 mins. There is an excellent write up with great pictures that makes it a no brainer, use search.

 

 

The best thing for auto tranny's is to change the fluid. I always recommend changing auto tranny fluid every 20k. It's worth the extra money because a blown tranny is expensive to rebuild and will never run the same as it did before the rebuild. Following the 20k interval, the tranny should last much longer. Synthetic fluids are also a very good idea, because they hold up to the heat in the tranny much better than regular fluid.

 

And while you're at it, throw some Lubegard (the red bottle) in it, as a safety measure. Your local NAPA store should have it.

 

If you change it yourself don't just pour the old stuff down the drain or on the lawn; it will kill anything it touches.

For some reason animals like to lick it, and it won't take much to kill them. In massachusetts some stores/shops (wal-mart) take an equal amount of used motor oil as was purchased, and the same may be true with transmission fluid. Have no idea if other states have the same laws.

What does one do with used fluids like this then? I honestly don't know.

Can you bring it to the dump or a recycling center? Does anyone know?

 

Just mix the ATF with some old oil and you'll be all set. I bring it all to a local Wal-Mart when I'm tired of storing it, and they just let me dump it in their container.

 

I took 30 quarts of old ATF to Advanced Auto for recycling. Isn't it antifreeze that animals drink because it is sweet tasting. Never heard of animals drinkind engine oil or ATF, just antifreeze!

 

It is anti-freeze that has that sticky sweet smell that animals love. ATF is actually not that toxic it's pretty interesting stuff, much less dangerous than motor oil. It even has some detergent properties to it, all of which is why I see no problem with mixing it with motor oil. I have a feeling that's what they do at the stores you bring it back to anyway.

 

You can buy Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF for about $4 or $5 a quart, you will need 12-14 quarts to do a full flush. I just did this...

...A good 'tune n' lube' place will take your new fluid you bring and do the labor only for $60 or $70 and it should replace close to 100% of the old fluid with fresh new synthetic. This way you get a pro job and save money on the marked up fluid they try to hawk off on you. The place I took my Mobil 1 would have charged me $7 a quart for the Royal Purple synthetic ATF they sold there... So I brought my own...