I'll be mounting my cooler soon and would like to know what brands are recommended. I've noticed that my ATF has become rather pinky-browny in color. I think its because I'm about 57,000+ kms now and that I've got the SC.

I did a search on "ATF" and nothing. I did a search on "transmission and oil" and nothing. I did a search on "tranny" and got loads of postings.

Looked in the stores here in Canada and I didn't see the "Redline" brand.
Thanks for your responses in advance!

 

I used the B&M supercooler #130-70264 from http://www.jegs.com - cost is $49.99

For tranny fluid, I had the local SpeeDee oil change do a complete flush and fill (12 quarts) with Royal Purple synthetic ATF. That set me back $180.

Don't bother with the screen/filter inside the pan, it is not a scheduled maintenance item. The way it's mounted, there is a good possibility that you would have to remove the valve body to do the install correctly.

 

My first flush I used Redline D4 ATF ~$7.80 a qt. My second flush I used Mobil 1 ATF ~$5.99. Couldn't really tell the difference between the two. I'll probably stick with Mobil 1 since it's cheaper.

 

I picked up B&M # 70255 as it doesn't get that hot up here in Vancouver. Cost me $78.00 Cdn with tax.

The local Mr. Lube franchise charges $69.00 Cdn each for both synthetic ATF change and synthetic motor oil change.

 

I'll bet that for $69Cdn, they are only doing a drain, which will only get about 4 quarts of the old tranny fluid out. You can do that yourself.

You may have to search around to find someone who has the equipment to do a complete, 12 quart change.

 

Are these low pressure transmission coolers? My mechanic told me thats what I should look for in a cooler. Simply cause by the time the fluid reaches the cooler there might not be enough pressure. I dunno?

 

Yes sinewave they do charge extra for the power flush, something in the neighbourhood of $15 - $20. Hmmm..if its 12 quarts in there and I recently saw a 1 litre jug of Mobil 1 at like $8 each on a store shelf then that $69 deal looks pretty good!

 

Not only are they low-pressure drop coolers, they also have low temp by-passes built in.

 

You do NOT have to remove the valve body to change the filter... been there done that. The filter IS mounted to the outside of the valve body, and some of the bolts go all the way through the valve body, and help it stay on as well, but there are plenty other dedicated valve body bolts that will keep it from coming off when the screen/filter is removed.

There are a few different lenghth bolts that mount the filter. Just keep track of where they go. There are also magnets in the pan that accumulate steel wear particles. It doesn't hurt to clean them off every now and then.

My car had 60k miles on it when I changed the filter, and had never had a tranny service before. There was plenty of gunk on the magnets, but the screen was clean.

I disconnected the "OUT" hose from the tranny to the radiator cooler and let the tranny pump out all the old fluid. As -soon- as the flow got disrupted, I had the sweetie turn off the engine. A lot of fluid came out. For kicks, I then added another gallon or so of fluid, and pumped it out again before re-filling with clean ATF. It's really nice and pink now.

I just used regular name brand fluid... not the synthetic.

I don't have a shop nearby that does the power-flush.

I'll probably just pull the tranny drainplug each oilchange from here on out for a while and replace the gallon or so that comes out. That should keep the fluid fairly fresh now that it's clean and new, while being a minimal hassle.

Good Luck!

 

I know that you were in motion when you did this but wouldn't draining the tranny fluid by pumping it out be hard on the transmission?

 

I jacked up the front of the car, disconnected the line, and had my girlfriend start the car and let it idle in park. The tranny then emptied itself into the bucket. As -soon- as the stream started to "sputter", I had her turn the car off.

She used to have a 91 V6 Camry, and let it run low on transmission fluid... for a WEEK! I was backing up out of my driveway, and the car felt like it was going in and out of gear. I pulled back and checked the fluid only to find it was 2-3 quarts low. Hmmm... she said it had been sounding funny! Upon further inspection, one of it's rubber lines to the cooler in the radiator had been seeping a little fluid. The car had 184,000 miles on it, and I figured the tranny was toast... but adding the tranny fluid made it feel as good as ever! However, the fluid was definitely burnt, so I did the same type of change as described above on the Maxima. It did fine, she later sold it, but I'm sure it's still running strong.

Good Luck!

 

I agree with everything you said except the screen bolts. The issue is that one bolt that goes through the valve body and has a nut on the screen side. The only thing from keeping that bolt from turning is friction. You may be lucky enough to remove and replace that nut without having the bolt turn on you, but why take the chance?