I went to this Penske (sp?) Auto Center to have a tranny flush done, and they said they couldn't do it because I didn't know how long it had been since I had one. And I think he said something about if you put new fluid in it would shock the system (?). Is there any truth to this? I really want to get this done, it needs it, but do I have to get my transmission checked out by a mechanic before I can do the flush? Should I go somewhere else? I don't know when the last time it was done (if ever ) HELP!

 

It is true that if you have never changed your transmission fluid in like 100,000 miles, then flushing may be bad. A drain or refill would be fine in that case.

The reasoning comes from rusted radiators. People who haven't flushed their coolant in a long time have all this rust trapped up in their radiators, and this rust is what holds the whole broken cooling system together! A flush would loosen the rust, and well the radiator would then fall apart. Sounds crazy, but I've heard cases like this time and time again on Cartalk.

I suppose the same idea can also apply to transmissions.

 

damn...so what should I do? My transmission is starting to slip, will a drain and refill be enough?

 

if it's starting to slip it's already too late. sorry man, a VB maight makeit last a bit longer but not mcuh.

 

Hmmm, is even occasional slipping a sure sign of doom or would it be considered "normal"?

 

I would suggest doing the flush and see what happens if it still slips then you know you have tranny problems, BTW did you check the fluid level if its at the right level? and how does the fluid looks? light and pink is good if dark and brown and smells like it was burning not good.

 

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I think it's kinda hard to distinguish between what is a slip or what is not.... Some shifts are just not smooth.... but it doesn't mean tranny is slipping.
For example, the 1st - 2nd shift on my max is often very rough and slow, but it's not to a point where the tranny hangs between gears or shifts but power kicks in like after 2 seconds... Occasional slipping is not a sure sign of doom if you ask me. When I had my 93 SE, even after the tranny was rebuilt I've been getting occasional slips just 1,000 miles or so after the rebuilt. My 98 gxe w/ 60k miles hesitates occasionally, usually it's the 1-2 shift but the rest are smooth under normal throttle. What I would do, (and I WILL do, as soon as I get the time and the $) is add an external tranny cooler, perhaps even a VB mod if I was really in the $$$.... Then flush my tranny with some nice synthetic brand name ATF....

BTW, I heard flushes are not that reccomended in general from some people.... so to play it safe, you can do that drain and fill thing and see how it works out. Although tranny does not slip because of bad oil, it may lead to it, but when it is slipping it's something u can fix by adding fresh new oil... Slips may be softened up sort of speak, but the wear on the clutches and bands has been done and new fluid can't fix that. Just be nice to her and she'll last a while

 

I just took a road trip from Phoenix to San Diego. Not a real long trip by any stretch. Anyway in the mountains about 100 miles outside SD I got into it with a Late model Camry and a Late model Accord. Even fully loaded I was killing them in the hill climbs.hehe. I took it easy for the rest of the weekend and actually drove within 5mph of the speed limit almost the whole way back. These last two days my car has been having trouble starting out. I give er some gas and nothing happens for a sec then the transmission engauges causing the tires to chirp and I'm off. I'm pretty sure the tranny is slipping. Anyone know what specifically might be wrong?

 

Sounds like you are low on ATF.

 

I've heard power flushes aren't good cause they can put more pressure in the system than normal. Look for the T-Tech machine or a trans shop that uses the cars trans pump to move in new fluid while draining the old.
How does the fluid look and smell now?