98 4x4 4dr auto tranny fluid is dark....needs flush......should i just slowly put in fresh new oil a little at a time. Like a litre (1/4gallon) every few months ....or get the full meal deal flush at mr lube. Which is probably a hundred fifty bucks. I heard stories the full flush hurts trannies or sometimes kills them. I want to baby this thing. No rush just thinking about my babies needs. Im tempted to splash new fluid in very sloooowly.

 

we own 3 4WD blazers. a 95, 00, and 04. other than the 95 which had trans issues when purchased and since cured, I've never changed fluids EVER. mileage is 175k, 90k and 125k respectively. my neighbor is the service manager at our local dealer ship and off the record he tells me not to f**k with transmissions with those flushes as "stuff" can get loosened up and begin the internal meltdown". my suggestion is if you want it changed just go under there and loosen the pan and let it drip for 24 hours and refill. for the record he has a 02 jimmy and never has done anything to the trans. I might get some opposition here but it works for me so far.

 

Yup no flush! Just pan; filter; & gasket.

 

If the fluid is dark, smell it. If it smells burnt, your tranny may be on its way out

 

Its dark, KalTire kid/mechanic said on report needs flush.

newguy - OK I will pull the pan and smell it. If it smells burnt, what do I do?

LeWhite, what do you mean by "Yup no flush! Just pan; filter; & gasket."
Do I pull pan off for filter, whatever oil is drained out top up with fresh stuff?

 

if it smells burnt, just go easy on it, who knows how long it will last. But new trans fluid has a detergent in it and will clean up stuff that may be holding clutch pads together. When that happens,your trans will slip and you will need to replace it.. What Lewhite means is your tran really hold about 11 quarts of fluid. This way will change only about 5

 

Ya, so half or quarter whatever it is. Gotcha. Dump in new stuff and know I got a new filter. Sometimes I run my baby hard, pin it at lights, I should lighten up on her. I cant feel no slipping.

Thanks for your info.

 

Stay away from the "Mr. Lube" power flush, you're asking for trouble. Trans fluid breaks down with miles & especially heat. If you tow ANYTHING it breaks down more rapidly, and an add on cooler is strongly recommended. I service a fleet of vehicles with the 4L60E trans every 36K miles. Drop the pan, replace the filter and gasket, fill with DexronVI fluid, approximately 5 quarts. This method replenishes roughly half of the total capacity, which is sufficient in most cases. Several of those vehicles have over 300K miles, (one has 390K) and never had a problem.


This chart shows expected trans life. Cooler temperatures & changing fluid regularly will extend the life even farther:





Even if you don't tow with the vehicle, bypassing the (inefficient) OEM trans cooler in the radiator, and installing a substantial add on cooler, is the safest way to go. Notice at 175F, which is below the normal 200F engine coolant operating temp, 100K miles is the expectancy. Cook these things one time and they're done. Reason enough to consider an add on cooler, it's cheap insurance

 

Hey thanks for the info. I might just do that, put in a better trans cooler. While I am at it put in a oil cooler too.

My rig right now is rolling over 300k KM (190k MI)

 

Already has an oil cooler.