what do people mean when they say change their fluid.  do they mean just emptying the trans or actuly flushing the trans?  we have flushed a few tarnnys and they shift soo much better after.

stu

Use whatever oil you want to. Synthetics are good and actually required in some cars, but if you change regularly, regular old oil will do fine for our vehicles. Most manufacturers say you can use synthetics, but probably for warranty reasons they say not to extend the oil change intervals.

The manual transmission won't have a dipstick. You usually check the lube level by taking off the filler plug and sticking your finger in. If you can feel lube, you're OK. But since you're down there, why don't you go ahead and drain and refill? A lot of people like synthetics for the transmission, transfer case and differentials. Check your manual to see what weight is recommended. As noted, do not use automatic transmission fluid unless it is recommended (as it is in a few rare cases).

While you're at it, replace the brake fluid. Very few people do that, but most manufacturers recommend it at about 2 year intervals. If you have never drained old brake fluid out, it usually looks like used motor oil - not a good thing.

ok so i want to change my tranny and transfer case fuilds..ill start there since they probably havent been changed in 80k miles

what do i have to buy? like does anyone have a list? how many quarts of such and such u know..

I'm far from home right now, so I don't have access to my manuals. I'm sure someone can check. Do you have the owner's manual? I can't remember whether it has things like transmission lube weights. But if not, I think it's a good idea to get a repair manual (like Haynes) from your local car parts place.

i have  the manuel the FSM..not sure if i have the one that came with the car though

but the FSM will tell me??

Mhn3773, the FSM should tell you the right weights for the transmission, diffs etc. If not, repost on Friday (so the post will be near the top) and that might remind me to check my manual when I get home. I'm 120 miles from my manual. Or - if anyone else here has a manual - maybe someone else can check it right now.

I use MaxLife in everything!

what do people mean when they say change their fluid.  do they mean just emptying the trans or actuly flushing the trans?  we have flushed a few tarnnys and they shift soo much better after.

stu

I've had two vehicles "flushed".  The only real downside to that is that they don't change the filter, but I haven't had any problems with those two trannys (knock wood).  Of course they were both done with less than 50k miles on the trans.

I just "changed" the fluid in my Tracker by dropping the pan (emptys about 2 quarts of the 5), changing the filter, installing a plug in the pan, putting the pan back on, topping the fluid off, drain 2 more quarts out via the new plug, refill, run, drain 2, refill, run, etc. for about 8 quarts worth.  I figure that got a very high percentage of the old stuff out.

I had thought about pulling the cooling lines, running the engine to let the trans pump dump the old stuff while putting in new, but, maybe next time.

FYI, when I originally changed the filter and the two quarts (the trans had about 140k miles on it probably with nothing ever done), it started giving me problems (stuck in gear)   , but I'm happy to say that after the "fluid change", it's back to normal (knock wood again)  

well my tracker isnt really a driveway queen =) it was wheeled in stock form since it had like 100miles on the odo..then when i got it i didnt like it much so i ran over cones and curbs..not to mention the 6k clutch dumps  

About JerryP's post, I've done the two-quart-at-a-time thing several times. It seems that doing this on an old transmission with a lot of built up stuff inside is asking for the new fluid, with its fresh additives, to break something loose and let it clot in the cooler lines. For this reason, it seems a good idea to flush the cooler and the lines when the fluid is changed. If you can suck the old fluid out of the torque converter through the cooler lines and pull it through the cooler using a mechanic's hand pump, it will remove most of what remains in the transmission after dropping the pan.

Whatever you do, DO NOT use an additive in the transmission that is supposed to swell worn seals. It can cause some very expensive damage by swelling seals that don't need to be swollen. If it leaks, fix it right.

Paw-paw Don, y'all
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