ATX Fluid Change

[oh_SHO]

Hey all,

My Dad's 93 ATX has 138K on the original trans and when I checked the fluid it smelled burnt and looked kinda nasty. Now it still shifts ok and the goal is to make it last until 150K+. Now, I heard that the crap in the fluid may help it shift and new fluid could possibly stop it from shifting... Is this true? I think the old fluid has been in it since 85K or so... Should I leave it and hope for the best or do a fluid & filter change next week?

 

[v-tec killer]

Do not change the fluid! I worked in a tranny shop for about a year, and the worst thing you can do now is change the fluid. I'm sure 5 other people are going to come on here and say to change it for this or for that. Trust me, I know what will happen from experience! Good luck!

 

[fricker66]

You'll likely get pros/cons to doing a fluid change at this point. My only experience comes from a '88 Tempo that I owned during college. A local mechanic changed the fluid at 100k and the thing never shifted right again. Had it diagnosed by a transmission shop a few months later as needing a rebuild. Sold the car about 20k later. And it was still shifting poorly.

Do I have any scientific proof? No. Was it a coincidence? Maybe. All I know is it had problem within a few days after having the original fluid changed.

 

[SHOfun 93]

I changed mine in my 93 and it grenaded 5k later....leave it be...don't ask me why...just leave it be...

 

[F-22 Raptor SHO]

Ok, I will be person 1 of 5:

1st: what is the significance of making it reach 150k? Are you simply gonna rebuild it then or sell the car?

If you are going to do either of those things then I guess you could just leave it in there and see what happens.

As to whether to replace the fluid or not, I cannot speak from the experience of working at a tranny shop, but I do have an ATX and hearing horror stories about things grenading after you change the fluid scared the crap out of me. I had 68k on my tranny, I changed the fluid out and 22k later it is fine. Mind you the fluid that was in there was not red, but it wasnt burnt smelling either.

I will change the fluid ever 40k now.

You have 53k on your fluid and it looks nasty and smells nasty...so you probably have alot of varnish and other build up on the internals. Changing the fluid is kinda like a 65 year old man with clogged arteries running 5 miles. He will either over stress his veins and not enough blood will flow thru to meet the demand (ie heart attack), or he will dislodge some piece of plaque that will block off some other main vein and have a catostrophic embolism (blocking off main supply to heart, lung, etc).

It would be interesting to have 2 cars identical to yours and run it both ways...leave one with the fluid in there and do a good cleaning flush, filter replacement, and Mobil synthetic fill. See which one lasts longer.

Personally I am for cleaning, flushing and filter replacement (if i was gonna want the car to last 200k) But if you are simply gonna toss the car in 12k, then leave it alone.

any other testimonies from folks who DID flush and replace filter on a high mileage auto trannY?

 

[Slo-Sho]

When I first got my ATX it had 86k on the clock. I had the ATF changed shortly thereafter at Valvoline using the full flush method. Have put about 50k on it with regular fluid changes on an otherwise unknown prior service history ATX. No problems whatsoever (LPM equip'd). The initial fluid that came out was very dark in color, I would say almost a maroonish hue. IMHO, if new fluid is going to **** the ATX, who's to say leaving the old nasty crud filled ATF in there will prolong it any further than it already is, since it's most likely on borrowed time especially if the shifting characteristics are abnormal. BTW, if you really care about your ATX a temp gauge is a MUST HAVE!

 

[Axianator]

For an interesting read, check out this post from last August. If you're looking to change your fluid (and I would recommend that you do change it yourself, don't have it flushed at a shop), scroll down to the third post and peruse Paul Nimz's DIY method of changing your own fluid and filter. Pretty easy to follow and, because you're doing all the work yourself, you know what work was performed and how.

FWIW regarding the old "power flush horror stories", I bought my ATX at 97k (with a supposed ATF change at 70k) and had it personally flushed at 101k with Mobil 1 ATF ... tranny lasted until 135k. The flush wasn't what killed my ATX, though, and I suspect that with a good shop and the right fluid, you won't be signing a death warrant for yours, either.

<small>[ March 17, 2004, 03:21 PM: Message edited by: Axianator ]</small>

 

[oh_SHO]

Well the 150K mark is just grins and giggles. We are pushing it for as long as it shifts. The car is WAY to nice to toss after the trans goes so it is gonna get rebuilt w/shift kit, D4U1, and possibly a LPM. The body is perfect and so is the interior. The motor runs great and NEVER uses a drop of oil. I'll discuss the situation with my Dad and leave it up to him. Thanks for the replies!

 

[musiccitysho]

I had my 93 ATX flushed at 98000 and at 128000 of hard driving its still strong though after reading all the doom and gloom on this post it ALMOST makes me cautious about doing it again. Then again theres always a lot of doom and gloom about the 93's none of which I've experienced.(as of yet anyways wink ) What in place of the preventive maintenance that tranny flushes provide would you all suggest? Since not doing any preventive maintenance pretty much insures premature transmission failure in any ATX!

 

[DansBabyGurl]

We have a '94 that my husband claims isn't shifting as quickly as it should when you get on it. He's always driven manuals though, so I wish we had one we knew was perfect to compare it to! It has 110K on it, and the service records look good. What opinions do you guys have on changing fluid and filter under these conditions? Is it ALWAYS a bad thing to do? Or only when it really starts acting up? I had an '89 GL that went bad VERY quickly after a fluid change, but just wondering... Thanks!

 

[rangerj]

I change fluid and filter in my automatic transmissions every 25 to 30K (my wifes and daughters cars - I'm not handycapped - just kidding folks).

Changing fluid WILL NOT harm a transmission. Putting in the WRONG fluid can and will cause a catastrophic failure. (F-22 Raptor - What would happen if you did a blood transfusion with the wrong blood type?)

Use only the SPECIFIC trans fluid recommended by the manufacturer, or make sure that any shop that you chose does this.

I rebuilt my daughters trans at 165K, and all that was wrong was a broken spring in the 2-3 clutch pack. The clutch disks and plates were only about 60% worn. I completely rebuit it, but I could have replaced the spring and put it back together. (this is one of the "you may as well" situations)

I firmly believe that changing the fluid, with the CORRECT FACTORY RECOMMENDED FLUID, changing the filter, and adjusting the bands, as recommended by the manufacturer will give you the maximum service life of your trans.

The above is not simply my opinion, or from my 40+ years of experience. I defer to the professionals, and when the ones that are successful and have excellent reputations speak, or write, I listen and heed their advice.

OH_SHO I do not know about you, but my motors use all of the oil. Think about it! cheers rangerj

 

[oh_SHO]

Thanks rangerj. lol, I guess I should have been clearer on that point. The engine doesn't BURN any oil or at least not enought to warrent adding any in between changes.

I just talked to my Dad again and the ATX fluid was changed at just over 100K. I think I am gonna "risk" changing it if I have time. There is a junkyard that has two SHOs with a few pieces left on them that I am gonna go grab this week so that will take some time... Oh, and on the drive home today I go into a stare-down match with the CEL. It won. Stupid light. Anybody want to bet on whether its 02s (1 year old this week!) since I did a LOT of short trips with it over the past 3 months. (1K in 3 months) Or the EGR holes cloged again? I let you all know tomorrow.