How often do you change your transmission fluid?
 

I've had people tell me that you should never change your transmission fluid, because you can knock crud loose in your tranny and cause problems.

I tend to disagree, because if you change your fluid like you should, you won't have bad crud.

Opinions?

Id like to hear the opinions of some people about this too, because I have never personally changed it. It may have been changed during servicing. It makes sense that you'd change it just like oil.

A friend of mine has to put some sort of fluid (that really smells) in his rear axel somewhere. but thats kind of a different thread.

Nhanced1

Post removed.

LOL

I can just totally picture that in my head. I know so many people like that it's disturbing...

Basically, I follow whatever is mentioned in the user's /owner's manual. I just change oil's etc say 500 km earlier than the deadline. That's it.

Depends for me. Automatics I follow the schedule in the owner's manual. Manuals I don't unless the trans is out for a clutch job or something.

Front (if there is one) and rear differential service I follow the schedule also.

I get conflicting info on whether it should be done every 15,000 or every 30,000 miles. Personally I go for the latter, since I'm lazy and broke. My car has 192,000 miles on it anyways, so it's not like it has hurt it.

My garage that I go to for service, has this machine that has a way of hooking up @ the trans lines and filters out the trans fluid and then puts it back in. I was told this is a great way to clean whats in there without lowering the pan. The only time I think you would change it is if it had a burnt smell or odd color, or problems with tranny. I too would refer to manual. Newer cars are different,then older carsfor service. My older car I was changing it every 25,000 untill my garage had the machine, and that has 179,000miles on it (Still squeals the tires on a front wheel drive car.Well ok one tire!!)

I change it whenever recommended by the manual. Then I keep the receipts and show them at selling time. Properly maintaining the car seems to increase its value at the end. At least there is some payout for doing what you're told.

I've never changed the tranny fluid in my truck (97 ranger - 5spd). I guess everyone told me not to unless I need the transmission serviced. My roommate has a 94 Caprice and he's changed the tranny fluid twice in two years. I'm not sure which is right. My truck manual says not to change it until 110,000 miles.

Follow the manual. If you haven't followed the manual, then don't change it unless you can smell it burning.

i change it whenever the internals explode and crack the case.

Or a burned clutch is replaced.

Or when im bored.

It is not bad to change your tranny fluid. Viscosity lowers with time just like motor oil.

BG synchroshift
or GM oem stuff is the best out there.

Change the tranny fluid every 80 000 km (50 000 miles)

Makes your car last a long long time

That machine is called a T-Tech machine. That's another thing that I've contemplated. When you use a T-Tech, you recycle ALL of the fluid out. However, you don't get to the filter. When you drop the pan, you can change the filter, but you don't get ALL of the fluid.

Currently my strategy is to alternate. I dropped the pan last time. Next will be the T-Tech.

Go with what the manual says. The manufacturer put more thought into the reccomendation than any advice giver has. Also, those at the manufacturer's have engineering degrees.

I like Boner's idea. I usually drop the pan, but that doesn't empty the torque converter. I think those stupid wire mesh "filters" are hardly deserving of the name "filter."

Do whatever the factory says. They have more engineers working for them than NASA, easily.
I have a 95 Tburd with an automatic. It used to slip out of drive and end up in 2nd or neutral occasionally. Changed transmission fluid, worked just fine. Probably won't fix all problems but it still can't hurt ( mostly..)

My 92 explorer has 125k on it, and never changed the fluid. I'd heard 100,000 miles for changin the fluid. So thats getting fixed this week with a few other htings. As for oil, I use mobil 1 synthetic and 5000 miles or so.

you don't really need to change oil for at least double what your manual tells you to do, the short time given has to do with increasing the number of people going to get their car service, mostly likely at the dealship where the car was bought and preventing lawsuits if the cars ever malfunction

Thats why they call you cheap dog. ;)

I have a manual, so I only really change mine when it when I get some work done on the transmission.

automatic? change it every 30k. it breaks down too.