Transmission Flush?

[Mr.Rauq]

I need to do flush my transmission fluid, I took my car down to the shop to get the oil changed last week (too lazy to do it myself, and they charge less for a quart of Mobil1 than Walmart or Autozone which makes up for the labor charge) and asked them to take a peek a the transmission fluid, and it didn't look good. 81k miles on the car, got it at 67k, and I don't think it's ever been changed. I'm not sure whether I want to do it myself or take it somewhere to have it done, but either way, it's going to take either a lift or a belowground bay.

I'll probably bring it up at the meeting tonight, but is there a garage around somewhere where club guys work on their own cars? If so, I'd like to get into the fluids this Saturday, the water polo guys want me to drive down to Atlanta on Sunday with them for some scrimmages. Otherwise, I'll probably find someone to do it for me on Saturday. I'll probably bring them my own ATF, though, one less thing for them to screw me for. Anyone run Royal Purple ATF?

See you tonight, guys.

[93redfox]

Why is the lift required? Is the fill location accessible from above? I ask bc I fill mine by snaking the tube down from the interior through where the shifter comes through the tunnel. yay, no pumping!

[HKYStormFront]

can you drain the pan and refill it yourself? yes. will this get all the used fluid out? most likely not. a true transmission flush is the best way to do it. there is a big cost difference but, imo, after working in a dealership (and a GM one at that) i will say that it's worth the money to get it properly flushed, especially if they use some kind of friction additive. we used a BG brand additive specifically for auto transmissions.

[Mr.Rauq]

Drain plug is only accessible from below, it's possible to get to the fill plug from inside but it's so hard to get the shifter apart that it's not really worth it.

I guess I didn't specify, my car is a 6 speed, splash lubricated so there's no need to flush, just drain and fill. I'm just not sure that I can get at it without a lift. I'm told it comes out pretty quick, and I'm not sure I want to be on my back when that happens.

[Coolant]

I change the fluids in my t56 with the car on jacks. If you get a pump its super easy to refill from below (if yours is similar to mine). although, if you use somethin other than atf like synchromesh it comes in a bottle you can squeeze, but I highly recommend usin a pump. Advanced used to cary cheap ones that worked fine.

[Mr.Rauq]

(02-24-2011 10:59 PM)Coolant Wrote:  I change the fluids in my t56 with the car on jacks. If you get a pump its super easy to refill from below (if yours is similar to mine). although, if you use somethin other than atf like synchromesh it comes in a bottle you can squeeze, but I highly recommend usin a pump. Advanced used to cary cheap ones that worked fine.

Used to? If I could find a pump like that that's what I'd go for. Do you think your T56 is the same drain/fill plugs? I think the bellhousing is different between the LT1 and LS1. I haven't actually gotten up in there, and I haven't seen one of these pumps, so I'm not sure how much room I have to play with. Plus I'd be a little anxious to get up under a car just on jacks... I'll take a look at it tomorrow, try to find a pump, look for some jackstands, and if it all works out, maybe I'll get the job done with on Saturday.

Thanks for the help everyone.

[davewmarkert]

I can do

[JB]

I run Redline ATF in my car, shifts like a champ.

Also, remember to crack open the fill plug first before draining. It would suck for you to drain the trans only to find out the fill plug is seized...

[HKYStormFront]

wait... are you auto or manual?

[humjaba]

He's got a 6-speed. Quite a few manual cars recommend ATF (Ford recommends it for my car as well)

[davewmarkert]

E36 and up BMW trans also use ATF

[HKYStormFront]

(02-25-2011 09:19 AM)humjaba Wrote:  He's got a 6-speed. Quite a few manual cars recommend ATF (Ford recommends it for my car as well)

yea, i was just thinking it was auto from the autox, i couldn't remember tho. if you are manual, then yea, you can do it yourself. it's pretty straightforward. auto's are the ones that need to properly flushed using a machine

[Coolant]

There are differences between lt1 and ls1 t56s, but I can't imagine the drain/fill plug locations wouldnt allow you to change the fluid from under the car. I've seen the advanced auto in clemson carry those pumps before, but the last few times I was there they either moved them around or they were out. its the same kind of pump you would use to change your rear end fluid. It has a hose you run to the fluid bottle and a hose that goes to the fill location, with somethin you squeeze or pump inbetween. Ill see if I can find a picture.

[Mr.Rauq]

(02-25-2011 04:41 AM)davewmarkert Wrote:  I can do

What do you mean by that? I'm planning on stopping by a few places to try to find Royal Purple gear oil for the diff (might as well hit that one up at the same time) and RP Synchromesh for the trans, along with one of those handy dandy pumps. Hopefully I'll get the job done on Saturday in time to drive to ATL on Sunday for a water polo tourney.

(02-25-2011 11:04 AM)HKYStormFront Wrote:  yea, i was just thinking it was auto from the autox, i couldn't remember tho. if you are manual, then yea, you can do it yourself. it's pretty straightforward. auto's are the ones that need to properly flushed using a machine

What's with that, was I shifting so slow that people thought it was a slushbox? I heard something about an auto several times during the autox, maybe I was just that smooth... I'll say my buddy added the slowness and I added the smoothness.

[HKYStormFront]

ok if you are manual, just pull the drain plug and let it drain for about 10-15 mins (it will dribble out for a while). then put that plug back in and take out the fill cap (should be nearby but above the drain plug) and fill till you reach that level. this can be difficult and they make little hand pumps to make it easier