Transmission go synthetic or not
07-09-2012, 07:19 AM
#2
Moderator (Ret.)
Several posts on transmission flushes. I'm for it, some are against it. If the truck has high mileage and the transmission has never been flushed, some think the crud in the high mileage transmission will get dislodged and cause transmission failure. My truck has two flushes already, each done at 50K mile intervails.
Royal Purple is great stuff. If you do flush it, it's good oil to use.
Royal Purple is great stuff. If you do flush it, it's good oil to use.
07-09-2012, 08:52 AM
#3
I've never used synthetic ATF or had a transmission failure with standard ATF, but I've heard your transmission will shift smoother and it will experience less wear/oxidization as well as running a bit cooler with full synthetic. How many miles are on your truck? If you have a high amount of mileage it could be like opening up a can of worms if you flush your tranny.
07-09-2012, 10:50 AM
#4
Doing any work that is not entirely necessary is a potential can of worms scenario. Flushes are usually a fluid exchange not a "flush" and fill so you will likely end up with whatever in house ATF they are pumping that day, unless it's at a ford dealer (too much money).
The biggest risk I see is how clean is the equipment that is being used for your flush. If the last car in had a ton of crap in their tranny then you could end up with some of it... If you decide on a flush, try not to make it a jiffy lube or valvoline station because I know they just dump the machine out without giving it a good rinse to clear out any lingering particles...
If you really want to get it done without dropping the pan, then bring it to a well known local tranny shop. I would call around and ask lots of questions.
I personally recommend dropping the pan and cleaning the magnet off in the bottom of the pan, add a drain plug to the pan and change the filter. Then put some royal purple ATF in there and drive a few hundred miles and then go get your tranny flushed, or just drain and refill 1 more time....
I did a tranny flush once on my dodge ram about 6 years ago, it was a good experience. I got it done at Trans Medic, and I highly recommend these guys if your in the Northeast. I'm not sure if they are national but if they are give em a call. Good luck!
The biggest risk I see is how clean is the equipment that is being used for your flush. If the last car in had a ton of crap in their tranny then you could end up with some of it... If you decide on a flush, try not to make it a jiffy lube or valvoline station because I know they just dump the machine out without giving it a good rinse to clear out any lingering particles...
If you really want to get it done without dropping the pan, then bring it to a well known local tranny shop. I would call around and ask lots of questions.
I personally recommend dropping the pan and cleaning the magnet off in the bottom of the pan, add a drain plug to the pan and change the filter. Then put some royal purple ATF in there and drive a few hundred miles and then go get your tranny flushed, or just drain and refill 1 more time....
I did a tranny flush once on my dodge ram about 6 years ago, it was a good experience. I got it done at Trans Medic, and I highly recommend these guys if your in the Northeast. I'm not sure if they are national but if they are give em a call. Good luck!
07-09-2012, 11:56 AM
#5
Moderator (Ret.)
A good "flush" will always include the pan being dropped, filter replaced, magnet cleaned (if applicable), and CLEAN, FRESH FLUID.
I've never heard, nor seen a repudable shop use fluid left over from a previous vehicle. The flush is supposed to remove the old fluid and pump in new fluid. I will say that both flushes to my truck were done at a Ford dealership; the cost was under $200.00 for each. Much less than a rebuilt transmission!
As it is usually mentioned in these threads, dropping the pan and replacing the filter and fluid is not a complete change. The pan holds around 4 quarts, and the entire transmission (don't forget the torque converter) holds around 9 quarts. A pan drop will not even net you half of the fluid. I for one would not add 4 clean quarts to 6 or 7 dirty quarts.
I've never heard, nor seen a repudable shop use fluid left over from a previous vehicle. The flush is supposed to remove the old fluid and pump in new fluid. I will say that both flushes to my truck were done at a Ford dealership; the cost was under $200.00 for each. Much less than a rebuilt transmission!
As it is usually mentioned in these threads, dropping the pan and replacing the filter and fluid is not a complete change. The pan holds around 4 quarts, and the entire transmission (don't forget the torque converter) holds around 9 quarts. A pan drop will not even net you half of the fluid. I for one would not add 4 clean quarts to 6 or 7 dirty quarts.