I've done gone synthetic in tranny & engine (3mpg increase)

[99LeCouch]

The cooler line flush can be done by 1 person, although a second person helps. I put an empty milk jug where I could see the top, ran the cooler line extension to it, hopped into the drivers seat, and cranked the car until the jug was full. The size container to use depends on your transmission's capacity. Some Honda transmissions take about 5-6 quarts of ATF while my Buick takes 14. So 4 quarts low wasn't too big a deal for me.

For your car I'd pump out the pan several times over the next few thousand miles, assuming you have a dipstick to check ATF level with. This will get the gum and varnish out and new fluid in.

[BamZipPow]

Originally Posted by luvit

thanks.
i may be too lazy for all that. what if i just get a regualar trans flush every 3k miles with my oil change 2 or 3 times? lol.

You mean a drain and fill? If you have someone do it...it will git pricey pretty quick and it may not improve the condition of the transmission at all. In most cases, you need to head off what ever crud is built up in the older transmission and git that taken care of as soon as possible. It would be like only draining 1 quart of yer motor oil out and filling it with a quart of new oil and expecting it to last another 3000 miles...

Best thing to do is just do it the right way the first time.

[suspectnumber961]

Originally Posted by luvit

thanks.
i may be too lazy for all that. what if i just get a regualar trans flush every 3k miles with my oil change 2 or 3 times? lol.

The easy way would be to just drain and refill...replacing about 1/2 the fluid say 2Xs per year. But you should drop the pan...clean it and replace the filter. All the grit and metal particles will be in the pan...and some trans have actual filters instead of screens. You'd need a Haynes manual to do it right.

Might also stick a neo magnet on the bottom of the pan to help catch some steel?

When I did my Nissan...I'm fairly sure it was the original oil in it...it was brownish instead of red. If you tested it vs new ATF between thumb and forefinger...you could tell it had less lubricity....no slicky...slicky.

[Christ]

When I put the new engine in my wife's car, I pulled the trans pan and cleaned out as much of the old fluid (drained torque converter) as I could at the same time. Inside the pan, was a magnet, which had a very interesting rippled pattern of nearly fluid particles of ferrous metals. Very thin layer, maybe a 1x1" square, but very definitely noticeable. I cleaned it off, shined up the pan, cleaned the gasket, installed the new filter, and refilled the trans with close to the spec through the fill plug (no dipstick), then ran it to warm it up and did the check through the fluid inspection hole on the side of the tranny... took another 2qts past "spec" fill to actually get it full to where it was supposed to be.