Changing transmission fluid

[suenmike]

Has anyone changed their transmission fluid? I will be doing this in the next week, it’s a 17.4 quart system, I will probably get about 10 quarts out without having to drop the pan, which I have no intention of doing. I have done this in the past on my other motorhomes, just checking to see if anybody has a better way of doing this other than pulling the plug and putting the fluid in through the dipstick. I have 21,000 miles on my Miramar, about half of that towing a vehicle and I think it’s time for a change and preventative maintenance.

[The Gritz Carlton]

There are flushing systems now that tie into the cooling lines at the radiator. The benefit is they purge all of the fluid including the "unreachable" fluid in the torque converter. The bad is, you can't replace the filter inside of the pan. Either way, any fluid change at all is 50 times better than no change...which is what most people do....or don't do. You may have a "spin-on" filter on the outside.

[suenmike]

That’s the way I look at it, if I do this again in another 10 or 15,000 miles, I will always have fairly fresh fluid in the system.

[The Gritz Carlton]

Most transmissions today don't require service until round 100K miles. My old school way of doing things gets the craps just thinking about this. It's like leaving a diaper on a baby for days...or remove it, wipe it out and put it back on them. NASTY! Everything runs better with a "clean bottom".

[suenmike]

Lol, good comparison

[Beau388]

Why would you change the fluid without changing the filter in the pan?

[The Gritz Carlton]

Again...that's old school. Most manufacturers do not recommend changing the filter in the pan. Lots of them have a primary spin on filter mounted on the outside in addition to the one on the inside.

[Beau388]

Originally Posted by The Gritz Carlton

Again...that's old school. Most manufacturers do not recommend changing the filter in the pan. Lots of them have a primary spin on filter mounted on the outside in addition to the one on the inside.

From my F-53 manual "The TorqShift6™ automatic transmissions equipped with a serviceable transmission fluid filter located inside the transmission bottom pan. Refer to the scheduled maintenance information for service intervals for the automatic transmission fluid and transmission filter."

[99dart]

Everyone has their own way off thinking on stuff like this.
If the trans pan has a drain plug, why not drop the pan and change out the filter? It's only a few bucks for a filter and new pan gasket. That filter will probably have a good amount of material in it from wearing in a brand new transmission. (I certainly wouldn't want to starve the trans of fluid because the filter was loaded with material). That's always true of a new/rebuilt engine. I always change oil/filter after the first 50 miles on a freshly rebuilt engine. Then, run 1000 miles before changing again. But, just my 2 cents worth.