Should i change my tranny fluid? noob question but what do you old gearheads think:)

[240m3srt]

Ok, so Black Beauty now has 307K miles on her and still runs great.

Last time i had the oil changed it was brought to my attention that the transmission fluid is looking dirty. I have heard mixed reviews on changing transmission fluid. Logic tells us new fluid is better but i have heard of old school-ers saying to stick with the old fluid(usually in reference to a slipping tranny, which mine is not). Anyway the tranny fluid is 47k miles old. What do yall think? Do i need new fluid? New filter?

 

[pat161]

Yes, you should change the fluid. No harm will be done by a simple drain and fill, same goes for removing the pan and replacing the filter as part of the process. If your fluid is not bright red and smells burnt I would want to get as much out as possible. Again, if it were me, I would either perform a routine of drain and fills every few weeks until the fluid was bright red and not burnt smelling, dropping the pan and changing the filter the first time, or I would follow the procedure to flush it myself. Ther second would be more economical as you could replace all the fluid at once and know all the old fluid is gone. The first route leaves a lot of old fluid in there to mix with the new, so it will take a lot of drain and fills to have almost 100% fresh fluid.

 

[LittleCaesar]

Just drain it and refill. Unless you see metal shavings in the old fluid (use a magnet), forgo dropping the pan and changing the filter.

 

[240m3srt]

Thanks guys. Ill get the tranny fluid changed along with my next oil change. Then maybe again in a few oil changes just to feel confident. If i can squeeze 350-400k miles outta this truck ill be thrilled.

 

[Brilliant]

Disconnect the send line to the cooler, put it in a bucket, fill from the dipstick, cycle the trans with engine running through gears, do it till it runs 'clear'. Takes about 12-13Q. Keep filling as its emptying, don't let it run dry of course. 2 people is probably best but you can do a quart at a time solo.

Just a drain and fill doesn't get much out. Changing your fluid will never harm the trans. Its power flushing it is where you may have problems.

 

[LDForget]

flushing it doesnt damage the tranny, but it may show some problems that the tranny already had. Sometimes the shot fluid is thick enough or has enough metal sediments in it that it can cover some leaks/issues and when you flush it, it'll start to slip or have harsh shifts. The new fluid didnt cause the problem, the old fluid was hiding the problem.

 

[T4R_Finally]

Just start by draining out as much as will come out, refill it and check the color after driving it some. I wouldnt do a flush at that mileage. At most, follow the procedure to let it drain and cycle constantly while filling with new until you have run enough thru to chase most of the old fluid out. But start with dropping the pan and draining enough to then change the filter.

 

[MrMoon]

You can usually smell if the fluid is burnt which would be a clear indicator not to change it

As others have said a drain and fill is not going to do very much but hooking it up to a b&g tranny flush machine would make short work of the job.

That being said I would ask to see how it works so you can confirm that the mechanic actually performs the flush.