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just to be clear draining it would just be removing the bolt and letting it come out, and flushing it is some other process that cleans the tranny of all fluids?
just watched a vid on youtube but decided i should make sure before trying myself
Correct, power flush involves a machine, you unhook the transmission cooler lines and plumb them into the machine, then it sends in fresh fluid through the return line and the other line collects old fluid into a disposal container.
The problem is ALWAYS the fluid that is being added to the transmission, each manufacturer has engineered a specific type of friction modifiers to control how much slip the clutch packs will have when transitioning gears, they also have very specific additives for the exact metallurgy used in the internal components so their specific alloys aren't eroded chemically, same goes with the exact types of plastics they use for various internal components.
Actual OEM fluid is designed to not erode alloys, not erode plastic, and achieve the exact shifting that the manufacturer intended. If the dealership wants to power flush a transmission because the fluid looks really bad then I would take their recommendation because it's cheaper to get it all out in one shot rather than paying them for 3-4 consecutive drain/fills, the bulk of the cost is the labor $ not the fluid cost. You will be getting the correct fluid which is the most important part.
Your local quiky-lube is not using that fluid, they're using bulk generic or bulk <insert brand here> fluid which will PROBABLY work since it meets the same fluid grade but there have been far too many cases where either random metal parts erode over time, or plastic parts erode/crack over time, or the clutches engage too quick/slow and transmission problems ensue or it just doesn't feel right. Not to mention it's a minimum wage high school kid fcking with your car and that's just a good way to get bolts and fittings stripped out and they're not even going to tell you. They just slap some quick seal on it and send you on your merry way.
Also, unless your transmission fluid is badly overheated there isn't really any reason to exchange all of it, the drain/fill is mostly to remove some of the clutch and metal particulates so they don't accumulate too badly and cause premature failure, a drain/fill removes 25% of the fluid and thus 25% of the contaminates. Doing this every 30k miles will keep the transmission in good working order for it's entire life.
Oddly enough, I just did a transmission service yesterday on my 04.5 G sedan. 162k miles. Previous owner thought he did a change at 100k, which seemed accurate based on the color when I got it. I've done 2 drain/fills in the past few months I've owned it with Matic-S. Both times, the fluid came out pretty dark, but nothing terrible. This time I actually dropped the pan and cleaned it all up. The magnets were quite dirty, and there was some residue/fine shavings, but nothing I wouldn't expect from a 162k miles. My mothers Hyundai with only 60k miles had way more gunk on the magnet when I did the first drain/fill. There is about half a quart still in the pan when you remove it, so be careful and have cardboard on the ground in case of spillage.
This time I filled using Idemitsu Type-J, which I got at Napa for less than $6/qt with AAA discount, plus an OEM pan gasket that set me back about $30. This Idemitsu fluid is a nice red color, instead of the light pink Matic-S is. I plan to run the car 400-500 miles and do another drain/fill and check out the fluid. If it comes clean, I'll run Idemitsu. If cruddy, Ill go back to OEM fluid to be on the safe side. For a drain/fill, I usually end up needing 3.5qts per change. With removing the pan, it took 4 qts exactly.
Also, I'm running a Magnefine in-line filter in the transmission cooler lines at the radiator. If you feel inclined to install one of these, make sure you get a 5/16 line sized filter + cooler line. NOT 3/8.
thanks for the concise answer! and on such an old thread lol
i own a v35 sedan 88k miles (10k which ive drove) only one previous owner who claimed to do most of the maintenance through the dealer. but obviously its an old car now, would you still recommend doing a tranny drain on it? thought i saw someone say that at high miles it could do more harm than good? or was that only referring to a flush?
thank you again, im a noob to the forum but it has helped me so much already
