Moon86

My trans fluid is slightly burnt. I want to add a trans cooler (B&M plate cooler) and change the fluid and filter. What's the best way to get the most old fluid out? Will I have to change the fluid more than once and use a new filter each time?

Churchkey

I use a drill pump to suck most of the oil out of the trans through the dipstick tube.

This one is similar to mine.

http://www.harborfreight.com/heavy-d...ump-98384.html

Opinions vary on filter changing, every 24K works for me.

I may be **** about trans fluid however when the engine oil gets changed I also pump the trans oil out & add fresh. 130K on the 89 vert trans & it operated properly.

Moon86

Good idea about the suction pump. I'll get what I can out of the pan then refill, repeating this as needed to get good fluid in the tranny. Then drop the pan and change oil and filter.
This could also be used for draining radiator and not making a mess of it. Good idea. Thanks.

twin540

Drop the pan and remove the lines from the radiator and try to get what you can out of that since you are going to install a trans cooler. Good luck

c4cruiser

If the fluid is "burned" or smells like it, then all of the fluid will be that way. Dropping the pan is not going to remove all of the old fluid. There is still a lot of fluid up in the trans and in the torque converter.

You should take the car to a reputable shop and have a trans flush done. Don't go to AAMCO or Jiffy Lube or similar places. A flushing machine is connected to the cooling lines and it pumps in new fluid as the old fluid is removed. Takes about 20-30 minutes to do and it includes a new filter.

If you are going to do the cooler install yourself, do it after the flush. That way you will have fresh fluid in the trans and you only have to add enough fluid to bring the level up to the mark on the dipstick once the cooler and additional lines are full.

383vett

Here we go again. If your fluid is burnt, you would want to drop and clean the pan, change the filter and button the thing up with a new gasket. Fill the pan with 4 quarts of flesh fluid. Somewhere between the radiator and the tranny, disconnect the upper (return) line going to the tranny and put a hose over it. Put the hose in an empty gallon container. Run the motor for a minute or so until the container is 3/4 full. This will be old fluid out of the converter, cooler and lines. Stop the motor, put another 4 quarts in the tranny. Run it again. Stop the motor. Do it once more until you have used a total of 11 or 12 quarts of fluid and the fluid running out of the hose is clean. Check the fluid level and drive away.

Moon86

Sounds like a plan. I was going to keep adding and draining to dilute the bad fluid but disconnecting the line and pumping it out sounds better. We just finished getting 42" of snow. So no driving the Vette until spring, so no going to get it flushed. Besides I hate paying people to do something I can do.

samsonb

I had a shop tell me that they reverse flush the transmission. As I asked about changing the filter. And they said that would clean the filter with the reverse flush. I guess every so often it would push the fluid in the opposite direction. Never heard of that before.

GKK

That's a great way to ruin a perfectly good transmission.

Filters cannot be cleaned, that's why they are replaced as regular maintenance items.

Think about it, in a reverse flush the fluid pushes the filter debris back into the transmission valve body, when the fluid is flowing back in the right direction, all the debris gets re-deposited right back onto the filter surface. Nothing gets cleaned, just moved around.

samsonb

Yeah, I know. I replace my filter every few years. Just thought it was funny about the shop saying they clean the filter when they reverse flush it. Another one of those BS things shops like to tell you.

I just drop the pan every so often and fill with new fluid.

62panshovel

I pumped out the pan and dropped it and changed the filter. Then I pulled the upper radiator transmission line off and slid a clear hose over it and ran the hose into a 5 gallon bucket. Pulled the dipstick and put in a funnel. Had my girlfriend start the car and as fluid pumped into the bucket I added into the funnel. By three gallons it was flowing out pretty and red so I had her shut it down. Reattached the line and topped fluid to proper level. Easier than it sounds.

383vett

C4boy

FTW

hooked073

To me some things just boil down to money and hassel. For 50.00 I can take the car to my local trans shop they do a filter change and flush. By the time I buy the filter and fluid, drain it clean everything then find a way to dispose of it not worth my time. Same thing for a oil change for the most part. between 19.95 and 24.95 at a lot of dealers why waste my time.

samsonb

That is ultra cheap at $50 for a filter change and flush. Are you sure they aren't just changing what is in the pan and nothing else? I'd be worried if they even changed any fluids at that price.

355tpipickup

subed for info when i do my flush!

hooked073

Promise that is the price. I may be getting some type of break for the amout of work I give them. Even if it were dubble that I would still let them or someone else do it

tblt44

It all comes down to do you want someone who could care less about your car doing the job or do you ant to spend your time.
I work on my own when I can so I know what goes in it.

hooked073

Thats . Granted I can no longer do what I used to. I was in this bussiness for over 30years. But I do not think I changed my oil 2 times in my life why? because by the time I buy the oil filter deal with the mess ect it is not worth my time for the couple of dollars I saved unless I already have it on the lift and doing something else. In life no matter what it is you have to have trust in what people do for you. I don.t care if they love my car or if it gives them an orgasm. Do what I want and do it right and I am happy. Just like you trust your doctor,carpentor ect. I still love to work on my car. But if I cannot or choise not to work on it like anything else I need to have trust in others.

tblt44

If you can not do than yes take it to someone,but if you can do it and have the time why not do it yourself,you will do a better job than some 18 year old trainee