TRANSTECH Transmission Service

I'd change it. The general rule with tranny fluid is 3 years, or 30K miles. At 8 years old and 43K miles, I would change it. It's cheap insurance. :up
 
BlkZ28, I'd second the change on it. Better safe than sorry. It's a lot like oil, and so long periods of time (especially if it doesn't get that hot) can probably damage it as well. Though, tranny fluid isn't susceptible to all the junky byproducts of combustion like the oil is. I'd imagine tranny fluid can get water in it from outside air, though not at the rate engine oil does as some of that water comes from the combustion process. But if it never gets very hot, that water won't get removed. After 8 years, I'd change it. :)



Prowler, gotcha. I've always been a bit nervous of using the tranny to pump out the fluid as well... If you pump it all out, you could damage the pump. So you've gotta pour some fresh in as you go... That just makes me nervous. What if you can't pour the fresh quick enough or you can't shut the car down quick enough... I just would freak out. I guess if I could only change 2 quarts of 12, then I would just have to suck it up or else have a dealer fluid flush it as was said.



Scottwax, my wife's Nissan also has a mesh screen. I think it's sort of dumb, but it sure is easy to change. The pan has a drain plug, so it's like changing oil but with no filter. The Haynes manual said it takes like 2 or 2 1/2 quarts of tranny fluid when drained this way. I was laughing about it because that meant her car drained less oil and tranny fluid combined than my car drains engine oil. Anyway, imagine my surprise when my 8 quart oil pan filled up 3/4 of the way with tranny fluid... Thank goodness we have another car or I'd have had to pour the old stuff back in just to get to the store... This was not the first time I'd changed it either (twice before) but apparently it's the first time I bothered to write in the manual about the figure being incorrect. :rolleyes:
 
ShowroomLincoln and Aurora 40 I agree. Very small cost ( $100-$150) for the peace of mind. Thanks for the advice. :bow I made my appointment for Oct 8 yesterday. It's almost hibernation time again. :(
 
Aurora40 said:
Prowler, gotcha. I've always been a bit nervous of using the tranny to pump out the fluid as well... If you pump it all out, you could damage the pump. So you've gotta pour some fresh in as you go... That just makes me nervous. What if you can't pour the fresh quick enough or you can't shut the car down quick enough... I just would freak out. I guess if I could only change 2 quarts of 12, then I would just have to suck it up or else have a dealer fluid flush it as was said.

Click to expand...



I didn't want to get into the nitty-gritty details of a single car model, but it's actually pretty safe (on this Windstar, at least) and is the stated method in the service manual. The slick part is that you actually OVERFILL the tranny with the replacement fluid and then pump out the old. The sequence (after disconnecting one flex line, real easy):

1. Pump out 2 quarts in 45 seconds to drain pan

2. Pour in 10 quarts

3. Pump out 10 quarts in 3-4 minutes

4. Replace 2 for sump.



This way, you stop the car as soon as the fluid runs out and you're not running it dry (at least, not for more than about 5 seconds doing it with 2 people).



The reason I brought this up is to see if anyone else has experience doing this with other models - I'd love to use this method on my other 4 cars since it's so quick, easy and complete. I can't imagine anyone bringing a Windstar to a flush service since this sounds just as effective.



Has anyone done this with other models?



Thanks.
 
I've been considering doing a T-Tech flush on my auto Integra, but have had various opinions on the service.



I am going to be adding the additive Auto-Rx in my tranny, in which I have to drive 1000 miles with the additive, then follow with a full ATF change.



According to the developer of the product, the additive breaks down large particulate matter, so the T-Tech flush shouldn't cause clogging of the metal screen. However, when I called my local Acura dealer, they recommended agains the T-tech process, because of clogging and instead suggested a "triple flush" ( change the ATF fluid 3x while the car is running.)
 
jayhway-I'd stick with the dealer's recommendation. The last thing you want to have to do is have a Honda/Acura automatic rebuilt. Almost no one can do it right. I went through 5 rebuilds in my Accord (all under warranty) before just getting a low mileage used one at a wrecking yard.



Also, stick with Honda's ATF.
 
I know how finnicky honda transmissions can be. I've been changing my fluid every 15k miles with Honda ATF, even though Honda recommends 30K mile intervals. However, I'm going to add Auto-Rx, which is supposed to break down the large particles. Therefore, when the T-Tech service is used, there shouldn't be any clogging.
 
Not to be cruel jayhway, but you are writing but not reading or listening. The dealer recommended not to use this stuff and a person with experience states also to follow dealer instructions. Why are you so gang-ho about using this solvent when a normal maintainance procedure will be just fine? Modern transmissions are too refined to be monkeying with some non-dealer approval substance. Will it void your warranty? What is there to gain if you are already changing your ATF 2 times more frequent than recommended? Was this a poorly maintained vehicle prior to your ownership? What is to say that one of these newly circulating particulates will not block one of your fluid passages or re-settle somewhere else inthe transmission that maybe more harmful than its previous location?
 
AutoRx isn't solvent based, it's a organic based cleaner. It strips away gunk over time, not all at once, so there is no issues with chunks of debris coming off and clogging internals.



Either way, if you have been changing your ATF every 15K miles it should be spotless inside and not need any "cleaning".
 
ShowroomLincoln said:




Either way, if you have been changing your ATF every 15K miles it should be spotless inside and not need any "cleaning".
Click to expand...



Agreed.



No matter how safe this AutoRX is, I just wouldn't chance it with a Honda transmission. I looked through my mechanic's Honda shop manual for my Accord and the exploded view of the stacked valve bodies was frightening. :shocked Any bit of gunk getting stuck anywhere in them can kill the transmission. Compared to the TH-350 I had in my Chevelle, my Accord transmission is about 100 times more complicated. No wonder they are so hard to rebuild right.
 
The dealer recommendation was made assuming I wasn't using any additive in the transmission. However I've read of a couple of Auto-rx users that did the T-tech on their Acura transmissions without any problems.



Though I do change my ATF frequently, the transmission still slips at times. The car is a 94', and I was the 3rd owner, and the previous owners didn't keep maintenance logs.



I know that I am taking a slight risk, by adding AutoRx, but I've read a lot of good things about the product and will also be running it in my oil. Regardless of adding Auto-Rx or not, I had planned to do a complete fluid change anyways. I just wasn't sure if I was going to use the T-Tech service or do the triple flush.
 
"Modern transmissions are too refined to be monkeying with some non-dealer approval substance. Will it void your warranty?" Close, but I think this is closer: Modern transmissions are too refined to be monkeying with some non-FACTORY approved method or substance. The FACTORY foots the bill for warranty claims. If the FACTORY could reduce the expense of warranty claims(by advising a transmission flush as part of normal maintenance), they would. If the FACTORY thought that "Certain Additives" would decrease their warranty costs, they would recommend them. I don't think GM(FACTORY) recommends tranny flushes. The DEALER might recommend them to increase profits.
 
Very good points in this thread. The reason I asked the question about TransTech was because I am from the "old school" and the partial replacement with filter change has always worked. Even though this TransTech procedure will / may be done at a Chevy dealership I was still leery about its true benefits or just an easy profit procedure ( low shop expenditure and shop time involved) and great profit margin. True they may stand behind their work and repair any damage that may ensue but I don't like my cars be patched back together after a routine maintainance procedure has gone bad.



In terms of solvents. They can be organic or man-made but their actions are the same. Be it slow melting (solution) or fast acting there is always the possibility of a flack of particulate matter breaking loose or the gunk resettling in a "bad place prior to changing out. :scared This may blocking or destroying an operational feature of these very complicated automatic trannies.:nixweiss



Life is so much simplier with my old manual transmissioned cars. :cool:
 
jayhway-when you say your transmission still slips occasionally, do you mean on downshifts, say from 3rd to 2nd? Seems to be very common with older Honda/Acura automatics. From what I understand is the O-rings in the valve bodies tend to wear or crack and bleed down line pressure on shifts and cause slipping. Eventually, the slipping burns up the clutch packs.



Mine didn't really start the 3-2 slipping until it passed 150,000 miles, and by 175,000 miles it was also slipping (flaring) on the 2-3 upshift and by 190,000 miles, the tranny was history. I went through 5 rebuilds (a long and ugly story) and 34 days of car rental over 14 months trying to get it sorted out. The last rebuild lasted about 15 months before something broke loose inside the transmission and caused it to fail almost immediately. I got a used one instead of another rebuild. Cheaper and seemingly more reliable than a rebuild.



I should have swapped in a 5 speed, it would have cost less than the original rebuild. :(
 
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