Transmission fluid change

[mrchew]

Local mechanic told me it's too late to change transmission fluid and to ride it out. No slipping or rough gears right now. Should I listen to him or just go ahead and flush? I got 121k miles and no idea when last fluid change was since I bought it used 2years ago.


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[amrg]

Trans life depends on how hot the trans got and obviously the condition of the fluid (fluid breaks down fasrer at higher temp

Nothing wrong with changing it now, whats the worst you would expect?

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[mrchew]

Mechanics I guess are worried about transmission would start slipping after flush. Some say transmission would break faster at this point if I flush it out.


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[lowtrac]

You don't have to flush it to change the fluid. I've heard bad things about flushing older transmissions, but dropping the pan, replacing the filter and filling it back up should be fine.


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[woodwardsh3]

I have a buddy that is a very honest trans guy and owns his own shop. He repairs trans all the time that other shops say are junk and it turns out they had leaked or low fluid or something simple. He's not rich but he said he sleeps well at night. And I just took my daughters trailblazer in after she bought it. it was slipping between shifts. Turned out someone replaced the fluid and filter and put the wrong filter in -TO short. He replaced the filter an fluid and put a newer style servo in and bumped up the line pressure works good as new. charged her 98.00 that was 16000 miles ago.
He said dont get a high mile vehicle a trans flush as that will cause more harm then good. Take the pan off drain and replace the filter and new oil. He said to do this every 40 or 50000 miles. I have done this with many of my vehicles and never had any problem.
Just my 2cents

 

[alrock]

Agree - never heard of harm from a drain and fill vs. a flush and it can sometimes fix the issue, or at least prolong the life of the transmission. If you do a drain and fill and things are better, do another one in a few weeks. You're only draining about half of the fluid so doing it again later helps dump more of the old, worn out fluid.

 

[mrchew]

Thanks for all the reply guys. Think I'm going with dropping the pan and replace filter then refill. Any tips to make this easier let me know please.

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[alrock]

Alpha or non-Alpha? It's easier with the I5.

The easy rule of dropping the pan and draining the oil is that 60% of the oil goes in the pan, 20% on the floor and 20% on you. .

Remove the four bolts holding the front propshaft to the front diff and tie it up out of the way. Remove the heat shield from the passenger side of the trans pan (2 bolts). Work your way around the trans pan loosening/removing all of the bolts. Leave one in the back and one in the front, but both partly loosened. Finally, slowly remove the last front bolt allowing the fluid to drain with the pan tilted. When that's done, slowly remove the last bolt with the last bit of fluid remaining in the pan.

With the pan removed, be sure that only a small amount of material is on the magnet. Clean the pan and remove any gasket material from the pan. This must be a clean, smooth surface for the new gasket.

The pan and filter will come with a new o-ring. Don't bother replacing it, it's too hard to reach and remove.

To line up the new gasket with the pan and transmission, put a few bolts through the pan and gasket before lifting it up to the transmission. The gasket will hold the bolts and help line everything up.

Tighten the bolts slowly and go around the pan sequentially. I think it's only 14 ft./lbs of torque. Overtorqueing could bend the pan, be careful.

 

[alrock]

Found my old thread on the topic. Combine the info above with this thread. http://www.hummer4x4offroad.com/forum/showthread.php?2698-H3-ATF-fluid-change-procedure

 

[mrchew]

Found my old thread on the topic. Combine the info above with this thread. http://www.hummer4x4offroad.com/forum/showthread.php?2698-H3-ATF-fluid-change-procedure

Thanks alrock. I got I5 so hopefully not too bad. Thanks for link.

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[Ordieh]

Spend a couple of dollars and go with a FELPRO gasket! Don't trust any gasket that has been folded. Torque to 90 IP starting with 50 in a staggered pattern. 14 FP will crush the gasket and definitely dimple the pan. Good luck

 

[alrock]

Spend a couple of dollars and go with a FELPRO gasket! Don't trust any gasket that has been folded. Torque to 90 IP starting with 50 in a staggered pattern. 14 FP will crush the gasket and definitely dimple the pan. Good luck

Thanks - the 14 is off of memory; the OEM torque spec is 12 ft/lbs.

 

[Happy Hummer]

And for God sake use safety blocks on the wheels! It is terrifying when an H3 roles off the ramps and you barely make it out... Lesson way learned.

 

[4speedfunk]

Yup. You'll get a big surprise when you pop the front driveshaft off. Chock or die!


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[Traxx]

I've been doing it wrong all these years, I always get 1% in the pan, 39% on the floor and 60% on me!

 

[JPaul]

I always use wheel chocks, I've heard of waaaaay too many people that end up with their vehicles rolling over them or falling on top of them. Doesn't matter what it is, they all can have issues and kill you.

 

[mrchew]

Before I start this weekend, anything I should expect when I remove drive shaft besides chocking the tires. Only 4 nuts and shaft should come off right? Never had to take one off before?

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[mrchew]

Transmission fluid change done. Got 60% on floor, 20% on me and 20% in catcher. Overall success. Thanks guys for the help.

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[chaos254]

I did drain and fill at 60k w/ new filter. Flushed at 115k. Fluid was pretty dark when I flushed it. Probably best to do every 30-45k

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[alrock]

I did drain and fill at 60k w/ new filter. Flushed at 115k. Fluid was pretty dark when I flushed it. Probably best to do every 30-45k

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Agreed. If you can do a drain and fill without too much trouble, it can only help do it with that frequency. Might cost about $70-100, but that buys a lot of life for the transmission.

 

[Ordieh]

Failed to mention in my previous reply. Next time the pan is off, install a drain plug. Kits can be bought but I prefer to make my own using a short 5/8 bolt, STATO SEAL gasket and a notched nut spot welded to the inside allowing complete draining. The best location is between the magnet dimples.Of course this only changes the fluid in the pan with almost half remaining in the torque converter, but with frequent changes the fluid stays fresh. It is also easy to install a MAGNEFINE filter in the cooler lines and they are excellent.