Transmission Flushing
Transmission flushing: Here is something to think about, as a mechanic for several years including changing and servicing transmissions, I have to say the flushing procedure comes up short, of a real service for your transmission. I have looked at several articles on flushing the transmission on used cars and it seems they all agree that it is not a good ideal especially on high mileage cars. The flushing procedure uses pressure to force a cleaning solvent back threw the transmission and this is supposed to clean it.
The first problem I have with the procedure of flushing the transmission on a used car is they do not drop the transmission pan and change the filter. The filter is designed to catch particles and keep them out of the valves of the transmission and that keeps everything working as it should. You should keep in mind as you drive your car transmission parts do ware out slowly so there will be small particles in the filter. The second problem I see is forcing fluids backwards threw the valve body this could cause particles to get lodged in a valve, causing an expensive transmission rebuild. It has been my experience that it is never a good idea to reverse the flow of fluids on a piece of hydraulic equipment that was designed to flow one way. The automatic transmission in a car is no exception because it works of hydraulic pressure.
If your used car needs the transmission serviced find a shop that will drop the pan and change the filter. It is best if they can drain all the fluid out of the torque converter as well. Many of the newer cars do not have drain plugs on the torque converter so this may not be something that can be done. Some shops may have the equipment and knowledge of how to add a drain plug, so check with them about doing so. If you cannot drain the torque converter you may drive it 5 or 10 thousand miles and change it again if it seemed to be real dirty. I have had great success without having to change it twice.
The important thing to keep in mind is keep the fluids changed. It does not matter what type of equipment it is, whether an engine, transmission, car, truck, tractor, etc. You will have a lot less trouble and much more productivity from it, if you keep it serviced. All the years of working on cars and equipment one thing has always been true, When I see it for the first time I know if it is going to be a money maker for me and a loss for the owner just by how it has been maintained. If it is a car or any equipment that has only been serviced when it doesn’t run anymore, you can count on it having to have a lot of work as it gets older, and I would not trust that car across town. On the other hand I have seen cars 20 or 30 years old that were well maintained and I would trust them the same as a new one.
Leave a Reply