squirrelybird

have had my 91 3.1 a few years...bought with 118000...now has 140000 .....i have never changed tranny fluid, and have no clue as to when or if it was done prior to my ownership. when should tranny fluid be changed ?? flushed??? how often?? is it easy to do??

SSC

Its up in the air on this topic. Some say 20,000 miles or 3 years some say 10,000 miles or every other year. I change my fluid when I feel like it, every two years. The best thing you can do when changing your fluid is to install a drain plug B&M part # 80250. This will make future oil changes alot cleaner, well worth the $8. The only bad part about changing the fluid is without this drain plug it get VERY messy other than that its easy.

Mark A Shields

I believe stated is 20,000 miles. I know Vader as posted several service charts on the tech board.

Z28DJP1987

If you have no clue when it was changed last it would be a good time to do it. Forget about the change schedule, JUST DO IT NOW. I know someone will say don't do it on a high mileage transmission. Its your car.

Mark A Shields

Only time people say not to do it, is if the old fluid is burnt smelling, discolored with a lot of shavings in it.

squirrelybird

so what color should it be?red?? and what should it smell like?? i will change it when i go home over winter break (im at school, dont use my car too much anyway)

you said its easy....gimme an idea...(i have haynes at home, but would like an idea) just a drain ****??? dont have to drop the pan/replace gaskets??? no need to flush?? no filter to change??
any special fluid you recommend??

and what if i DO find burnt smell/ metal chips, etc???

wh0di

It SHOULD be red and smell like oil (not like a fireplace). That drain plug is a hillbilly modification. If you want to do it RIGHT there are 2 ways.

1) drop the pan, you should change the filter too. Its really not that hard

2) take off the input line to the transmission cooler. then start the car and keep pouring in fluid down the dipstick tube till the stuff coming out of the line turns red. (a.k.a. the tranny flush)

Mark A Shields

There is also a magnet in the pan, make sure you put it back in there if it falls out.

4L60bliss

Its reccomended every 30,000 miles. The "new" standard w/ new GM cars is 100,000 miles, but its just a marketing strategy because GM uses the same tranny and the same DexIII before the "100,000 mile" interval. Fluid should be red, however the older fluid gets, the more of a brown appearance its gets, so if its brown, but does not smell burnt, then your OK. If its burnt, pucker up your corn-hole and start pulling spare change out between the couch cushions because the inevitable is not far away.

biff85ta

I work in a quick change oil place and do flluid changes on vehicles all day with burnt fluid and everything else and changing the fluid can prevent a tranny failure but even if the fluid is burnt changing it anyway will not tear up your trans as much as not doing anything at all as far as the idea of flushing it as presribed above I could see where removing a line and pouring fluid in could work but be very careful about making sure not to run out of fluid or not to spill on the exhaust as it could cause a nice big fire if you are going to do it yourself I would stick to just the filter and change the fluid at about 10k instead of the 30k for a couple of times to get the old fluid out.

4L60bliss

I'll have to dissagree with that. If the fluid is burnt, damage has been done. If you are replacing it anyway, you are skating on thin ice. you may work at a quicklube place that does them all the time, and thats cool that you never had a problem, I hope it stays that way for you, however I work at a dealer as a transmission tech, and I do all the trannies that didn't turn out so well after being serviced at the quicklube places. Not trying to flame you, but I won't touch a tranny that is burnt, unless its going to be overhauled.

biff85ta

no offense taken I just do my job and I`m not sure I always agree with what I`m told to do but I just thought I would pass on my experience with things I know I`m not always right and I am always welcome to be corrected

MdFormula350

i need to change my fluid soon, havent since i got the car, thats about 10,000 miles....

4L60bliss

I hear that! I get told some crazy stuff sometimes...

squirrelybird

so drop the pan.....that gonna make a mess, huh?? oh well....then is the filter right there?? how much are the filters?? what fluid should i use...Gm dexIII??? and i have to get a gasket to huh?? should i use a regular gasket or that tube of rtf stuff???and im guessing the pan will need to be torqued to spec too, huh?? (torquewrench?)

thanks guys...i love hearing from you experts...family asks.."shouldnt you get some professional advice?" I already have, baby

wh0di

Dropping the pan wont make that much of a mess if you're careful. Use the Gm dexIII only, no trick shift BS. The filter and gasket are pretty cheap. I cant remember off-hand but it is not even an issue really.

squirrelybird

cool thanks....my haynes manual is less than helpful at times....it doesnt include tranny stuff.....soooo..

what torque do the bolts need to be???

and where do you guys ditch your tranny fluid?? the part stores only take oil

1MEAN92RS

Get the kit from NAPA. Theirs is a compound gasket, much better than the cork ones (kit comes with the filter) and it's about $20 I think. If you take your fluid to be recycled, just don't tell them it's tranny fluid before you pour it in. I was a lube tech (grease monkey) over the summer and all of our used oil and tranny fluid got mixed together for recycling. The correct torque is 12 ft/lbs. Start on bolts at opposite corners and work both around in the same direction. Remember to use at least 2 passes around the pan to get to 12 ft/lbs so it is torqued down evenly. The easiest wat to drop the pan is to loosen all the bolts a little with the ratchet and then start on one end. Take out all the bolts from that end and then start loosening the bolts on opposite sides so that the pan will drop on one end first... thus allowing you to ease the pan down slowly and not create a huge mess. After you get it all back together you will need between 4 and 5 quarts of ATF to fill it back up. Invest in some synthetic, it'll be well worth it in added hp and tranny longevity.

Later,
Harry

P.S. Don't forget to remove the old filter seal from the tranny! You will see what I'm talking about after you remove the old filter and compare it to the new. The seal might come out with the old filter, but it's not likely.

P.P.S. I sure hope that we are talking about a 700r4 here, cause nobody asked you whether it was stick or auto.

squirrelybird

ha thanks...you are right..i didnt notice until you mentioned the ATF...but yes, i have an auto 700r4.

HamSpiced

i dont think my trans fluids ever been changed and i have an 89 camaro. thats bad right??

1MEAN92RS

You should change your tranny fluid every 1-2 years or every 30,000 miles, whichever comes first. If you are really hard on your tranny, then every 20 - 25K would be a good bet.

Slow2.8

i looked at my fluid, it was brown, dont' know bout the smell, i plan on doing mine this friday..

ronterry

Oh lord, you guys talking about changing trannie oil!!!

THREE, that's right three last week...

My Vette got a new TCI steel pan, filter, & oil. (4L60E)
My Trans-Am got a new Jegs Aluminium pan, filter, oil, & accum-seal. (TH-350)
My Impala got a filter & oil change. (7.4 quarts !!! 4T65E)
On all of them I use Valvoline Max Life.

I am done with changing trannie oil...

Ron