Gbrewer

I've heard both sides of this story but have yet to get a definite answer wether it is bad to do this procedure at such a high mileage. The fluid is brown and the transmission is starting to act about 2% on the funny side. (has held 4th gear 1 time about 20 seconds on the freeway and then casually shifted into 5th) then the car slipped in 5th after that very very slightly.

Other than that, there have been no other issues and it hasn't done it again. I'm just really wanting to safety in this position and have heard automatics are way different. Hell, when we had 3rd gear grinds in our hondas years ago, we'd drain and refill and they work like a charm. What should I do?

Justin727

Even if it blows up or not it was bound to die sooner or later either before or after the flush...

Like Nike, Just Do It!

Why did you let the fluid go so long anyhow?

llllllllll

iTrader: (1)

What are the advantages of changing it?
What are the disadvantages?

What are the advantages of NOT changing it?
What are the disadvantages?

Answer those questions, your answer will be more clear......

RSTSpeed

iTrader: (4)

[QUOTE=Gbrewer;6012698]...should I change tranny fluid if brown?QUOTE]

YES. Fluid shouldn't be brown. By not changing it you're only going to do more damage.

Gbrewer

This is not necessarily true, I've been told by numerous techs here at work that by doing the flush that it will actually cause the particles that have been in the transmission for that length of time to disperse and possibly making it worse. By particles I mean small fragments that actually have constant contact and usage inside the tranny.

I guess over time these particles sort of become one with each other and by flushing them out the transmission ceases to have grip of some sort? Anyway you get what I mean, hopefully.

Seems like there's two sides to this story, the people that say definitely not to do it, and the people that say definitely do it. I took it on a trip and it did fine, it only did it once or twice the whole trip.

Justin727

This is the old domestic mentality. This is not true especially for jap cars. I also wouldn't think it's true even with domestics as I've seen a chevy truck bomb a transmission under 100k with brown trans fluid.

Here's the deal if you flush it NOW and afterward's you're feeling slipping or loose a gear it was only a matter of time before it did it with the brown fluid. Meaning the transmission has been toast for sometime and is a ticking time bomb. Does that make sense?

I can get into a book long bunch of paragraphs over this all day long but hopefully my brief intro intro dead trans above should be enough for you to make you're mind up.

BUT personally I would flush it once or twice. At the least if it kills the transmission there @ or near the shop, that sure the hell beats not changing it and being stuck on the side of the interstate or some country road somewhere.

I worked for toy/lex and I'm now working for Nissan/Inf and I've seen the scenario way too many times. It's an actual shame how many times you hear that thru customers and even green technicians. I understand why people think this way as a transmission job is costly for most people. but it in no way warrants any reason to neglect it further more. Hell you could save it before it's too late and gets to the point of no return.

Gbrewer

WOW! Very helpful! Thanks a bunch for the answer I've been in search for. I'll give it a shot for sure now! I'll be sure to post the results after getting it done!

Infamous 1

iTrader: (20)

I was always told to drain and fill, never flush.

Justin727

Well there is some truth to this but there are 2 sides of the story.
You don't see many of these machines which they call "force" Flush or "push" flushers. These are the ones to look out for as they can damage transmissions. They have a built in motor which will force fluid into the transmission. IE: irregular pressures(forced) can kill internals. These types of machines are the ones that bring truth to that statement.

The best ones are the "puller" flushes which the machine allows the transmission itself to suck new fluid thru 1 cooler line and dump the old fluid out of the other cooler line. Therefore your pressure stay within factory tolerances. The transmission itself is doing the flush and is not being forced to do so.

I've seen people do this @ home with two 5 gallon buckets. 1 full of clean fluid and the other empty ready to catch the nasty fluid. They just simply unhook the hoses that travel to the cooler and use them to do this type of flush.

The one we use in the shop is just a fancy version of this. It has a little hamster wheel as I call it to show you have the lines hooked up correctly and that the flow is there. It's a cart that basicly has the clean tank and dirty tank and a buzzer to let you know when it's complete.

The other alternative is to drain and fill the transmission OR do what they call a trans pan service. Drain it, get a gasket, take the pan off, clean out pan with brake cleaner, take down stainless mesh filter, clean it out with brake cleaner. Reinstall the filter, pan/gasket, and fill. May have to drain and fill a few times over a period of 1-3 months to get the fuild clean because the converter has to cycle it thru.

I performed a flush @ 90k and the next service will be a trans pan service. I do not use any fancy cleaners or conditioners either as most fluids come with them already.

If this is any confusing I'm sorry as Im at work.

Justin727

If you're really worried about the whole ordeal I suggest taking it to a Toy/Lex dealer. It may cost more than jiffy lube, etc. But they have the equipment to do it correctly. Also to be honest the last few quick lubes I've passed thru on trips still had the pusher type machines. BUT piece of mind is worth the cost!

RSTSpeed

iTrader: (4)

I was under the impression that when you drop the pan the converter drains, too, since it is higher. Is that not true?

Gbrewer

Well I've tried to call my guy over at lexus for the past week and he's be unresponsive, I always seem to get his voicemail. An a little background on myself, I'm 24 and have ran though about 20 hondas since 15 before getting a BMW 325i and then now this car, and honestly, this is the best car I've owned IMO. I used to do the motor swaps and suspension, basic mantainence, ect. But now I'm just too busy to do all of this so to a degree I have some sort of expertise but not what you are telling me. Hondas are a little bit more basic but not a whole lot.

I guess the big question mark was the automatic trans itself. Ha, and here I am a week ago getting a totally different opinion from my BMW techs here at work (in sales). But anyway, yeah I think I'll start with a drain and refill, and if that doesn't help, I'll retry with a flush. In the end, these trannys are so cheap these days I can probably rebuild the one I have or buy a new one for around $500 it seems. Thanks again!

Justin727

Probably some but not all. You ever pull out a drained trans? The converter has a good bit of fluid still in it.

No problem G! I've been able to find auto e-shifts between the 350-500 shipped range here and there