I've got a 2007 G5 (my project car) on making it safe for a needy family (for free). It's probably never had a Trans flush. No dipstick. A mechanic advised against a flush it might stir up metal and cause problems. But if I drop pan, clean pan, and replace filter should be OK, no? (Rather than just flushing through coolant lines)
Yeah absolutely. I would start with just draining and replacing one quart of fluid and see what happens..... When you drop the pan, it can sometimes be 4 to 5 quarts and that might be a little bit too much. You're introducing all of that detergent filled fluid, as well as removing old fluid. Sometimes when your clutch packs are really worn, the friction material can actually hang out in the old fluid and that can be enough to cause the transmission to continue shifting. Drain that out and replace new fluid, and it can be a death sentence for old transmissions.
There's an ongoing debate about whether flushing is beneficial or not. But burnt transmission fluid isn't a good thing and indicates a problem somewhere else. 🤷🏻♂️
If you are really on a budget, id just ad fluid to bring up the level. I know you said no dipstick, but theres always a way to check the level. The risk of changing out ANY fluid out weighs tge benefits...even just 1 quart. Why? Id just make sure it was topped off and leave it alone.
I did the fluid on my Outback with 200k miles and it smoothed the transmission out a ton. 3-4 drain+fills and a TCM relearn made made most shifts imperceptible. Before, it would lurch and clunk pretty bad. The main thing is to check for suspended clutch material, as stated. I'd be leery of burned-smelling fluid too. Mine was very dark but smelled ok, and had no glitteriness to indicate anything suspended in it. Drain and fills won't unseat gunk the same way a flush will.
Hey Faye 🙂 My Grandfather whom was a A Grade Mechanic and ran a shop instructed me NEVER to trust a shop so hence I learned to fix my own vehicles and change my own oils 😉
@@justinuv I'd bet grandpa saw enough people busting stuff and charging the customers for it or charging the customers for things they didn't fix right or at all.
My brother took his older car in for transmission fluid change due to the dark color, the shop refused. They told him the grit in the fluid was keeping the transmission from slipping (high mileage car, never had a fluid change). He changed it himself. the transmission slipped. My son's VW maintenance interval was at 50k. They replaced it regardless of color. Transmission fluid seems to be a complicated topic.
Thank you Faye! A clear and concise way to educate the customer and give them a line on the professionals maintaining their car vs the people who just see them as a number coming in the door. Nicely done!
Faye, I'm a 69-year-old retired transmission shop owner. ASE Master Certified, over 40 years rebuilding experience. If you think I'm going to "correct" you on your video... YOU'RE WRONG! You said everything 100% correct. With your personality, thanks for being a shining beacon in a dim industry! Keep posting your videos.
@@YourTransmissionRepair- I wish I'd known that before I listened to my Ford dealership. They said Flush N Fill was recommended and all it did was trash my tranny and cost me $7k
I'm 60yo, worked on everything from go karts.. 747s and nitro funnycar's. And nowadays won't touch my Tacoma until I watch your video's. How absolutely proud your family must be of you !
Fay, you over look something about the factory service manual. they will often recommend no transmission fluid changes at all on modern cars (our Lexus has such a recommendation). This is NOT good maintenance practice. the Federal government has put pressure on car manufacturers to reduce the environmental "foot print", and have gone to much longer oil and coolant change intervals to satisfy these thoughtless federal criteria. It may reduced it in the short run, but it will greatly shorten the life of the engine and transmissions. The manufacturers will be happy to sell you a new car of course. But sending a good car to the crush because of bad maintenance practice does not help the environment. It benefits the manufacturer to tell you never change our transmission fluid. Change it like they always used to tell us: 30,000 miles, or more often in harsh or dusty environments. Same is true with engine oil and coolant, the old rules still apply. I am a mechanical engineer and worked in the Automotive industry for a decade. Do not trust government mandates as the best maintenance practices, they have other motivations besides keeping your car running longer.
If it’s never been changed I would be wary of doing it on a modern transmission. Old stuff from the 60s to 90s it’s probably best to change the fluid every 80,000 kms or so. My 84 Chevy van has 167,000 kms on it and the fluid smells a bit burnt so it’s getting changed along with the filter next spring.
It's nice to have a dip stick for your transmission! But alot of new cars don't have one. But you're exactly right about the color and smell! I've had my fair share that are brown or really dark!
Hi whatcha up to hope all is well sending up prayers 4 healing and unspoken and 4 everyone and bless great healthy peaceful safe journeys travels and happy day everyday in name of the Creator God/ Yahweh and Yeshua/ Jesus and the Holy Ghost/Spirit Amen much honor and respect keep walking tall always and keep on keeping on pushing forward one step at a time and cool cool video keep walking tall always 🕊🦅👍👍💪🙂👍👍
For those with a CVT transmissions, do a drain and fill every 25,000-30,000. Do it regardless of what the owners manual says, or what the dealership says. They often have 2 filters as well.
Use the used transmission fluid when changing your oil. Just a quart to cycle the engine will help clean the oil from the engine. It's a detergent, it will clean.
Owner manual gets you to the warranty period, and many manuals do not take care of your car long-term. Look at the Ford Explorer with the manual calling the PTU unit a lifetime unit not needing any service. That unit contains less that a quart of flued and is between the engine, transmission and CC so it gets hot and eventually cooks off. Thus the super high failure rate of the PTU in Ford exlorers, but if you change this fluid every 30-60k they'll last the life of the car vs the warrenty.
Last time i changed trans fluid on my 1994 dodge dakota was 20 years ago that wasn't my plan to wait so long just neglected it.Fluid is still red alittle dark smells good no trans issues. I think the truck will fall apart before the trans does :)
Bought my truck used wayyy back in almost 2006…changed the Fluid at about 130-40k miles. Figured the transmission would buggar out on me if I was lucky at 200k because many did. So I just didn’t plan to do another change and now it’s nearing 300k.
I'd be curious of your thoughts about a Toyota transmission that has never been serviced and now approaching 80k to 100k or more miles. Would a drain and fill be safe? Or leave it alone now?
Most transmission places I asked about this said they wouldn't touch it at that point. One mechanic (who owns a Toyota truck) told me that if you're going to be changing the fluid is to start at around 50K miles. (Assuming that it's a sealed one)
Does your vehicle have a dip stick? Can you inspect the fluid as Faye demonstrates in the video? Because if the fluid isn't too far gone you can drain and fill however if the fluid is black and burnt it's too late.
We just got a vehicle with a CVT transmission. Even though it just gets driven normally, I plan to follow the severe service interval for servicing the CVT transmission.
thank you for the tip, it is very informative, if you could compile them, it would be useful for viewers if the maintenance tips were all in a playlist so that they are easier to find like a "Faye's Fix List" or a "Hadley's Hints"
Changing the transmission fluid is a must and a transmission cooler will help your transmission fluid last longer. The cooler you keep that transmission the better . Don’t forget to flush the torque converter.
I don't know about new transmissions, but I was always told that if you don't do the scheduled maintenance, then don't do it ever. With vehicles from the 70s - 90s with over 100k miles, you definitely could feel the difference when driving. My vehicles usually get changed when one of the cooler lines rusts and dumps the fluid on the ground.😊
I hope Faye addresses this. I've heard many different takes on this. I'm thinking about draining some or all on mine and then adding new fluid but not flushing. My thought is I don't want to disrupt it too much but I want the fresh additives of the new fluid.
That all depends on how bad the fluid is. If you pull the stick and it feels gritty and is black it's a toss up. The thinking is that if you change it, that grit might be the only thing giving the clutches/bands any grip. Flush it out and you get slip. I think the bigger thing is that many times that happens if you only do a flush and don't drop the pan and change the filter at the same time, all the crud gets into the filter and starves the pump and your trans fries itself. The question then is, If the trans was so far gone that the new fluid killed it, you have been on borrowed time for a while. Now if you have any of the JATCO CVTs you are on borrowed time since they rolled off the assembly line anyway...
Depends on transmission and use. Gm 6L80 truck trans that has not been serviced AT LEAST every 50,000 miles, yep, you are stuck NEVER touching it. Now a Honda 5 speed auto that lives on DW1 fluid, as long as the fluid is not black or "burnt toast" burned, you might actually help it. Same can be said for Toyota's with 3,4,5 or 6 speed automatics. If the fluid is too far gone, you might open up a can of worms. Worth a shot, but always assess and be prepared for the positive and negative outcomes.
Ahhhh just keep the same fluid forever 😅 or have a few leaks and it becomes a total loss system lol always fresh and clean. it’s when the leaks stop you have big problems. Plus , a little oil and other fluids always helped keeping the dust down on the backroads 👍
You forgot to cycle threw the gears staying in each gear for a second or two. But your awsome keep up the teachings. Every one man OR WOMAN (i dont do pronouns sorry your one or the other and if you die and get buried if someone was to dig you up years down the road you will be identified as such by your bones) anyhow everyone should know how to change a tore check oil and possible change it if not for sure add it when needed (yes some even new cars and tuned cars do burn oil and will ne to be topped up between changes). Was at a gas station the other day and 2 females offerd to pay me to put air in the tire because she couldnt figure it out. You shouldnt be driving then! It should be a requirement to get a licence to be able to maintain your vechicle and what/how to do things in a emergency like change a tire. Could acualy save lifes if you think about it if more people knew how to fix a blow out there would be less people on the side of the road for a less amount of time thus reducing the chance of injury or death by other drivers and such. Keep up the videos!
As a mechanic, I’m done arguing or trying to convince people to service their transmission. I’ll recommend it but if you don’t think it needs it that’s fine by me, I don’t need the practice. We sell transmissions too.
On my 2013 Ford Explorer Sport, dealership said it's recommended to do transmission flush n fill at 100k miles. I was early 80k so I said "go for it". Well not 6 months later I had to spend over $7,000 for a complete transmission rebuild. Dealership wanted to replace it but I took it to a transmission shop and they were able to save me a significant amount of money just rebuilding it. THEY TOLD ME, You should never flush and fill because a flush is done under pressure and if you ever have debris in your transmission fluid, the pressure will push that up into the Electronic Control Module (ECM) and that has very small passage ways that can be easily plugged by the debris. They said they think that's what happened to my car because they had to also replace the ECM. Meanwhile I've talked to sooo many people that are like "Oh I have over 300,000 miles on my car and never once touched the transmission fluid. Moral of the story, drain and fill only. Never flush.
Or we can also just listen to manufacturers that say it's lifetime fluid. That freaks people out, but Blackstone Lab wrote an article verifying it's validity. Modern transmission fluids really don't need to be touched. Also like you I know tons of people that never touch their transmission and have 200k plus miles without issues.
Except when you drain out the "dirty" fluid and put in clean fluid, but your transmission is so old it needs the "dirty" fluid to create friction in the gears, but since you took that away now it can't shift properly and goes to trash.
I've been instructed by several of my mechanic friends that if you change the transmission fluid on the recommended schedule, it's ok to do so. But, if you have missed the schedule , it's better to not change it and leave it original. I had a Honda Odyssey that had over 200,000 miles with the original tranny fluid from the factory. I only got rid of the car because of the rust, but the engine ran like new. I did always do my regular oil changes, btw.
I'd have to say changing it late is way better than never changing the fluid at all but what do I know I've only been a mechanic for 50 years or so smh
I've been reading that it has been mentioned to replace the transmission fluid , every 30000 or 40000 . No mention though I would replace filter at those times also . And on RUclips some are doing a " passive flush " . Which seems to be the disconnecting of the hoses from the transmission cooler . One end suctioning up new fluid to force old fluid out the other , vehicle running of course . Rather than the " drain and fill " of how many times .
Mechanic rules to live by: change transmission fluid often (you literally can’t change it too often, unlike motor oil where there are time release additives) My personal rule to live by having worked on cars for 25 years: never flush a transmission. Drop the pan or simply drain and fill if there is a bung. If you drop the pan, use an OE filter and if necessary replace the gasket (many are silicon and don’t need replacing but it doesn’t hurt if you want to spend the money on a new one.) The solution to pollution is dilution. You don’t need to get all the old fluid out, just change what you can every 30k or whatever the interval for your vehicle is. Again, you can’t change it too often. Personally I do mine every 30k with a pan drop and filter replacement. Total capacity is 8 quarts and I can only get 5 quarts in with a pan drop.
@@hobo1704You’re wrong. Flushing can make little pieces get jammed in crevices of the tranny. The same thing applies to engines (you never flush a engine either).
Back in late 2021, my 2nd gen tacoma was experiencing a tranny shudder at 30-40 mph. I did a drain & fill putting in Valvoline Maxlife ATF and she's been running smooth since then!
Not to hijack, Be careful changing out you’re 100,000 trans fluid. Best way to this is suck out with A pump 5 quarts then mix new fluid in and drive. A few hundred miles later suck out 5 more quarts ! Keep doing it slowly till it’s gets better. I’m no mechanic but I slept in a holiday inn express last night
I have 1 rule I have followed my entire life so far and that is for transmissions every 45k miles if its a CVT every 25k-30k miles and got a cousin with a Nissan Maxima that has made it to over 200k miles on a CVT because it was serviced well and not driven super hard. Oil changes I have always gone every 5k miles synthetic and every 3k miles conventional. I have seen the inside of some of these every 10k mile oil change intervals No Thanks!
I haven't had the tranny fluid replaced in my Supra or Celica, but both are pretty bright red. Not sure if that matters if it's been years and years though, I assume moisture still gets in there?
Those clutch packs bands don't last forever. If you do highway miles with little to no shifting, they're going to last. ATF is a lubricant and hydraulic fluid. Changing not a bad idea. Depending on your religion, clutch particulate will give you more friction. It's also going wear those bands and packs out faster. I'd rather know valves and gear train are being lubricated. Our family owns 5 Honda's and I watch those transmissions like a hawk.
Hi Faye! I'm glad I found your channel. Quick question. I have a 2007 Ford Focus with 90,000 miles. Tranny fluid appears okay. The transmission fluid has NEVER been changed. If I get this done, will I be asking for trouble? Let me know if you can Mateo, Erie, PA
You are rather awesome. 98 Rav 4 low miles 50k. Drive it 145 miles a day mail route on crappy roads. Thinking I should service the tranny??? Roads have been snowy/sloppy for quite a while now. Going to check the fluid and smell. Thanks
I have a 2003 Toyota Sequoia which I purchased brand new. I gotten the transmission flushed at 30k miles intervals. To date, I have just over 300k miles and have never had any issues with my transmission. In contrast, I've gotten the engine oil drained and refilled at 5K mile intervals. No issues with the engine. I don't think I've wasted my money on the flush, consdering my brother has had transmission issues (incl. a rebuild) with his 2007 Dodge Ram.
I have a 2019 Hyundai Elantra sport with DCT transmission. The clutch plates had to be replaced at 30k miles. Is this normal for those? Luckily it was still under warranty and Hyundai replaced them. I’m just fearing do they need to be replaced often?
Just gave my torque converter some extra life in my Honda. 122k miles. Did a true flush and boom shutter gone. The breakdown of atf allows the pressures to be lower, which will cause pressure switch problems. The shop I work at does Trans Services every 30k. We have several cars that have been coming here for almost 30 years. We'll over 500k. BTW, they are Toyotas. 😆
My low tire light is on in my 2013 Toyota Corolla. I just had the air in all my tires filled up on 10-5-23. The light is still on and will not go off. What do you suggest? Thanks.
I changed mine at 192k and it was brown, burnt water that I not in good conscience put back in. No more torque converter shutter and everything works better now. How about doing a video on Toyota starter contact rebuilding. I see to many people buying Chinese replacements
I just bought a 1994 Toyota pick up with 157k miles and I checked the ATF. It’s a brown color not burnt. It has a little jerk when It shifts from first and second then it smooth sailing. Would you recommend I change it? I’ve been told by my neighbors that if I do it will start to slip.
How do you tell on a sealed transmission with lifetime fluid? You don’t, just use common sense and figure every 40-50k miles to do a drain and fill fluid exchange.
Oh contrare bonjour. I drove Torqueflites and never ever even pulled the stick. They were built right. If anything was wrong you'd experience a slip between 1st & 2nd, a flair or runaway for 1/10 of a second which meant low fluid level. The books said the trans should outlast the car, and they often did ben/ michigan
It isn’t very often that I say this, but for this one time don’t follow your user manual when they say “lifetime fluid” or “seal for life”. Do a pan drop with new filter every 30k miles and you should be golden.
My Mechanic only takes the Pan out and Filter and puts in new plastic pan with built in filter and fills it up with ATF ( 4 litres ). He says the garage does have the machine to flush out the ATF from torque converter but doesn't have the rights fittings for my car. The Torque converter is not flushed out and has around 8 Litres of burnt ATF inside it. Another mechanic from different garage told me that Flushing out Torque Converter on newer cars can be damage the transmission as the machine is pushing out the burnt fluid with new ATF. I have 6 speed ZF Auto transmission on my Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo that was sold in Australia Only. @Faye Hadley do you flush out Torque converters on cars that are made from 2003 - present ?
Most Toyotas have a sealed transmission so theres no dipstick. For Toyotas, every 60k miles for non hybrid transmissions & 80k for hybrid vehicles. If your vehicle has over 100k miles just leave the fluid alone, changing it will screw it all up at that point.
Drain and fill, don't flush. Some cars, for instance ecotech chevy's, tend to blow seals when you have them 'flushed' mechnically. I've known 2 people personally who ruined their transmissions this way. And there are plenty more on the forums.
I did my wifes 2011 Santa Fe last year, no dip stick..plug method (let tranny heat to Temp and when it comes out plug, its full). I pulled out 5qt and out new 5qt in. I meant to do it again in month to get the rest...but that was a year ago now. Whats in the tranny pan is not all if the ATF in system. (Tc holds a bunch and the body)
Not all vehicles need trans service. Like Toyota from 2000 on up don't need a trans service. If you pull the dip stick it's says on the stick do not service trans fluid. But the dealer alway trys selling it when it life time fluid. The ower manual doesn't even have a service interval for it. What she not telling you is trans fluid is detergent and if you don't service your trans the mileage that is recommended and you go way over. Don't even bother servicing it. Because the old fluid is broken down and not cleaning anything. So that leaves dirty and grim holding your trans together. So flushing it will cause problems. Like leaks you my have not had before. And the worst slipping in gear. That dirt can be holding that clutch pack together, and now that it's clean, the clutches will slip.
I had a 2005 toyota tacoma brand new and around 110k miles the transmission started to slip. Put Lucas tranny slip which helped but I knew it wasn't going to last. Sold it and bought a 2015 brand new and around 50k drained and added Lucas tranny slip to prevent and not only that, with the 2005 I only always put it in drive and never ran it through the rest just reverse, on my 2015 I drive in 4 and when I get on the freeway I put it in drive and run through the whole tranny options at a stoplight religiously because I don't want that tranny slip to happen again.
Something that's really bothering me since i bought my new car 🚗 is how do remove these wster spots? I never noticed them before with my old mustangs because i just didn't care. 😁😎 Curious about your advice.
Such a dork I love it lol. Can you explain the ol saying about changing your fluid will cause a trans to burn up. I’ve had this happen twice with 80s model chevys and th350 auto trans. I changed filter and fluid and a month later it was done for
Same guy that has been my Mechanic for over 20 years do not mess with it as long as it is RED … Once it turns brown, it is probably too late and you have a Problem with the Transmission … Naturally we are talking Street Legal every day drivers … Not hot rods and Dragsters or just run the crap out of your vehicle …
What about the sealed transmission on my charger scat pack? No dip stick 🤦♂️. I had BMW with the sealed transmission, place where I used to get it serviced recommended not to change it because I never did it since I had the car, it was high mileage, they stated that if I did change it it will cause issues, the new fluid would have detergents and it will break down all the old fluid in the system and that's where issues would come from. What do you recommend with these sealed transmissions? Not really cost effective, because the transmission fluid pan and the filter are all just one piece, you would have to purchase a new transmission fluid pan every time 🤦♂️
My favourite part of the video is when you did the burnt toast and sweet cherry balancer thingo that was just mega cute i like the way you explain stuff just so helpful and cute
from my brief scan of the comments, i suppose i should just wait for my transmission to fail. i have a 2005 Tundra with something like 265,000 miles on it. i seem to be the 3rd owner, and i can find no evidence that the sealed 5 speed automatic transmission has ever been serviced. as far as service records go, the only ones i can find involve a warranty replacement of the differential and the mandatory recall for the air bag, which was done in July of this year.
I've got a 2007 G5 (my project car) on making it safe for a needy family (for free). It's probably never had a Trans flush. No dipstick. A mechanic advised against a flush it might stir up metal and cause problems. But if I drop pan, clean pan, and replace filter should be OK, no? (Rather than just flushing through coolant lines)
Yeah absolutely. I would start with just draining and replacing one quart of fluid and see what happens..... When you drop the pan, it can sometimes be 4 to 5 quarts and that might be a little bit too much. You're introducing all of that detergent filled fluid, as well as removing old fluid. Sometimes when your clutch packs are really worn, the friction material can actually hang out in the old fluid and that can be enough to cause the transmission to continue shifting. Drain that out and replace new fluid, and it can be a death sentence for old transmissions.
There's an ongoing debate about whether flushing is beneficial or not. But burnt transmission fluid isn't a good thing and indicates a problem somewhere else. 🤷🏻♂️
If you are really on a budget, id just ad fluid to bring up the level. I know you said no dipstick, but theres always a way to check the level. The risk of changing out ANY fluid out weighs tge benefits...even just 1 quart. Why? Id just make sure it was topped off and leave it alone.
I did the fluid on my Outback with 200k miles and it smoothed the transmission out a ton. 3-4 drain+fills and a TCM relearn made made most shifts imperceptible. Before, it would lurch and clunk pretty bad. The main thing is to check for suspended clutch material, as stated. I'd be leery of burned-smelling fluid too. Mine was very dark but smelled ok, and had no glitteriness to indicate anything suspended in it. Drain and fills won't unseat gunk the same way a flush will.
@@tubbs2132 that's very interesting. So, drain and fills suctioning through the filler tube or removing the pan?
always clear, concise and correct info. Faye is a legit wrencher.
She is something.
Hey Faye 🙂 My Grandfather whom was a A Grade Mechanic and ran a shop instructed me NEVER to trust a shop so hence I learned to fix my own vehicles and change my own oils 😉
He ran a shop, but yet said don’t trust a shop? That makes no sense or grandpa was shady!!! 😂
@@justinuv Not his shop sfb
@@justinuv I'd bet grandpa saw enough people busting stuff and charging the customers for it or charging the customers for things they didn't fix right or at all.
@@Mark_Linfordwouldn’t trust his shop
@@daw162 You got it 👍
All fluids have a service life!! When you exceed that life the wear factor initiates.
My brother took his older car in for transmission fluid change due to the dark color, the shop refused. They told him the grit in the fluid was keeping the transmission from slipping (high mileage car, never had a fluid change). He changed it himself. the transmission slipped. My son's VW maintenance interval was at 50k. They replaced it regardless of color. Transmission fluid seems to be a complicated topic.
Thank you Faye! A clear and concise way to educate the customer and give them a line on the professionals maintaining their car vs the people who just see them as a number coming in the door. Nicely done!
Faye, I'm a 69-year-old retired transmission shop owner.
ASE Master Certified, over 40 years rebuilding experience. If you think I'm going to "correct" you on your video... YOU'RE WRONG! You said everything 100% correct. With your personality, thanks for being a shining beacon in a dim industry! Keep posting your videos.
With all that experience - what's your take? Drain and fill or flush and fill?
@@jontnoneya3404 No manufacturer recommends a flush, ever. Drain, change the filter, and refill with OEM-approved fluid.
@@YourTransmissionRepair- I wish I'd known that before I listened to my Ford dealership. They said Flush N Fill was recommended and all it did was trash my tranny and cost me $7k
The problem with the owner's manual is that it was written by lawyers who are trying to please the EPA.
Good morning Faye! It's not even Friday yet and we got a new video! Thank you 😉
I'm 60yo, worked on everything from go karts.. 747s and nitro funnycar's. And nowadays won't touch my Tacoma until I watch your video's. How absolutely proud your family must be of you !
Fay, you over look something about the factory service manual. they will often recommend no transmission fluid changes at all on modern cars (our Lexus has such a recommendation). This is NOT good maintenance practice. the Federal government has put pressure on car manufacturers to reduce the environmental "foot print", and have gone to much longer oil and coolant change intervals to satisfy these thoughtless federal criteria. It may reduced it in the short run, but it will greatly shorten the life of the engine and transmissions. The manufacturers will be happy to sell you a new car of course. But sending a good car to the crush because of bad maintenance practice does not help the environment. It benefits the manufacturer to tell you never change our transmission fluid. Change it like they always used to tell us: 30,000 miles, or more often in harsh or dusty environments. Same is true with engine oil and coolant, the old rules still apply. I am a mechanical engineer and worked in the Automotive industry for a decade. Do not trust government mandates as the best maintenance practices, they have other motivations besides keeping your car running longer.
Anyone who reads this paragraph, listen this guy is right
Yes. Any manufacturer that says it is a sealed unit only wants your money in the future when it is stuffed..
If it’s never been changed I would be wary of doing it on a modern transmission. Old stuff from the 60s to 90s it’s probably best to change the fluid every 80,000 kms or so. My 84 Chevy van has 167,000 kms on it and the fluid smells a bit burnt so it’s getting changed along with the filter next spring.
Soooooooooo likable, knowledgeable, intelligent, competent, cute, fun, good-natured, sexy, beautiful, perspicatious, loveable,
etc, etc, etc.
It's nice to have a dip stick for your transmission! But alot of new cars don't have one. But you're exactly right about the color and smell! I've had my fair share that are brown or really dark!
Oh my gosh I know my sealed transmission version of this video is coming up next!!
@@FayeHadley lol I thought so! Just wanted to say something. I hope everything is going good for you, hubby and your chicken babies!
Hey Faye, once again excellent job definitely one of the more overlooked fluids in the vehicle. Keep up the great work have a great one.🐔🐔🐔👍
Hi whatcha up to hope all is well sending up prayers 4 healing and unspoken and 4 everyone and bless great healthy peaceful safe journeys travels and happy day everyday in name of the Creator God/ Yahweh and Yeshua/ Jesus and the Holy Ghost/Spirit Amen much honor and respect keep walking tall always and keep on keeping on pushing forward one step at a time and cool cool video keep walking tall always
🕊🦅👍👍💪🙂👍👍
Love your videos! Was there at all girls garage a few years ago with my 2019 mustang GT! Class act then, class act now!
My 2014 Corolla has 277K miles on the CVT fluid (no dipstick) & still going strong.
Always a pleasure Faye and Thank you for the knowledge. Peace ✌.
For those with a CVT transmissions, do a drain and fill every 25,000-30,000. Do it regardless of what the owners manual says, or what the dealership says. They often have 2 filters as well.
Use the used transmission fluid when changing your oil. Just a quart to cycle the engine will help clean the oil from the engine. It's a detergent, it will clean.
Owner manual gets you to the warranty period, and many manuals do not take care of your car long-term. Look at the Ford Explorer with the manual calling the PTU unit a lifetime unit not needing any service. That unit contains less that a quart of flued and is between the engine, transmission and CC so it gets hot and eventually cooks off. Thus the super high failure rate of the PTU in Ford exlorers, but if you change this fluid every 30-60k they'll last the life of the car vs the warrenty.
Last time i changed trans fluid on my 1994 dodge dakota was 20 years ago that wasn't my plan to wait so long just neglected it.Fluid is still red alittle dark smells good no trans issues. I think the truck will fall apart before the trans does :)
Hey, you are undeniably the hottest mech on RUclips! ) Greetings from fighting Ukraine!)
Bought my truck used wayyy back in almost 2006…changed the Fluid at about 130-40k miles. Figured the transmission would buggar out on me if I was lucky at 200k because many did.
So I just didn’t plan to do another change and now it’s nearing 300k.
PLEASE keep making videos! Your information and personality are wonderful to follow. Thank you so much!
Great job Faye. Good info
Girl, I absolutely love your videos.
what did we do all these years without your help... nothing you can saiy hasnt already been said a million times over by much better mechanics
Trans fluid change is one of the few things where I can instantly feel a noticeably positive different in my suv.
I'd be curious of your thoughts about a Toyota transmission that has never been serviced and now approaching 80k to 100k or more miles. Would a drain and fill be safe? Or leave it alone now?
I have 424k on my 98 4runner never replaced the trans fluid still runs great!
Most transmission places I asked about this said they wouldn't touch it at that point. One mechanic (who owns a Toyota truck) told me that if you're going to be changing the fluid is to start at around 50K miles.
(Assuming that it's a sealed one)
Does your vehicle have a dip stick? Can you inspect the fluid as Faye demonstrates in the video? Because if the fluid isn't too far gone you can drain and fill however if the fluid is black and burnt it's too late.
100k isn’t THAT high. I would personally do a fluid change (not a flush) as to keep at least some of the old fluid still in the transmission.
@@SergiuM42
It's high enough that most trans shops wouldn't touch it.
We just got a vehicle with a CVT transmission. Even though it just gets driven normally, I plan to follow the severe service interval for servicing the CVT transmission.
thank you for the tip, it is very informative, if you could compile them, it would be useful for viewers if the maintenance tips were all in a playlist so that they are easier to find like a "Faye's Fix List" or a "Hadley's Hints"
It's in my "automotive advice" and "Toyota maintenance" playlists
Changing the transmission fluid is a must and a transmission cooler will help your transmission fluid last longer. The cooler you keep that transmission the better . Don’t forget to flush the torque converter.
I wish Toyota would make a drain and fill a standard maintenance item on CVTs. I want my corolla to last 300k miles!
I don't know about new transmissions, but I was always told that if you don't do the scheduled maintenance, then don't do it ever.
With vehicles from the 70s - 90s with over 100k miles, you definitely could feel the difference when driving.
My vehicles usually get changed when one of the cooler lines rusts and dumps the fluid on the ground.😊
I hope Faye addresses this. I've heard many different takes on this. I'm thinking about draining some or all on mine and then adding new fluid but not flushing. My thought is I don't want to disrupt it too much but I want the fresh additives of the new fluid.
That all depends on how bad the fluid is. If you pull the stick and it feels gritty and is black it's a toss up. The thinking is that if you change it, that grit might be the only thing giving the clutches/bands any grip. Flush it out and you get slip. I think the bigger thing is that many times that happens if you only do a flush and don't drop the pan and change the filter at the same time, all the crud gets into the filter and starves the pump and your trans fries itself. The question then is, If the trans was so far gone that the new fluid killed it, you have been on borrowed time for a while. Now if you have any of the JATCO CVTs you are on borrowed time since they rolled off the assembly line anyway...
Depends on transmission and use. Gm 6L80 truck trans that has not been serviced AT LEAST every 50,000 miles, yep, you are stuck NEVER touching it.
Now a Honda 5 speed auto that lives on DW1 fluid, as long as the fluid is not black or "burnt toast" burned, you might actually help it.
Same can be said for Toyota's with 3,4,5 or 6 speed automatics. If the fluid is too far gone, you might open up a can of worms.
Worth a shot, but always assess and be prepared for the positive and negative outcomes.
The same principle applies to new transmissions, and maybe even worse. If they havent been serviced/flushed way past their interval, leave them alone.
With most of the newer units, just making it to the first change is doing good !@@rustedhorsepower5132
I change my fluid every 20 minutes just to be safe
I would do drain the fluid and change the filter but never a flush.
Ahhhh just keep the same fluid forever 😅 or have a few leaks and it becomes a total loss system lol always fresh and clean. it’s when the leaks stop you have big problems. Plus , a little oil and other fluids always helped keeping the dust down on the backroads 👍
You forgot to cycle threw the gears staying in each gear for a second or two.
But your awsome keep up the teachings. Every one man OR WOMAN (i dont do pronouns sorry your one or the other and if you die and get buried if someone was to dig you up years down the road you will be identified as such by your bones) anyhow everyone should know how to change a tore check oil and possible change it if not for sure add it when needed (yes some even new cars and tuned cars do burn oil and will ne to be topped up between changes). Was at a gas station the other day and 2 females offerd to pay me to put air in the tire because she couldnt figure it out. You shouldnt be driving then! It should be a requirement to get a licence to be able to maintain your vechicle and what/how to do things in a emergency like change a tire. Could acualy save lifes if you think about it if more people knew how to fix a blow out there would be less people on the side of the road for a less amount of time thus reducing the chance of injury or death by other drivers and such.
Keep up the videos!
Wow, your hot! Look too young for the '90's ... great vids just subbed. 😁
Lake Havasu 🌞 Az
I was born in '86! Thank you!
@@FayeHadley 😋
As a mechanic, I’m done arguing or trying to convince people to service their transmission. I’ll recommend it but if you don’t think it needs it that’s fine by me, I don’t need the practice. We sell transmissions too.
Unexpected wife vibes ngl. Love and respect.
On my 2013 Ford Explorer Sport, dealership said it's recommended to do transmission flush n fill at 100k miles. I was early 80k so I said "go for it". Well not 6 months later I had to spend over $7,000 for a complete transmission rebuild. Dealership wanted to replace it but I took it to a transmission shop and they were able to save me a significant amount of money just rebuilding it. THEY TOLD ME, You should never flush and fill because a flush is done under pressure and if you ever have debris in your transmission fluid, the pressure will push that up into the Electronic Control Module (ECM) and that has very small passage ways that can be easily plugged by the debris. They said they think that's what happened to my car because they had to also replace the ECM.
Meanwhile I've talked to sooo many people that are like "Oh I have over 300,000 miles on my car and never once touched the transmission fluid.
Moral of the story, drain and fill only. Never flush.
Or we can also just listen to manufacturers that say it's lifetime fluid. That freaks people out, but Blackstone Lab wrote an article verifying it's validity. Modern transmission fluids really don't need to be touched. Also like you I know tons of people that never touch their transmission and have 200k plus miles without issues.
Except when you drain out the "dirty" fluid and put in clean fluid, but your transmission is so old it needs the "dirty" fluid to create friction in the gears, but since you took that away now it can't shift properly and goes to trash.
I've been instructed by several of my mechanic friends that if you change the transmission fluid on the recommended schedule, it's ok to do so. But, if you have missed the schedule , it's better to not change it and leave it original. I had a Honda Odyssey that had over 200,000 miles with the original tranny fluid from the factory. I only got rid of the car because of the rust, but the engine ran like new. I did always do my regular oil changes, btw.
I'd have to say changing it late is way better than never changing the fluid at all but what do I know I've only been a mechanic for 50 years or so smh
Was always told “never flush, just drain and fill”.
I've been reading that it has been mentioned to replace the transmission fluid , every 30000 or 40000 . No mention though I would replace filter at those times also . And on RUclips some are doing a " passive flush " . Which seems to be the disconnecting of the hoses from the transmission cooler . One end suctioning up new fluid to force old fluid out the other , vehicle running of course . Rather than the " drain and fill " of how many times .
Mechanic rules to live by: change transmission fluid often (you literally can’t change it too often, unlike motor oil where there are time release additives)
My personal rule to live by having worked on cars for 25 years: never flush a transmission. Drop the pan or simply drain and fill if there is a bung. If you drop the pan, use an OE filter and if necessary replace the gasket (many are silicon and don’t need replacing but it doesn’t hurt if you want to spend the money on a new one.) The solution to pollution is dilution. You don’t need to get all the old fluid out, just change what you can every 30k or whatever the interval for your vehicle is. Again, you can’t change it too often. Personally I do mine every 30k with a pan drop and filter replacement. Total capacity is 8 quarts and I can only get 5 quarts in with a pan drop.
Totally agree
Flushing is fine and is the only way to do it IMO. Not much more work if you know what you are doing.
@@hobo1704You’re wrong. Flushing can make little pieces get jammed in crevices of the tranny. The same thing applies to engines (you never flush a engine either).
Your videos are informative and well made. New trnasmission fluid smells like noxious chemicals.
Back in late 2021, my 2nd gen tacoma was experiencing a tranny shudder at 30-40 mph. I did a drain & fill putting in Valvoline Maxlife ATF and she's been running smooth since then!
quality content and good advice
Not to hijack, Be careful changing out you’re 100,000 trans fluid. Best way to this is suck out with A pump 5 quarts then mix new fluid in and drive. A few hundred miles later suck out 5 more quarts ! Keep doing it slowly till it’s gets better. I’m no mechanic but I slept in a holiday inn express last night
I only do transmission fluid and filter change never ever do flushes!!!!
I have 1 rule I have followed my entire life so far and that is for transmissions every 45k miles if its a CVT every 25k-30k miles and got a cousin with a Nissan Maxima that has made it to over 200k miles on a CVT because it was serviced well and not driven super hard. Oil changes I have always gone every 5k miles synthetic and every 3k miles conventional. I have seen the inside of some of these every 10k mile oil change intervals No Thanks!
I have been told don't do!!
If it's not broken, don't fix it.
Thanks for sharing!
StaySafe 😅
..but just bringing the level up makes sense😂
Oh God do i remember that "Cherry Chapstick" smell from the '90's!! Girls were popping that stuff on their lips like candy. Ummmm Candy Chapstick 🤤🤤🤤🤤
😍 damn lol
Love the style, good info
I haven't had the tranny fluid replaced in my Supra or Celica, but both are pretty bright red. Not sure if that matters if it's been years and years though, I assume moisture still gets in there?
Yup that's why there's a service life next to the mileage lol
All we can do is keep telling them Faye, folks want to argue with me all the time. Just get it serviced. Great tips Faye!!
Short answer. Yes. All fluids that isn't regular oil. Every 10 years or 100,000. Or whatever comes first.
Cries in ford 5R55
You're cool, smart, and beautiful. Don't listen to those haters
lol@ cherry chapstick!! Never describe it another way after this!! lol
Those clutch packs bands don't last forever. If you do highway miles with little to no shifting, they're going to last. ATF is a lubricant and hydraulic fluid. Changing not a bad idea. Depending on your religion, clutch particulate will give you more friction. It's also going wear those bands and packs out faster. I'd rather know valves and gear train are being lubricated. Our family owns 5 Honda's and I watch those transmissions like a hawk.
Hi Faye! I'm glad I found your channel. Quick question. I have a 2007 Ford Focus with 90,000 miles. Tranny fluid appears okay. The transmission fluid has NEVER been changed. If I get this done, will I be asking for trouble? Let me know if you can
Mateo, Erie, PA
You are rather awesome. 98 Rav 4 low miles 50k. Drive it 145 miles a day mail route on crappy roads. Thinking I should service the tranny??? Roads have been snowy/sloppy for quite a while now. Going to check the fluid and smell. Thanks
I have a 2003 Toyota Sequoia which I purchased brand new. I gotten the transmission flushed at 30k miles intervals. To date, I have just over 300k miles and have never had any issues with my transmission. In contrast, I've gotten the engine oil drained and refilled at 5K mile intervals. No issues with the engine. I don't think I've wasted my money on the flush, consdering my brother has had transmission issues (incl. a rebuild) with his 2007 Dodge Ram.
I have a 2019 Hyundai Elantra sport with DCT transmission. The clutch plates had to be replaced at 30k miles. Is this normal for those? Luckily it was still under warranty and Hyundai replaced them. I’m just fearing do they need to be replaced often?
Just gave my torque converter some extra life in my Honda. 122k miles. Did a true flush and boom shutter gone. The breakdown of atf allows the pressures to be lower, which will cause pressure switch problems. The shop I work at does Trans Services every 30k. We have several cars that have been coming here for almost 30 years. We'll over 500k. BTW, they are Toyotas. 😆
My low tire light is on in my 2013 Toyota Corolla. I just had the air in all my tires filled up on 10-5-23. The light is still on and will not go off. What do you suggest? Thanks.
I changed mine at 192k and it was brown, burnt water that I not in good conscience put back in. No more torque converter shutter and everything works better now. How about doing a video on Toyota starter contact rebuilding. I see to many people buying Chinese replacements
I just bought a 1994 Toyota pick up with 157k miles and I checked the ATF. It’s a brown color not burnt. It has a little jerk when It shifts from first and second then it smooth sailing. Would you recommend I change it? I’ve been told by my neighbors that if I do it will start to slip.
How do you tell on a sealed transmission with lifetime fluid? You don’t, just use common sense and figure every 40-50k miles to do a drain and fill fluid exchange.
Oh contrare bonjour. I drove Torqueflites and never ever even pulled the stick. They were built right. If anything was wrong you'd experience a slip between 1st & 2nd, a flair or runaway for 1/10 of a second which meant low fluid level. The books said the trans should outlast the car, and they often did
ben/ michigan
It isn’t very often that I say this, but for this one time don’t follow your user manual when they say “lifetime fluid” or “seal for life”. Do a pan drop with new filter every 30k miles and you should be golden.
1) She didn't answer the flush question. 2) She didn't say a thing about how engine idle speed or fluid temperature affects the dipstick reading.
My Mechanic only takes the Pan out and Filter and puts in new plastic pan with built in filter and fills it up with ATF ( 4 litres ). He says the garage does have the machine to flush out the ATF from torque converter but doesn't have the rights fittings for my car. The Torque converter is not flushed out and has around 8 Litres of burnt ATF inside it. Another mechanic from different garage told me that Flushing out Torque Converter on newer cars can be damage the transmission as the machine is pushing out the burnt fluid with new ATF. I have 6 speed ZF Auto transmission on my Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo that was sold in Australia Only. @Faye Hadley do you flush out Torque converters on cars that are made from 2003 - present ?
1255am hey Faye got 2005 Toyota Corolla with check engine code po441,po455,andpo456 how should I go about repairing the evap
Flushed? Never. Drain and fill back with the amount that drains? Yes every 35-40k miles
Most Toyotas have a sealed transmission so theres no dipstick. For Toyotas, every 60k miles for non hybrid transmissions & 80k for hybrid vehicles. If your vehicle has over 100k miles just leave the fluid alone, changing it will screw it all up at that point.
I change the CVT fluid every 60,000km. But that's a different animal than a traditional transmission
bringing a Subaru up to a certain monitored temp to check the fluid level (CVT) is awful. dipsticks for everyone!!
Drain and fill, don't flush.
Some cars, for instance ecotech chevy's, tend to blow seals when you have them 'flushed' mechnically.
I've known 2 people personally who ruined their transmissions this way.
And there are plenty more on the forums.
Good stuff! Faye is real deal 100%, respect! 💯💪🔥
I did my wifes 2011 Santa Fe last year, no dip stick..plug method (let tranny heat to Temp and when it comes out plug, its full). I pulled out 5qt and out new 5qt in. I meant to do it again in month to get the rest...but that was a year ago now. Whats in the tranny pan is not all if the ATF in system. (Tc holds a bunch and the body)
All I can think of is Big Red soda. 😂
I always get “Drain & Fill” done for my transmissions, also Cvt’s. Never had problems. No Trans flushes though!
Not all vehicles need trans service. Like Toyota from 2000 on up don't need a trans service. If you pull the dip stick it's says on the stick do not service trans fluid. But the dealer alway trys selling it when it life time fluid. The ower manual doesn't even have a service interval for it. What she not telling you is trans fluid is detergent and if you don't service your trans the mileage that is recommended and you go way over. Don't even bother servicing it. Because the old fluid is broken down and not cleaning anything. So that leaves dirty and grim holding your trans together. So flushing it will cause problems. Like leaks you my have not had before. And the worst slipping in gear. That dirt can be holding that clutch pack together, and now that it's clean, the clutches will slip.
I had a 2005 toyota tacoma brand new and around 110k miles the transmission started to slip. Put Lucas tranny slip which helped but I knew it wasn't going to last. Sold it and bought a 2015 brand new and around 50k drained and added Lucas tranny slip to prevent and not only that, with the 2005 I only always put it in drive and never ran it through the rest just reverse, on my 2015 I drive in 4 and when I get on the freeway I put it in drive and run through the whole tranny options at a stoplight religiously because I don't want that tranny slip to happen again.
Something that's really bothering me since i bought my new car 🚗 is how do remove these wster spots? I never noticed them before with my old mustangs because i just didn't care. 😁😎 Curious about your advice.
Such a dork I love it lol. Can you explain the ol saying about changing your fluid will cause a trans to burn up. I’ve had this happen twice with 80s model chevys and th350 auto trans. I changed filter and fluid and a month later it was done for
Hey Fae Bae, is there a follow up to this video yet? Not finding it.
Same guy that has been my Mechanic for over 20 years do not mess with it as long as it is RED … Once it turns brown, it is probably too late and you have a Problem with the Transmission … Naturally we are talking Street Legal every day drivers … Not hot rods and Dragsters or just run the crap out of your vehicle …
What about the sealed transmission on my charger scat pack? No dip stick 🤦♂️. I had BMW with the sealed transmission, place where I used to get it serviced recommended not to change it because I never did it since I had the car, it was high mileage, they stated that if I did change it it will cause issues, the new fluid would have detergents and it will break down all the old fluid in the system and that's where issues would come from. What do you recommend with these sealed transmissions? Not really cost effective, because the transmission fluid pan and the filter are all just one piece, you would have to purchase a new transmission fluid pan every time 🤦♂️
Great video Faye! But.......I think new atf fluid smells more like elephant pee!
My favourite part of the video is when you did the burnt toast and sweet cherry balancer thingo that was just mega cute i like the way you explain stuff just so helpful and cute
I drive a 00 tundra @124k miles, fluid in the a340 is still red! 24 years old, absolutely wild.
from my brief scan of the comments, i suppose i should just wait for my transmission to fail. i have a 2005 Tundra with something like 265,000 miles on it. i seem to be the 3rd owner, and i can find no evidence that the sealed 5 speed automatic transmission has ever been serviced. as far as service records go, the only ones i can find involve a warranty replacement of the differential and the mandatory recall for the air bag, which was done in July of this year.