a4ld trns fluid change

[rochhound]

i have a 1991 ford explorer with a a4ld, i want to do a total fluid change. the trans shop wants $150.00 is there anyway i can perform this at home.
thanks.

 

[azbronco2]

yea buy a filter kit and I think it takes 7 quarts of tranny fluid you can do it yourself for like 50 bucks

 

[TimR]

i have a 1991 ford explorer with a a4ld, i want to do a total fluid change. the trans shop wants $150.00 is there anyway i can perform this at home.
thanks.

pay the $150, and say, Thank You! as you leave. I assume they are including the filter and fluid in that price! That is dirt cheap!

 

[Doofy]

Why not do it yourself? Work is good for the soul and you learn a little something about your truck, to boot. Just do the job safely and enjoy the experience. It is usually a filthy job but well worth the effort. A lot of places just suck out the fluid and don't bother changing the filter unless you ride their ass.

 

[sblake01]

Keep in mind that when this job is done by a shop with a fluid exchange system, it also removes and replaces the fluid that is in the torque converter. That's something you won't accomplish by draining it in your driveway. Not to mention the mess you'll make since these 'gems' don't have a drain plug and you have the remove the cover in order to drain it. So if you really want a 'total fluid change', a shop is the way to go.

 

[exbass94]

If you want to change out ALL the fluid yourself, disconnect one of the cooler lines and direct it into a container. Start the engine and let the trans pump out about 2 quarts of fluid. Shut engine off and refill with 2 fresh quarts. Repeat the process until all of the old fluid is out. If you have someone to help you, you can add fluid while the engine is still running. This is exactly how the shop changes fluid, except they have a machine that automatically pumps fluid back into the trans as the old fluid drains out.

 

[sblake01]

That wiil work but you still would have to deal with changing the filter........

 

[azbronco2]

yea then all the crap that is in your tranny gets loosened up and gets stuck in the valve body everyone that i know that had a shop do it was replacing the tranny less than 50,000miles later

 

[TimR]

yea then all the crap that is in your tranny gets loosened up and gets stuck in the valve body everyone that i know that had a shop do it was replacing the tranny less than 50,000miles later

Just to get this right, you are saying that 50k miles is not worth $150?

 

[exbass94]

yea then all the crap that is in your tranny gets loosened up and gets stuck in the valve body everyone that i know that had a shop do it was replacing the tranny less than 50,000miles later

Please explain how fluid running through the cooler lines (which it ALWAYS does when the engine is running) loosens crap up in the transmission. The shop hooks the machine up to the truck and starts the engine. The transmission's own pump pumps fluid out the line like it always does. Except instead of going through the cooler, it dumps into a tank on the machine. The ONLY thing the machine does is make sure fluid gets pumped back into the trans the same rate as it comes out. As far as the trans knows, the fluid is just going through the cooler like normal.

Flushes killing transmissions is a myth, which I debunked in this thread:
http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=74839
The worst thing you can do is leave old crappy fluid in there and never change it.

 

[sblake01]

yea then all the crap that is in your tranny gets loosened up and gets stuck in the valve body everyone that i know that had a shop do it was replacing the tranny less than 50,000miles later

If your response was to what I said, that wasn't where I was going at all. All I meant is that you still would have to deal with the filter.

 

[azbronco2]

what I ment is that they did the flush and never changed the filter I guess I should of explaned my self better my bad but check and see what exactly they do for the 150 I know the oil change places do not change the filter unless u ask them to

 

[adsm08]

yea then all the crap that is in your tranny gets loosened up and gets stuck in the valve body everyone that i know that had a shop do it was replacing the tranny less than 50,000miles later

Then everyone you know who has had a trans flush done had a transmission that was probably already on borrowed time. Not to mention that the average life expectancy of an automatic is limited as it is FULL OF CLUTCHES.


I have had 2 transmissions fail on me shortly after flushes. In both cases we told the customer up front "We can try this, but given the condition of your fluid it probably won't fix it."



As for the filter, most trans filters are not actually a regular maintenance item like oil or fuel filters. The trans is a closed system, not taking in dirt or making lots of it's own (like the carbon and combustion by-products in the engine). By the time the trans filter has so much crap in it that it needs replaced, you probably need a new trans anyway.

That's not to say that if I'm already taking the pan off I won't try to sell a filter, and if the guy asks for one I'll gladly do it. But I don't generally sell them with a fluid exchange.



Also, not sure what this place is charging for fluid or how much they use, but at my shop our flushes run ~$150 and half of that price is fluid because we run about twice the transmission's capacity through to make sure we get all the old crap out.

 

[azbronco2]

yep it is all about the mantiance history of the tranny my tranny a4ld is a rebuilt unit and I am hoping and praying they did regular mainance on it only when I pull the pan I will tell

 

[rochhound]

arld fluid change

thank for all the good info guys, one last question ?
should i recirc befor i change filter or after
thanks