GM transmission guy here: you absolutely need to change or service your transmission fluid. I don’t like to flush transmissions I prefer to remove the pan and replace the filter if possible. When you flush a transmission you aren’t removing the debris from the magnets in the pan and you also aren’t allowing a new filter to capture all the debris dislodged when the detergents in the new fluid do their job. Most transaxles (FWD) can only be be drained and filled since the filter is only accessible when you remove the trans and split the case halves. Solenoid failure as well as valve body wear can be severely mitigated with proper service every 30-45k miles. Solenoids in the modern transmissions all actually attract metal and that is a huge part of what kills them.
A control valve body in any automatic transmission is filled with bores and valves inside of them. Everytime the vehicle makes a shift there is movement that occurs between 1) valve 2) bore. When there is debris (even a small amount) it cause them to wear either the bore or valve at an accelerated rate. This causes what is known as a hydraulic leak. It can lead to unsatisfactory shift quality and if it is bad enough it can cause damage to clutches. Great video from Royalty as usual!
Sherwood, I'm impressed . I've been doing transmission for 40 years..yes 40 and you hit this rite on the head. One thing is I never put any chemicals in a transmission, I think its bad. The other is, its a transmission fluid exchange not a flush, not flushing nothing but just replacing the old fluid with new. New fluid brings back its lubrication qualities, friction modifiers, detergents, heat reduction abilities back with new oil. Now, when people want a fluid exchange (flush) its when they have a problem. When the fluid is dirty black, burnt or full of chemicals they've added is NEVER a time to replace the fluid. New transmission fluid is high in detergents and will begin to wash the internals of all the debris collected from the slow process of failure. It's like a Christmas snow globe, all the debris is settled, you come with new fluid and you shake that snow globe and distribute the debris in the oil. Suspended debris in the oil will get caught in valves and solenoids and failure is quick. So, I always say you have to have the right candidate for a fluid exchange. I always drop the pan when there is one, if it clean and fluid is not burnt, that's a candidate for a fluid exchange. Plus, you are "spot on" with a shudders, or converter clutch chatters can be fixed by new fresh Transmission fluid. Customers never bring their car in for a preventive maintenance. They bring it in when there's a problem. The uneducated tech changes the fluid and failure is quick. That's how the trans fluid change got its bad name. I don't care how many miles are on a transmission other than, is it a good candidate for a fluid exchange.
Question, 2003 jeep tj wrangler automatic 105,000 miles on it. Not original owner so don’t know if transmission has been serviced. First start of day if I shift right away into gear seems a little slow to engage. Drives great but have wondered if I should Sevice the transmission? I usually start my vehicles and idle in neutral for a minute before shifting into gear, just a habit.
That was always the recommendation; that if you have not serviced/flushed/change tranny fluid in a vehicle that now has 100k miles (or whatever), dont do it for these reasons. It will start to leak and then fail shortly thereafter. Many stories about that.
@@kevinolson3321very common. Do a Google search and you will find a couple cures. The transmission oil is draining out of either the torque converter and or the transmission cooler lines. My 97 was the same. I always just shifted into gear, and waited for it to engage.
@kevinolson3321 What Dave above you said. What does the fluid look like. Tells you if it's been changed on time regardless of how it's been driven. I will change it anyway. Bad fluid will only get worse faster and leave you so. IMO.
Years ago I bought a used 1999 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer edition. It had high miles, but the 5.0 V8 engine ran good, but eventually, the transmission didn't feel right. I ordered a new OEM filter and a case of transmission fluid. When I took the pan off, the fluid was dark red. The pan had a lot of metal sludge on the magnet. I also drained the torque converter. After cleaning the pan thoroughly, I put everything back together and put new fluid. After that, the transmission shifted like new. After 30-40K miles. I did another service, and the fluid and pan were still clean.
I am a retired auto and heavy truck mechanic. I was maintenance manager of a fleet of Ford Ambulances. We put external filters on the trans., and plug. in pan and we would get 100,000 miles out of them and we were at max GVWR. We changes Trans oil at 30, 000. We put plugs in differental and changed it at 30,000 and engine oil on 7.3 diesels. I would get anywhere from 250,000 to 300,000 miles provided there was not some other issue. Blown head, valve, etc. Firm believer in changing fluids. Work for trucking company and ran 3126 Cat with HUEI fuel system and they wanted to extend oil changes. What a mistake. We started ruining HUEI pumps engine performance issues. Absolutely and very critical about fluid changes. I good many years in the field and I absolutely agree.
As simple as it sounds, I think proactive fluid changes are the life of the car. For example, even when you think think your brakes are OK, if you bleed in new fluid, they suddenly start working better.. The pedal is more sensitive and it stops faster with less foot pressure.
@mrchad97z49 That is because brake fluid is designed to absorb moisture. While it absorbs the moisture, it does not have the same properties and compresses more. Your right changing it does perform better, and it also protects wheel cyl and calipers from rusting and pitting internally. It is probably one of the most neglected fluid changes on a vehicle but can certainly be costly if not changed. ABS modules, master cyl, clippers, and wheel cyl., paportioning valves, etc, are all very costly.
@@johndavis318 And on that note, the best 1 man brake bleeder is using a check valve (like Russel bleeder valves) instead of the OEM tips. And when you replace those tips, you do not have to "pump up the brakes" to bleed them. You dont have to blow out your master cylinder to bleed the brakes. Its so stupid that mechanics pump and pump and pump the brake pedal "to get pressure" to push out the fluid. It doesnt make sense! If you had to do that then operating your vehicle would be a nightmare. Imagine pumping your brakes 5 times every time to get it to stop.. It doesnt make sense! So this Russel Valve indicates this very well. 1 Pump get you 1 squirt at the wheel. You can see it in action. Its so simple. Why do mechanics pump the pedal 5 times? To get pressure? noo.... because they are brain damage.
Just a few comments from a retired Automotive Engineer. I agree with: “Regular fluid changes are a good thing” and “Follow the manufacturers specification when choosing a fluid”. That said, the economic decision for a fluid flush has three variables 1. Cost of fluid flush 2. Reliability of the Brand 3. Cost of transmission repair/replacement. For example: Trans fluid flush on a Lexus is $700, at the Dealer. Given the reliability of that brand, 30,000 miles likely results in wasted money. Additionally, the comparison with changing engine oil is not valid. Engine oil is contaminated by combustion byproduct which results in shorter change intervals. Transmission fluid is degraded by elevated temperature which oxidizes the fluid. A better comparison is the gear oil in the differential. You didn’t mention adding an air/fluid cooler. This reduces temperature and lengthens the change interval, and can be more economical. Consider the fluid/fluid transmission cooler in the radiator cannot cool the transmission fluid much below the coolant temp 200 - 220 deg. F, where an air/fluid cooler can drop that temp 50 to 80 degrees F. As the transmission fluid temperature rises the oxidation rate increases significantly.
What if the the transmission is designed to work well at those temperatures? Making them work cooler won't create problems? By that logic, if I remove the thermostat from the engine it should last longer, but we know that's not the case, quite the opposite.
However, modern Synthetic trans fluid doesn't go by the "above" 175 degree starts degrading. 220 to 250 degrees is nothing to modern fluid with a 450 degree flash point.
@@jeffreyb1451 The starting point of the degradation process is when any fluid (whether it is Oil, ATF, Gear Lube, etc.) reaches the "Thermal Breakdown Stage," which is at a much lower temperature than the "Flash Point." When any fluid reaches the Flash Point, we can safely assume that fluid will be completely unusable (where it can cause destructive damage in the vehicle). When you mention modern synthetic-ATF having a high Flash Point, a typical "Full Synthetic ATF" (that is mostly composed of hydrocracked petroleum oil, classified as a Grade III Synthetic) will not generally have a 450°F Flash Point. For instance, Toyota WS Fluid (a Full Synthetic, made by Mobil) has a Flash Point of 347°F. If premium protection is sought, select a 100% Synthetic ATF (such as Amsoil, the creator of various 100% Synthetic Fluids, including a Synthetic ATF, Gear Oil, Diesel Oil, Racing Oil, Marine Oil and Amsoil was the first company to have a Synthetic Motor Oil certified by the API in 1972). The difference between a Full Synthetic and a 100% Synthetic? Rafe Britton, a former Lubrication Engineer at Mobil and the creator of a number of highly educational UA-cam Videos under the heading of “Lubrication Explained,” states in order for an oil company to call its oil product 100% synthetic, it must be composed of either a Class IV Synthetic (PAOs) AND/OR Class V Synthetic (such as Esters or equivalent), while being completely devoid of refined petroleum.
Please do more shop talk. I thought Chris Fix was the best, but you are the best teacher and honest mechanic. Wish I was located close to your shop, you would be my place to go. Will recommend your videos to friends and families.
THANKS FOR THE COMMENT HOWever i have a 1986 celica gts 5 speed and i go through this eveytime i get ready to service the transmssion and i was told my several mechanic dont flush the transmission just drain it and refilll it obvisoully with new transmiision fluid and for the past 39 years never had a problem
you compare ChrisFix to this channel? haha Although I will say that this channel, royalty, is all about stretching his video for the money. And I have seen him give advice on stuff that is not what I would do. Like the way he ranked the cheapest cars to maintain. Just really bad advice. All he knows about is what they have worked on the most. Then he told us about HIS cars. Oh please just stop the video bozo!
I just came across your videos! Great job, and thank you!! We're about 90% done... we're turning my dad's '85 F150, 2wd with the inline 6, into his daily driver. It's got the C4/C5 transmission in it. In freshening it up, we pulled the 300, put all new seals in it, and... drained the torque converter and transmission fluid --for the first time! Hopefully, I'm helping it and not hurting it. Thanks guys!
Yes you’re right,I got a 2019 dodge ram truck with a 5.7 litre and I do service every 5000 km for engine oil and 10000 km for transmission oil,love your work,keep it up,all the best from down under (Australia)🤙
I owned and operated a transmission shop for 40 years, The reason people say a transmission flush will ruin your transmission is that most people who notice that their transmission isn't operating quite right. Go in and ask to have the thing serviced and or flushed. And of course you know the transmission was already having difficulties and ultimately would fail and then they would blame the fact that they had it serviced or flushed when in fact it was already on the way out.
I can't disagree because I am not a mechanic but if I owned a shop I (and maybe you do) I would ask the customer, "have you ever changed the fluid, if yes, at how many miles and who did it and what fluid if you know did they use, what kind of driving do you do, do you tow, etc.,etc." And then I would drive it before recommending or no recommending a service, I am sure you do that but maybe a ,lot of mechanics don't.
@@spaceghost8995 So, you have a problem with a "blanket statement", then immediately follow that with a blanket statement. The irony and hypocrisy appear to be lost on you.
Thank you for the info. I own a 1984 Nissan Maxima with over 429,000 miles on the original transmission. Drain, replace filter, and fill every 30,000 miles.
I do the drain and fill method with good results it's the only way a diyer like me can do it without the professional flushing equipment. Good vid keep em coming cheers from Melbourne Australia.
Drain and fill seems to be more of an Asian vehicle thing with closer intervals. The theory as I know it is it leaves enough friction material behind to deliver benefits and swaps out enough fluid to keep it clean. Been doing it since I switched to Honda/toyota.
You don't need professional fluid exchange equipment. You an look up the cooler return line on line remove and place into a pan or bucket. As you poor in fluid the dirty will be pumped out the cooler line. Get a general idea for how much is coming out for how much u put in. Reattach the line, start it up and ck the fluid, add or subtract. You can use the drain plug but if not equipped than remove the cooler line to rid of excess oil. This is how the machines do it. Really, it's not that difficult.
@Dave-td3tu Thank you for the reply, David. My Mazda cx5 has a setup that doesn't allow me to do it the way you mentioned without making a plate with hose attachments that go over the trans cooler port, unfortunately. Kind regards, Allan.
THANKS FOR THE COMMENT HOWever i have a 1986 celica gts 5 speed and i go through this eveytime i get ready to service the transmssion and i was told my several mechanic dont flush the transmission just drain it and refilll it obvisoully with new transmiision fluid and for the past 39 years never had a problem
@@jameseverly8501 are you talking about a manual or automatic 5 speed? A manual is completely different. That has gearbox oil not automatic transmission fluid.
grandpop always told me NEVER shift from reverse to drive while moving, or drive to reverse. Always completely stop before you shift. I have never had a transmission go bad.
On the dark fluid topic; both my kids had 2011-ish Equinox / Terrain cars and the transmission fluid on those looked like oil out of a diesel engine even at 80,000 miles. I drained it out and refilled a few times. A year later, same thing. BLACK! The Terrain was still going strong at 190,000 when it was sold and the Equinox is still doing well coming up on 200k. Filter can't be changed without separating the case and that's not going to happen. If I did that, guaranteed the car would get totaled within a week.
Excellent video. A big incentive for auto makers is the ability to say their vehicles have the lowest maintenance cost regardless of the long term consequences. When the vehicle fails after warranty they know they are off the hook and they are happy to try and sell you another.
110% I'm a former GM tech and worked in a shop that serviced all makes as well. The transmission fluid is the life blood, like any hard working fluid it needs to be cleaned and restored at some interval based on usage and mileage. What we always did was change the filter after the flush, this kept the new filter protected from the old oil, sure we had to top it up with some more transmission fluid but the customer was assured that all the old fluid and debris was removed after the service. Transmission fluid has friction modifiers and additives to help it cope with the heat and stresses of the hydraulic system and to keep the transmission going. It also is doing a continual cleaning of the clutchpacks and other areas as its used, at some point it can't do anymore and needs to be renewed. Understandably it's going to accumulate in the system, debris and heat takes its toll and has to be replaced, it's not just the fluid your replacing, it's all the built in additives for good transmission life. Like you said, if it's got signs of a over worked burnt smell or the customer says it's exhibiting slippage or shift issues, it's for past anything new fluid can fix anyway. Great video and good to see!
Back years ago I had a 1997 Ford Explorer with a 4.0L OHV and 5 speed auto trans bought brand new. I did a trans fluid exchange every 40K with the proper fluid. I got 240k miles without any problems. I had to get rid of the truck in 2017 because the body rusted out. No issues with trans or engine because I did fluid changes regularly. If you maintain anything when new than you can expect longevity with it. I just wish I kept up with the rustproofing otherwise I believe that truck would be still going today. Great video fellas.👍👍👍
Those were common in my neck of the woods but it must have been atleast 15 years since I saw one advertised with a _working_ transmission. I just checked Marketplace and there are two out there, both undrivable due to transmission issues. Over the years, I have bought three of them just to pull the 8.8 LSD rear axle for other projects.
I've had transmission flush services on my 2003 Toyota Sequoia every 30k miles. To date, I've had 9 flushes and 1 drain and refill. The drain and refill occurred at about 300k miles, because the dealer, which services my SUV, was afraid to flush the transmission. My other vehicles get the flush as well. No issues whatsoever.
I changed the factory-filled Toyota WS ATF in my 2016 Toyota Hybrid with Amsoil 100% Synthetic Signature Series Fuel-Efficient ATF at about 40,000 miles, where the independent mechanical-shop performed a slow flush through the transmission lines with the BG machine, which I personally witnessed. The fascinating results from that one ATF exchange were the following: The moment I drove the Camry after the installation of the Amsoil ATF (without any other services being performed on my vehicle), I not only detected the vehicle was running a bit smoother, but also experienced increased power upon acceleration. More importantly, my EV light was coming on more often and staying lit longer (which of course signifies my car is running electrically from the battery, while the gas engine isn't operating)!! The following will help establish that Amsoil "100 Synthetic" Signature Series (SS) Fuel-Efficient ATF Fluid is vastly superior to the Toyota "Full Synthetic" WS ATF Fluid (made by Exxon Mobil). You can compare the Safety Data Sheets between Amsoil and Toyota fluids and you will find the Toyota WS ATF (and true of the vast number of full synthetics) is mostly composed of hydrocracked-petroleum oil, a Class III Synthetic (that is extra-refined petroleum to mostly eliminate impurities, but it doesn’t get totally get rid of then entirely). Amsoil Signature Series doesn’t contain a drop of petroleum oil, but a pure chemical mixture of Class IV Synthetic, known as polyalphaolefins (PAOs) and Class V Synthetic (such as Esters), plus top-shelf additives. The molecules of these Class IV & V Synthetics are of the same uniform shape allowing them to flow much more readily throughout the engines, transmissions and differentials, reducing damaging heat, creating more power and increasing fuel economy. Also, the backbone of Amsoil 100% Synthetic lubricants have a much lesser tendency to attract oxygen molecules (where damaging oxygen can form sludge). The difference between a Full Synthetic and a 100% Synthetic? Rafe Britton, a former Lubrication Engineer at Mobil and the creator of a number of highly educational UA-cam Videos under the heading of “Lubrication Explained,” states in order for an oil company to call its oil product 100% synthetic, it must be composed of either a Class IV Synthetic (PAOs) AND/OR Class V Synthetic (such as Esters), while being completely devoid of refined petroleum. Toyota lists the Flash Point of their WS ATF Fluid as 347° F (175° C), whereas Amsoil's Flash Point is listed as 435.2 F (224° C), so Amsoil holds up to the heat far better than the Toyota WS ATF. Amsoil SS ATF's Pour Point is -85° F (-65° C), but Toyota fails to mention their Pour Point? Another convenience factor of the Amsoil "100 Synthetic" Signature Series Fuel Efficient ATF Fluid is that it is available in collapsible bags making installation a snap (without the need for a pump that only provides a slow fill operation)! Amsoil also provides a "100 Synthetic" OE Fuel-Efficient ATF Fluid (at 57% the cost of the Amsoil "100 Synthetic" Signature Series (SS) Fuel-Efficient ATF Fluid), where the Amsoil OE ATF provides lesser protection at the extremes than Amsoil SS ATF with a Flash Point of 410° F (210° C) and a Pour Point of -54° F (-48° C). As you will note, the Amsoil OE ATF has extra protection from the heat in terms of the Flash Point than Toyota's WS ATF by an extra 63° F (35° C). The Amsoil OE ATF isn't available in the easy-to-pour pack (only the conventional quart or gallon plastic containers). The OE must be changed according to the manufacturer's specifications for your specific vehicle, however, the Signature Series will go double the distance (than the OE) under severe-driving conditions. For those of you that have a vehicle that doesn't accept a Fuel-Efficient ATF, you may consider the Amsoil 100% Synthetic Multi-Vehicle ATF (in both the Signature Series and the OE). They also carry 100% Synthetic in both their CVT fluid and Dual-Clutch Transmission Fluid. The beauty of using Amsoil Products is their fabulous Warranty, which is the widest in the lubrication industry, applies to automotive parts coming into contact with their fluids, regardless of the mileage or age of the vehicle, as long as the vehicle was in reasonably good mechanical condition before you first began to use the Amsoil Products! The OE ATF must be changed according to OEM recommendations for the Amsoil Warranty to apply, whereas the Signature Series ATF can go twice the distance of the OEM recommendations for Severe Service. Amsoil states that you can safely extend the oil drain-intervals beyond the Amsoil recommendation (for either the OE or the Signature Series ATF) in the event you secure an appropriate oil analysis (in which case the Amsoil Warranty will extend to the expected life of the oil accordingly, as determined by such oil analysis). Amsoil partners with Oil Analyzers, Inc. (OAI), to do a fluid analysis and OAI even measures the important level of oxidation in the used fluid (that Blackstone apparently doesn't measure). Lake Speed Jr. (aka The Motor Oil Geek) discusses the importance of measuring the oxidation levels in fluids in his various UA-cam Videos. Lake Speed Jr. measures oxidation in his oil analysis-business venture, SPEEDiagnostix (although his cost is higher than OAI). For full disclosure (as probably guessed right now), I am an Independent Amsoil Dealer (all dealers of Amsoil are independent contractors, as opposed to employees of Amsoil). A customer of mine (a mechanical shop) loves to use the Amsoil 100% Synthetic OE ATF in both varieties for their customers, since the OE Products are at an attractive price point and the comments they receive from their customers have been outstanding. If consumers wish to buy the Amsoil products as a Preferred Customer (PC), they will get the oil at a 25% discount, plus free shipping when they spend $100 (plus receiving a $5 coupon for every $100 you spend). It only costs $10 for a 6 month PC membership (or $20 a year) and there is no requirement to purchase (as there is with so many companies offering a membership for a preferred customer program, where there is an automatic shipment involved). Also, PCs can use their 25% discount to obtain a fluid analysis with Oil Analyzers, Inc. If you or any viewers are tempted to try Amsoil, I invite you to visit the official website of Amsoil and apply to become my Preferred Customer, by kindly utilizing my name (James Norris) in the box underneath the question that asks “Did someone refer you to Amsoil? If so, please tell us.” Then in the next box they ask “Have a Referral Number? Enter it below:” I kindly ask that you include my Referral Number of 1420935 in that box. If you can write down my name and referral number, before you eventually decide to exit this webpage, it will be appreciated (so that it will be at your fingertips when you get on the Amsoil website). You can also write me an email addressed to AutomotiveBuff at my gmail address (in case you have any questions). For mechanical shops choosing to become a Retail Account, the discount of Amsoil products is 30%, with free UPS shipping on orders of $400 or more and there isn't a membership fee. When you buy $2,500 or more in a calendar year, your discount expands to 35%. A few of my Retail Accounts that get a 35% discount, even in subsequent years where they fall below the $2,500 threshold, they still get the 35% discount. I had tried a variety of full synthetics over the years. I began to utilize Mobil 1 for several years thereafter, until I found Amsoil being sold by an auto parts store that is no longer in operation. After I personally emptied the Mobil 1 and I put it in the Amsoil in my car about 20 years ago, I was blown away with the increased performance, better fuel efficiency and the overall quietness of my engine. Thanks for the consideration!
I love this channel. I bought my '99 Accord new amd immediately added a trans cooler. Every second year I do a drain and replace of the trans fluid. The fluid always looks good and no problems. I do the same with the coolant and recently replaced the thermostat for the first time in 25 years. The inside of the housing and water jacket looked perfect. I always use distilled water when mixing my coolant.
My wife’s Honda HRV ( CVT trans ) was starting to give a little nudge you could feel when applying throttle. I replaced the Transmission filter, which was a royal pain in the you know what, and changed the fluid. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. It’s been working smoothly since.
Just had the transmission replaced in my GX460 at 189k. I don't think the fluid was ever changed before so I'm okay with taking care of this one. I just wish people were more informed and didn't buy into the "lifetime fluid". Thank you for putting out great content and info, especially when it comes to transmissions. If the previous one got 189k with neglect, I'm excited to see how far I get with regular filter and fluid changes.
Yes I dig this kind of content. And I agree with you all the way, trans service is crucial. Manufactures under rate maintenance these days but I kind of stick with old school standards. It's not like when dad's had the hoods up every Saturday, nowadays folks get a car and just drive and forget about maintenance entirely.
I think the issue folks have with transmission servicing is many only attempt it once damage is done. Same kinda idea of only changing your oil when the motor starts knocking, damage is done fresh oil isn't going to fix damage, it will only slow wear down.
I have a 2022 lexus GX 460. At 30,000 miles I had ALL the fluids dropped and replaced using OEM Toyota specific fluids. I take care of the oil changes myself as well as front and rear diffs as well as Transfer case. Oil at 3,000 mile intervals.
I changed the factory-filled Toyota WS ATF in my 2016 Toyota Hybrid with Amsoil 100% Synthetic Signature Series Fuel-Efficient ATF at about 40,000 miles, where the independent mechanical-shop performed a slow flush through the transmission lines with the BG machine, which I personally witnessed. The fascinating results from that one ATF exchange were the following: The moment I drove the Camry after the installation of the Amsoil ATF (without any other services being performed on my vehicle), I not only detected the vehicle was running a bit smoother, but also experienced increased power upon acceleration. More importantly, my EV light was coming on more often and staying lit longer (which of course signifies my car is running electrically from the battery, while the gas engine isn't operating)!! The following will help establish that Amsoil "100 Synthetic" Signature Series (SS) Fuel-Efficient ATF Fluid is vastly superior to the Toyota "Full Synthetic" WS ATF Fluid (made by Exxon Mobil). You can compare the Safety Data Sheets between Amsoil and Toyota fluids and you will find the Toyota WS ATF (and true of the vast number of full synthetics) is mostly composed of hydrocracked-petroleum oil, a Class III Synthetic (that is extra-refined petroleum to mostly eliminate impurities, but it doesn’t get totally get rid of then entirely). Amsoil Signature Series doesn’t contain a drop of petroleum oil, but a pure chemical mixture of Class IV Synthetic, known as polyalphaolefins (PAOs) and Class V Synthetic (such as Esters), plus top-shelf additives. The molecules of these Class IV & V Synthetics are of the same uniform shape allowing them to flow much more readily throughout the engines, transmissions and differentials, reducing damaging heat, creating more power and increasing fuel economy. Also, the backbone of Amsoil 100% Synthetic lubricants have a much lesser tendency to attract oxygen molecules (where damaging oxygen can form sludge). The difference between a Full Synthetic and a 100% Synthetic? Rafe Britton, a former Lubrication Engineer at Mobil and the creator of a number of highly educational UA-cam Videos under the heading of “Lubrication Explained,” states in order for an oil company to call its oil product 100% synthetic, it must be composed of either a Class IV Synthetic (PAOs) AND/OR Class V Synthetic (such as Esters), while being completely devoid of refined petroleum. Toyota lists the Flash Point of their WS ATF Fluid as 347° F (175° C), whereas Amsoil's Flash Point is listed as 435.2 F (224° C), so Amsoil holds up to the heat far better than the Toyota WS ATF. Amsoil SS ATF's Pour Point is -85° F (-65° C), but Toyota fails to mention their Pour Point? Another convenience factor of the Amsoil "100 Synthetic" Signature Series Fuel Efficient ATF Fluid is that it is available in collapsible bags making installation a snap (without the need for a pump that only provides a slow fill operation)! Amsoil also provides a "100 Synthetic" OE Fuel-Efficient ATF Fluid (at 57% the cost of the Amsoil "100 Synthetic" Signature Series (SS) Fuel-Efficient ATF Fluid), where the Amsoil OE ATF provides lesser protection at the extremes than Amsoil SS ATF with a Flash Point of 410° F (210° C) and a Pour Point of -54° F (-48° C). As you will note, the Amsoil OE ATF has extra protection from the heat in terms of the Flash Point than Toyota's WS ATF by an extra 63° F (35° C). The Amsoil OE ATF isn't available in the easy-to-pour pack (only the conventional quart or gallon plastic containers). The OE must be changed according to the manufacturer's specifications for your specific vehicle, however, the Signature Series will go double the distance (than the OE) under severe-driving conditions. For those of you that have a vehicle that doesn't accept a Fuel-Efficient ATF, you may consider the Amsoil 100% Synthetic Multi-Vehicle ATF (in both the Signature Series and the OE). They also carry 100% Synthetic in both their CVT fluid and Dual-Clutch Transmission Fluid. The beauty of using Amsoil Products is their fabulous Warranty, which is the widest in the lubrication industry, applies to automotive parts coming into contact with their fluids, regardless of the mileage or age of the vehicle, as long as the vehicle was in reasonably good mechanical condition before you first began to use the Amsoil Products! The OE ATF must be changed according to OEM recommendations for the Amsoil Warranty to apply, whereas the Signature Series ATF can go twice the distance of the OEM recommendations for Severe Service. Amsoil states that you can safely extend the oil drain-intervals beyond the Amsoil recommendation (for either the OE or the Signature Series ATF) in the event you secure an appropriate oil analysis (in which case the Amsoil Warranty will extend to the expected life of the oil accordingly, as determined by such oil analysis). Amsoil partners with Oil Analyzers, Inc. (OAI), to do a fluid analysis and OAI even measures the important level of oxidation in the used fluid (that Blackstone apparently doesn't measure). Lake Speed Jr. (aka The Motor Oil Geek) discusses the importance of measuring the oxidation levels in fluids in his various UA-cam Videos. Lake Speed Jr. measures oxidation in his oil analysis-business venture, SPEEDiagnostix (although his cost is higher than OAI). For full disclosure (as probably guessed right now), I am an Independent Amsoil Dealer (all dealers of Amsoil are independent contractors, as opposed to employees of Amsoil). A customer of mine (a mechanical shop) loves to use the Amsoil 100% Synthetic OE ATF in both varieties for their customers, since the OE Products are at an attractive price point and the comments they receive from their customers have been outstanding. If consumers wish to buy the Amsoil products as a Preferred Customer (PC), they will get the oil at a 25% discount, plus free shipping when they spend $100 (plus receiving a $5 coupon for every $100 you spend). It only costs $10 for a 6 month PC membership (or $20 a year) and there is no requirement to purchase (as there is with so many companies offering a membership for a preferred customer program, where there is an automatic shipment involved). Also, PCs can use their 25% discount to obtain a fluid analysis with Oil Analyzers, Inc. If you or any viewers are tempted to try Amsoil, I invite you to visit the official website of Amsoil and apply to become my Preferred Customer, by kindly utilizing my name (James Norris) in the box underneath the question that asks “Did someone refer you to Amsoil? If so, please tell us.” Then in the next box they ask “Have a Referral Number? Enter it below:” I kindly ask that you include my Referral Number of 1420935 in that box. If you can write down my name and referral number, before you eventually decide to exit this webpage, it will be appreciated (so that it will be at your fingertips when you get on the Amsoil website). You can also write me an email addressed to AutomotiveBuff at my gmail address (in case you have any questions). For mechanical shops choosing to become a Retail Account, the discount of Amsoil products is 30%, with free UPS shipping on orders of $400 or more and there isn't a membership fee. When you buy $2,500 or more in a calendar year, your discount expands to 35%. A few of my Retail Accounts that get a 35% discount, even in subsequent years where they fall below the $2,500 threshold, they still get the 35% discount. I had tried a variety of full synthetics over the years. I began to utilize Mobil 1 for several years thereafter, until I found Amsoil being sold by an auto parts store that is no longer in operation. After I personally emptied the Mobil 1 and I put it in the Amsoil in my car about 20 years ago, I was blown away with the increased performance, better fuel efficiency and the overall quietness of my engine. Thanks for the consideration!
I have a 2008 Honda Civic LX with the R18 and an automatic transmission. The ATF was brownish red at 142k miles when I bought it. I’ve replaced the inline filter, and drained and refilled it three times, and the ATF is a nice clean red. I use the Castrol ATF for Asian transmissions including Honda, and have 178k miles on it now. It’s not a CVT, so it actually shifts planetary gears, and I’ve had smoother shifts and no problems with anything to do with the transmission so far. It’s time again, so I’ll update if that changes. I intend to replace the filter can as well as the ATF every 30k miles. Thanks for putting this together for us!
All great advice, we use BG on most transmissions and we never lost a trans from service. It's amazing how many transmissions come back to life with a cleaner, flush, and conditioner.
I have always been taught that you should just drop the pan and change the filter, so as not to remove all the old fluid. The theory being to keep some clutch material in the transmission. This has worked well for me, Although I’ve always owned older, higher mileage vehicles not always knowing prior maintenance schedules. I’m going to be buying a vehicle with 30k on it. (As soon as my dad is ready to sell😊) i’ll be going with the flush on that one for sure. Great information 👍 thanks for sharing your experience and thoughts! I’m a long time subscriber and respect your work!
This is all great advice. I appreciate your service to the public for free. I personally replace my transmission fluid and filter every 60,000 on a traditional transmission, and on CVTs recommend every 30,000 miles. CVTs don't always last as long, but all my cars have lasted 200,000 with no transmission issues. My old 2006 Saab 9-3 I sold at 195,000 with a Toyota transmission, still is running in 2024 with the second owner now with 270,000 on the transmission. I have never had to replace a transmission on any car I have owned (European, Asian, and American) following the proper interval with the proper fluid as he talks about. It is something to live by. if you clean under your car in the northeast with a pressure washer every time it snows, it won't rust out as well.
I recently purchased a 1979 Lincoln Mark V Cartier edition with 21,566 miles and was parked for 32 years. The transmission fluid was over filled and black. Not burnt just black. Black from being oxidized from being parked way too long. I took out 4 quarts to regular level as per dip stick. I went to jiffy lube and had the manager flush the transmission. The filter needs to be replaced but now the transmission shifts smoothly and I don’t regret flushing the transmission because the fluid was not burnt. Just old and oxidized. The total cost to flush the fluid was $152.33. I understand the filter is only $19.88 at NAPA. BEEN DRIVING EVER SINCE AND SMOOTH SHIFTS FROM THE C6 transmission and power from the 6.6 400 engine.
I think transmission services got a bad reputation from people not doing them and then the transmission would start to fail. So they would service the transmission as a hail marry only for it to fail completely (which it was going to anyway). They had it in their mind that servicing the transmission was what actually caused it to fail as an excuse. I had a '97 Taurus with the AX4N (terrible) and when it would start shifting funny, I would pull all the fluid out through the dipstick and refill with new. Fixed it right up. It would cut the engine out for a moment when it shifted to make it smoother. When it was time to change the fluid, the engine cutting out and the shift would get out of sync with each other. Do a quick suck out and refill would fix it for about 25,000 miles. It lasted a long time until the converter failed internally which is what they did. Nothing to do with the fluid though. Hard part failure.
great video, I have been doing transmissions for a long time, in 1977 I swaped a 350 and a turbo 350 into my 57 belair a big undertaking for a 17 year old in highshool, I found a B&M shift improver kit at midwest auto for 9 bucks, it worked great barking tires was a big thing back then, since those days I have done a decade at a Cadillac dealer and then got my own shop that I still run, I think it is more important to drop the pan and change the filter than to flush all the fluid, 30,000 is about right, on CVTs a lot of people do not know that the Jatco trans has 2 filters one in the pan and one behind the cooler or the plate where the cooler lines go in, that is the one that will plug first, causing overheating and high pressure pump failure, then it is game over god can not fix those!!
Good video on an important topic. I have heard differing opinions on this topic but yours is in agreement with my trusted independent transmission specialist in the Philadelphia area. Interestingly , my Subaru dealer told me "No you dont have to ever change it, it is lifetime fluid" Like you say, they are interested in the lifetime not being too long so you can come back and buy another one.
Ohhhhh I have been waiting for someone to make a video on this. Answers float everywhere about the transmission, but I of course believe in changes to keep it going strong!
Sherwood, you're 100% spot on. I learned the hard way. But let me back up. I co managed a Jiffy Lube in Colorado in 1998 and a customer came in for a T-Tech(Jiffy Lube transmission flush service) on a 1995 or so Explorer for his daughter. It had about 100K miles on it. It had never been serviced. We recommended against it. He said do it anyway. We did and we found out later the transmission went out as she went over the Eisenhower Pass going skiing. Back to my 2010 Chevy Equinox V6 AWD...I went 149K miles before it failed. It started slipping around 130K miles I did several drain and fills with Valvoline DexVI (red bottle) along with some Lucas Trans Treatment. So it got me along a few more miles. After I had it rebuilt to the tune of almost $5K, the shop used GM fluid. It started to slip around the 170K mile mark. I had another YT Mechanic here in Bradenton, Rainman Ray, do a flush on it using BG Synthetic fluid. It's been awesome ever since. So lesson learned. Every 25K miles I'll do that service. Another question. You mentioned Honda. A friend has a 2020 Acura RDX FWD. It's coming up on 40K miles. If it were your car, would you go Amsoil or Honda ATF for the trans service? Thanks. Great video.
Honda ATF 100%. The manufacturers spend a ton of money on research and development of these fluids and they are specifically designed for that component. The manufacturers may not be up front with consumers on doing maintenance because they want to keep their overall cost of maintenance on the car low and let’s be honest they don’t want your car to last forever. But when it comes to its components and fluids in the car it is absolutely recommended to go with OE
I would definitely try to stick to using the same fluid that came in the car, they're a bit more spendy than the standard stuff but I think it is worth it, or at the very least try to find a brand that does formulate their fluid to be used in Japanese vehicles. Not sure if their is a brand like that for JDM imports, but I do know some brands like Liqui Moly make a lot of their fluids with use in Euro cars in mind. I would also say to check the Technical Service Bulletins for the vehicle, as sometimes manufacturers will change what fluids they recommend or they may have discontinued producing that specific fluid(this is unlikely on a 2020 model but doesn't hurt to check)
Amsoil 100% without question is the right answer. It meets all the requirements for Honda. OE fluids have one of four base oils unless you use a product like Amsoil. Honda's fluid really isn't that special. The transmission is built and designed by other engineers not Honda. A majority of OEM brands are made by the same company. We only run Amsoil and would only consider Valvoline FS as a backup option.
@@Balticblue93 Honda automatics are very picky and going OEM is a guaranteed safe option. I've heard good things about Valvoline Maxlife, but not much about Amsoil. If you don't have actual oil analysis/composition data to PROVE that the Amsoil is a better fluid, there is no good reason to buy a more expensive, non-OEM alternative. Brand name alone is not an argument. One thing I have heard consistently is definitely don't use Lucas. It'll fix things for a little bit but ultimately kill the trans within a couple years.
I was a Nissan tech about a decade ago and I choked laughing when you mentioned those CVTs. I think in 2014 we had a fort by the shipping/receiving door built out of core crates we were sending back.
I agree 100%. That said, first service I got done, I had a flush (fluid exchange).Every service there after, I just did a spill and fill. At 200 K, I dropped the pan,cleaned the magnets and changed the filter. When my car hits 300,000 miles, I will have spent about $600 on transmission services, (mostly DIY) at which point I won’t care if the transmission fails, time for a new car. If it makes it to 300,000, I’ll continue to service it, and drive it till the wheels fall off.
I have done a good amount of flushes, the only cars I've had issues with were Nissan, and one Volvo that started acting up after the flush, but we later found out it was already having issues and the customer thought the new fluid would fix them. Aside from that I've seen people do the flushes incorrectly and leave transmissions with low fluid afterwards which caused slipping issues as well. If you do one, make sure it is done right with the right fluid and the right technician.
We drive GM Chevys (Equinox's 2019 & 2020) with the 2.0 Liter 9 speed transmissions. GM says replace trans fluid every 30K miles. Fluid life for oil, trans, transfer case, rear diff, etc. is reduced due to the 2.0 liter being pretty small for a mid-size SUV and Turbo charged to wrench out 250 hp out of these engines. (Now only 1.5 Liter available - this is horrible in my opinion) Clean fluids are paramount to longevity. Especially oil and not waiting until the dash indicates 0% oil life left. The cost of major repairs for engine, trans and even the turbo is very high compared to fluids. The small turbo charged engines will not last if they are neglected.
I flushed my transmission on my 2006 BMW X5, went from stalling to never stalling. Transmission warning was shutting down the vehicle. It's been an interesting build, since I bought it. Hoping to drive it through the winter, with those heated seats. on the rear suspension now.. have also replaced most of the cooling system. However, I am considering making a mod & moving to the 2008 transmission cooler, to give the engine bay more space, over the existing 2006 transmission cooler, which also seems to be the weak link for the cooling system.
Yes love these type of videos. Can you expound more when to drain vs flush besides when there is no connection possible. What situations would you recommend a drain(dark fluid, unknown service history etc). Maybe also transfer case, rear rim intervals. Thanks.
Vehicle has high mileage with unknown or questionable history? Do a drain and fill to be safe (and filter if possible). Vehicle has low miles or high miles with regular transmission service history? A flush should be okay.
I agree 100%, with the way all of the new vehicles are being made to not be reliable. Proper Maintenance is definitely key. 👌 however i noticed that you did not mention about the thermal expansion valves on the newer transmissions especially ford's they do have adapters for the machines but I found on the dodges, you can't get enough flow to do flush them unless you were to take the machine with you of course which we all know is not realistic lol😂 anyways thanks for the videos keep up the good work!
Transmission services are definitely a hot topic as I can't seem to get the same opinion twice when I ask about lol. I trust your opinion on this and your advice is what I'm going with. Thank y'all for doing these awesome vids!
Great to see a few transmission guys telling the actual truth about the fluid. The fluid is really complicated all the different additives are crucial to shift quality heat protection etc etc older cars not too critical but more later multi ratio & lock up converters need the appropriate fluid for the model
97 Benz C230, original engine and transmission with 302k miles. The 722.6 torque converter actually has a drain plug, and the original owner did service intervals as such: 50k: drain from drain plug,drop pan and replace filter and gasket, replace fluid. 100k: same as above except drain torque converter, replace all fluid and refill to spec with standard fluid. I got the vehicle with 234k on it and did the interval service at 255k with just the 4.5 quarts in the pan and the filter, using full synthetic fluid to "start the process". She wasn't that dirty at all at that point. In under 3k miles I'll be doing the full service and replacing all the fluid with synthetic, and I'll be sending a sample for analysis to determine wear levels compared to the first drain and fill with the regular non-synthetic fluid. I'm hoping to see just as good if not better numbers for wear levels and detergent breakdown from the last sample. It shifts fine unless you hammer on it and she goes into what I call "race mode", where the transmission stays in the lower gears longer, but eventually goes back to normal after a minute of driving. Time will tell, but I should be able to get her up to 500k from this car over the next 5 years with required maintenance.
I absolutely agree with his statement that OEMs don’t make money with you driving around in a 300K mile car. I bought a ‘12 Toyota new. The service schedule log book, that the OEM gave me for the vehicle, does not recommend a single coolant or transmission fluid service. The log book goes out to 120K miles. They definitely want you buying a new vehicle.
I've always changed trans fluid at about 1/2 manufactures interval or less. Allision 1000s generally we have done at 40-50k. The new 10 speed allision branded we have changed/serviced every 20-25k. great video!
I just watched your transmission flush video. I agree with everything you said and also agree with most of the comments. I have an Orthodox way of replacing transmission fluid on most of the older vehicles and have had good results. For the vehicles that have no operation and shift concerns with fluid that is old and is getting discolored. These are perfect candidates for fluid changing. What I do is disconnect the cooler line preferably the one coming out of the cooler going back into the transmission. I run that into a bucket and then start the engine. While the old fluid is going into the bucket I pour in the new OEM fluid. When the fluid going into the bucket is nice and clean then you are done. This wil usually take as many quarts as the dry fill specification of that transmission. I do this with the veical at operating temperature.
It is great to hear an experienced technician talking about auto transmissions. After having one CVT transmission vehicle 🚗 I would not buy another one.
So far 190,000 miles on my 2015 Corolla’s CVT. I have done two fluid changes since I got it. Soon comes the third. Doubt any were done before I got it with 129k.
I do it myself every 40-50k Transmission Fluid & Filter changes on all my vehicles since the 80’s. Never had Transmission issues and still have some of them with 350k+ miles on them. I use BG EPR MOA & 44K products Great stuff,but never have used their Transmission products.
This aligns with when my local shop recommended to not service the transmission in our kids 2000 VW Beetle with auto transmission. It has 150,000km but no record of the transmission ever being serviced.
Thanks for the video! I've got a 2006 Honda Pilot with 153K on it. I got it from my brother-in-law and he bought it new. He says he doesn't remember ever servicing it. I looked at the fluid and it's not burnt or nasty. I get a couple of hesitation shifts when it's cold, especially in the lower gears. I'm afraid to do anything with it at this point because I hear horror stories about the friction material being the only thing keeping it shifting. What would you do with it? Try a drain and fill, which is recommended? From what I understand it replaces just 3-4 quarts when the capacity is about 9. I'm actually pretty excited about some new fluid fixing the hesitation after watching your video. I just don't know whether to risk it at this point though.
Many years ago we had a Ford Windstar that we purchased new. I don't recall the mileage, but we had the transmission serviced at the dealer, and it failed shortly thereafter. It had not had problems prior to the service. Ford replaced it under the extended warranty. Fast forward many years, I bought a 2005 Volvo XC70 with 75K on it. The Aisin trans in these were known to be a bit problematic. I immediately serviced the trans, and subsequently serviced it about every 20-30K, until I sold it at 170K with the trans still working perfectly.
The TF80-SC is the most common trans I work on, it's in a helluva lot of euro cars. Doing only the recommended drain and fill every 60,000 or 90,000 km (~40k-60k mi), these usually ran/run in taxis for about 500k km (300k mi) before starting to act up. Myself, I drive a Citroën with the same trans that had its first service @ 345,000 km (215k mi) and it's been pulling trailers regularly - still does. Really can't call them problematic from my perspective.
I embarrassingly neglected my 4l80e for about 50000 miles but then I finally snapped out of it and made it a yearly if not twice a year drain and fill with alternating drains being a filter change as wel, did the same for transfer case and both diffs. Wasn't haven't any issues when I started doing this but they all have reacted well to getting new fluid. The 4l80e took a few drain and fills for the fluid to finally become red. It always shifted good but every fluid change I would notice an improvement. Flushes definitely have their uses. People who claiming changing transmission fluid made their transmission fail are people who totally neglected the transmission to where it started having failures and they changed the fluid trying to fix mechanical damage. My 4l80e had 280k miles on it when I parted ways with it because I swapped to a manual transmisison. but I'm sure its going to serve its new owner well.
It’s the same interval I’ve used on all our cars. I’ve always serviced them according to the manual procedure, but my intervals are always shorter than the factory recommends. And we’ve had great luck so far with transmissions across the board.
I'm pretty sure that I've paid for transmission flushes that were never performed. I'm 99% sure of it. At the first place I ever tried to get one, I got an oil change and they "sold" me on a transmission flush -- which I was already thinking about doing... After the work was done, in about 30 minutes, I was at the counter asking how the flush was done so quickly and I asked where they made the connections to perform this flush. This was an oil change shop and the guys were all hanging around, joking around, and being friendly... and it was a slow day... So, before I paid, the guy at the register walked me out there, where they had just closed my hood. He asked the tech about the transmission flush... the tech stuttered and stammered... another guy opened the hood again... Then he said, "Well, we weren't able to do the flush because this truck (a 2005 F150) doesn't have the ports for it. There are usually lines running up here (pointing near the top of the radiator) with connections but your truck doesn't have them." The guy from the office just turned and walked back inside... he recalculated my bill to include only the oil change. I knew they were lying... anyway, I did look and there was a new oil filter and the oil was clean.... Since then, with newer vehicles, I've paid for transmission flushes, but I'm sure they were never done. Just like the first scam attempt, I don't believer they were done because of how quickly they were finished with my vehicle.
We let a Honda dealership talk us into flushing the trans in my wife's 1999 Accord when it had no issues. Immediately after the flush is developed a whining sound when the engine was cold and would go away once the engine warmed up. It still shifted fine and over time the noise dissipated. My 2004 Pilot developed a trans shudder at about 180k. Did a few drain and fills and the shudder went away after a few weeks.
Most manufactures of vehicles says not to change it. But if you research the actual manufacturers of the transmission itself they tell you to services service the transmission.
Yes, the car manufacturers tell you that it's not needed, because they know it won't fail during the warranty period. But if you want to keep the car way longer than that, often fluid changes are critical.
Enter the curious case of the ubiquitous ZF 8HP, lol. Tons of vehicles across nearly every car maker, uses some variant/model of it these days. Then a bunch of those manufacturers tell you it's "lifetime fluid" and ppl from ZF are like 🙄Officially they can't say anything other than "follow [the carmaker's] maintenance schedule", you question them in real life and they basically tell you that's a bunch of nonsense and you should never [not change it].
Not a proponent of "flush" per se, but I do perform drain-and-fills on the 4 automatics here. The Honda got a triple drain and fill when we bought it 4 years ago, then it gets one drain and fill a year after that (about 3.5 quarts and 8K miles). The Toyota (U660), Jeep (42RE), and Dodge (46RE) each get a drain and fill every other year. Yeah, a drain and fill is not cheap, but it's way cheaper (and way more convenient) than taking the car to a shop for a new transmission. And the service takes place on my schedule, not the busy shop's schedule. I like the content here. Sherwood's presence on screen is getting more and more comfortable. If he's talking impromptu, he's doing a real good job. Keep it up. This channel is one of my top five favorites.
I changed the factory-filled Toyota WS ATF in my 2016 Toyota Hybrid with Amsoil 100% Synthetic Signature Series Fuel-Efficient ATF at about 40,000 miles. The fascinating results from that one ATF exchange were the following: The moment I drove the Camry after the installation of the Amsoil ATF (without any other services being performed on my vehicle), I not only detected the vehicle was running a bit smoother, but also experienced increased power upon acceleration. More importantly, my EV light was coming on more often and staying lit longer (which of course signifies my car is running electrically from the battery, while the gas engine isn't operating)!! The following will help establish that Amsoil "100 Synthetic" Signature Series (SS) Fuel-Efficient ATF Fluid is vastly superior to the Toyota "Full Synthetic" WS ATF Fluid (made by Exxon Mobil). You can compare the Safety Data Sheets between Amsoil and Toyota fluids and you will find the Toyota WS ATF (and true of the vast number of full synthetics) is mostly composed of hydrocracked-petroleum oil, a Class III Synthetic (that is extra-refined petroleum to mostly eliminate impurities, but it doesn’t get totally get rid of then entirely). Amsoil Signature Series doesn’t contain a drop of petroleum oil, but a pure chemical mixture of Class IV Synthetic, known as polyalphaolefins (PAOs) and Class V Synthetic (such as Esters), plus top-shelf additives. The molecules of these Class IV & V Synthetics are of the same uniform shape allowing them to flow much more readily throughout the engines, transmissions and differentials, reducing damaging heat, creating more power and increasing fuel economy. Also, the backbone of Amsoil 100% Synthetic lubricants have a much lesser tendency to attract oxygen molecules (where damaging oxygen can form sludge). The difference between a Full Synthetic and a 100% Synthetic? Rafe Britton, a former Lubrication Engineer at Mobil and the creator of a number of highly educational UA-cam Videos under the heading of “Lubrication Explained,” states in order for an oil company to call its oil product 100% synthetic, it must be composed of either a Class IV Synthetic (PAOs) AND/OR Class V Synthetic (such as Esters), while being completely devoid of refined petroleum. Toyota lists the Flash Point of their WS ATF Fluid as 347° F (175° C), whereas Amsoil's Flash Point is listed as 435.2 F (224° C), so Amsoil holds up to the heat far better than the Toyota WS ATF. Amsoil SS ATF's Pour Point is -85° F (-65° C), but Toyota fails to mention their Pour Point? Another convenience factor of the Amsoil "100 Synthetic" Signature Series Fuel Efficient ATF Fluid is that it is available in collapsible bags making installation a snap (without the need for a pump that only provides a slow fill operation)! Amsoil also provides a "100 Synthetic" OE Fuel-Efficient ATF Fluid (at 57% the cost of the Amsoil "100 Synthetic" Signature Series (SS) Fuel-Efficient ATF Fluid), where the Amsoil OE ATF provides lesser protection at the extremes than Amsoil SS ATF with a Flash Point of 410° F (210° C) and a Pour Point of -54° F (-48° C). As you will note, the Amsoil OE ATF has extra protection from the heat in terms of the Flash Point than Toyota's WS ATF by an extra 63° F (35° C). The Amsoil OE ATF isn't available in the easy-to-pour pack (only the conventional quart or gallon plastic containers). The OE must be changed according to the manufacturer's specifications for your specific vehicle, however, the Signature Series will go double the distance (than the OE) under severe-driving conditions. For those of you that have a vehicle that doesn't accept a Fuel-Efficient ATF, you may consider the Amsoil 100% Synthetic Multi-Vehicle ATF (in both the Signature Series and the OE). They also carry 100% Synthetic in both their CVT fluid and Dual-Clutch Transmission Fluid. The beauty of using Amsoil Products is their fabulous Warranty, which is the widest in the lubrication industry, applies to automotive parts coming into contact with their fluids, regardless of the mileage or age of the vehicle, as long as the vehicle was in reasonably good mechanical condition before you first began to use the Amsoil Products! The OE ATF must be changed according to OEM recommendations for the Amsoil Warranty to apply, whereas the Signature Series ATF can go twice the distance of the OEM recommendations for Severe Service. Amsoil states that you can safely extend the oil drain-intervals beyond the Amsoil recommendation (for either the OE or the Signature Series ATF) in the event you secure an appropriate oil analysis (in which case the Amsoil Warranty will extend to the expected life of the oil accordingly, as determined by such oil analysis). Amsoil partners with Oil Analyzers, Inc. (OAI), to do a fluid analysis and OAI even measures the important level of oxidation in the used fluid (that Blackstone apparently doesn't measure). Lake Speed Jr. (aka The Motor Oil Geek) discusses the importance of measuring the oxidation levels in fluids in his various UA-cam Videos. Lake Speed Jr. measures oxidation in his oil analysis-business venture, SPEEDiagnostix (although his cost is higher than OAI). For full disclosure (as probably guessed right now), I am an Independent Amsoil Dealer (all dealers of Amsoil are independent contractors, as opposed to employees of Amsoil). A customer of mine (a mechanical shop) loves to use the Amsoil 100% Synthetic OE ATF in both varieties for their customers, since the OE Products are at an attractive price point and the comments they receive from their customers have been outstanding. If consumers wish to buy the Amsoil products as a Preferred Customer (PC), they will get the oil at a 25% discount, plus free shipping when they spend $100 (plus receiving a $5 coupon for every $100 you spend). It only costs $10 for a 6 month PC membership (or $20 a year) and there is no requirement to purchase (as there is with so many companies offering a membership for a preferred customer program, where there is an automatic shipment involved). Also, PCs can use their 25% discount to obtain a fluid analysis with Oil Analyzers, Inc. If you or any viewers are tempted to try Amsoil, I invite you to visit the official website of Amsoil and apply to become my Preferred Customer, by kindly utilizing my name (James Norris) in the box underneath the question that asks “Did someone refer you to Amsoil? If so, please tell us.” Then in the next box they ask “Have a Referral Number? Enter it below:” I kindly ask that you include my Referral Number of 1420935 in that box. If you can write down my name and referral number, before you eventually decide to exit this webpage, it will be appreciated (so that it will be at your fingertips when you get on the Amsoil website). You can also write me an email addressed to AutomotiveBuff at my gmail address (in case you have any questions). For mechanical shops choosing to become a Retail Account, the discount of Amsoil products is 30%, with free UPS shipping on orders of $400 or more and there isn't a membership fee. When you buy $2,500 or more in a calendar year, your discount expands to 35%. A few of my Retail Accounts that get a 35% discount, even in subsequent years where they fall below the $2,500 threshold, they still get the 35% discount. I had tried a variety of full synthetics over the years. I began to utilize Mobil 1 for several years thereafter, until I found Amsoil being sold by an auto parts store that is no longer in operation. After I personally emptied the Mobil 1 and I put it in the Amsoil in my car about 20 years ago, I was blown away with the increased performance, better fuel efficiency and the overall quietness of my engine. Thanks for the consideration!
A transmission flush saved me a couple of bucks on my ’99 Tacoma. It wasn’t shifting properly after maybe 80k miles. The dealer said it was my valve body, “It’s probably dirty,” and that cleaning it would only be a temporary fix. I called another dealer for a second opinion and estimate. The tech there recommended trying a flush first because it would be a lot cheaper and worth a shot. I had a Monro shop do it, and I never had a problem with it again. I drove it for another 80k miles.
Flushed my 2019 4L60E over 40k miles ago. 90+k now. Shifts perfect and smooth. Soon will swap out the 194F Thermal Bypass Valve for a 158F one and add a drain plug.
I love and learn so much by watching your videos! I own a 2008 Nissan Altima SE 3.5 with 134K miles; it is equipped with a CVT, so it has a GREAT engine but a lousy transmission, as you note in this video. I purchased this vehicle about six years ago with about 83K miles and have done nothing to service the transmission other than replacing one of the drive shaft seals and replenishing transmission fluid that was lost due to the bad seal. The CVT operates well and shows no obvious issues. Other than driving the car gently (easy acceleration), what else do you recommend, as service, to prolong the life of the transmission? Thanks very much!
There's also a big diff. between a fluid exchange and a flush. You can use the machine without chemical cleaner which is a fluid exchange, for me, it is my preference....to each his own I guess! thanks for the vid, be well !
If you drain and fill JATCO CVT’s regularly from when they are new, it does prolong the life of the transmission. Yes they are still weaker than regular auto transmissions but it helps a lot. I’m at 100k on 2015 Rogue and it shifts like the day it was bought. I drain and fill with ns3 fluid every 30k.
Hey thanks for clarifying the black nasty burnt state of fluid. My boss and I have argued numerous times over it. One thing I didn’t hear you discuss is draining the torque converter. I know not all converters have drain plugs. How about a topic on auxiliary coolers?
I love the air quotes ! It takes a quarter century of experience to earn the right to know when to tell the customer you’re trans is dead BUT you need to do a fluid service & it’s probably going to remove the only friction material left in your transmission right out the drain. Or you’re trans is dead drive it till it don’t no more.
Excellent video, great information. Thanks for sharing, always wondered about the transmission service, a lot of people say not to do it. But thanks for clarifying. Love your videos, great job!!
I'm from the UK & used genuine Toyota FE CVT fluid at a cost of £70,3yrs ago it was £60....i checked the price of Valvoline Maxlife it's £41 😮 BUT it's doesn't mention CVT FE just the ATF T-4, so i won't be using that.
You are so right on the Nissan CVT transmission not worth servicing. We brought a new 2011 Nissan Quest off the lot. I did a drain and fill every 25k with Nisssn fluid. The transmission when out at 110k. It was a great family vehicle except the crappie transmission.
Fluid changes cost me an arm and a leg for my 04 dodge ram here in the Bay Area Ca. I’ll probably rent a lift next time and do it myself. Nice to have work done for you but the prices were insane. I’ll go 50 k between trans fluid drains especially if I have to pay those prices. It’s just pretty hard for me to wrench in the street where I live but the mechanics prices here leave me not much choice. I found a place to rent a lift for about 220 bucks (8hours) and the place is a god send. I did my brakes there and avoided being bent over by the mechanics. Most mechanics here are charging 150 -200 an hour plus the parts mark up.
Once a year, drop the trans fluid snd clean the pan & magnets (i do it at fall service). Once the fluid / magnet stays clean, extend you service interval (two, three years, etc). If the fluid / magnet is really bad, drop the fluid again after a short drive, repeat.
Always keep it changed… the manufacturers do not care! Service is wayyy cheaper than a new unit I agree with you! 35 years of experience and Ive never had a problem
@crand20033 What are you servicing a freight train? And then again, what's downtime and being on the side of the road worth? Maybe you're being over charged.
@@Joe-hu7di A 2017 Nissan Rogue, I called around and they all said they charge the same for a drain and fill including a filter change. I had it done at 103,000 miles and the shop said the fluid wasn't even dirty. For just a drain and fill without filter change they charge $350. It makes no sense because that takes about 20 minutes
I change the transmission fluid in my vehicles every 15-30,000 depending on the vehicle. On my 98 Chevy K1500 with the 4L60E, it's been closer to 15,000 miles since these transmissions are not known for being the most durable. I bought this truck new, and it currently has 144,000 miles on the original transmission that has had no repairs. I do the same thing with my 98 Chevy K3500 with the 4L80E that I bought used with 94,000 miles on it. Truck now has 124,000 miles on it. I got my 92 Chevy Cavalier at 76,000 miles and have changed fluid and filter about every 20,000 miles and it's now at 253,000 miles with no transmission issues or repairs. I bought my 2014 Mustang GT new and changed the fluid and filter at 30,000 miles and added a drain plug to the pan and an aftermarket dipstick that goes up into the engine compartment. I will be changing the fluid on it every 30,000 miles.
I changed the factory-filled Toyota WS ATF in my 2016 Toyota Hybrid with Amsoil 100% Synthetic Signature Series Fuel-Efficient ATF at about 40,000 miles. The fascinating results from that one ATF exchange were the following: The moment I drove the Camry after the installation of the Amsoil ATF (without any other services being performed on my vehicle), I not only detected the vehicle was running a bit smoother, but also experienced increased power upon acceleration. More importantly, my EV light was coming on more often and staying lit longer (which of course signifies my car is running electrically from the battery, while the gas engine isn't operating)!! The following will help establish that Amsoil "100 Synthetic" Signature Series (SS) Fuel-Efficient ATF Fluid is vastly superior to the Toyota "Full Synthetic" WS ATF Fluid (made by Exxon Mobil). You can compare the Safety Data Sheets between Amsoil and Toyota fluids and you will find the Toyota WS ATF (and true of the vast number of full synthetics) is mostly composed of hydrocracked-petroleum oil, a Class III Synthetic (that is extra-refined petroleum to mostly eliminate impurities, but it doesn’t get totally get rid of then entirely). Amsoil Signature Series doesn’t contain a drop of petroleum oil, but a pure chemical mixture of Class IV Synthetic, known as polyalphaolefins (PAOs) and Class V Synthetic (such as Esters), plus top-shelf additives. The molecules of these Class IV & V Synthetics are of the same uniform shape allowing them to flow much more readily throughout the engines, transmissions and differentials, reducing damaging heat, creating more power and increasing fuel economy. Also, the backbone of Amsoil 100% Synthetic lubricants have a much lesser tendency to attract oxygen molecules (where damaging oxygen can form sludge). The difference between a Full Synthetic and a 100% Synthetic? Rafe Britton, a former Lubrication Engineer at Mobil and the creator of a number of highly educational UA-cam Videos under the heading of “Lubrication Explained,” states in order for an oil company to call its oil product 100% synthetic, it must be composed of either a Class IV Synthetic (PAOs) AND/OR Class V Synthetic (such as Esters), while being completely devoid of refined petroleum. Toyota lists the Flash Point of their WS ATF Fluid as 347° F (175° C), whereas Amsoil's Flash Point is listed as 435.2 F (224° C), so Amsoil holds up to the heat far better than the Toyota WS ATF. Amsoil SS ATF's Pour Point is -85° F (-65° C), but Toyota fails to mention their Pour Point? Another convenience factor of the Amsoil "100 Synthetic" Signature Series Fuel Efficient ATF Fluid is that it is available in collapsible bags making installation a snap (without the need for a pump that only provides a slow fill operation)! Amsoil also provides a "100 Synthetic" OE Fuel-Efficient ATF Fluid (at 57% the cost of the Amsoil "100 Synthetic" Signature Series (SS) Fuel-Efficient ATF Fluid), where the Amsoil OE ATF provides lesser protection at the extremes than Amsoil SS ATF with a Flash Point of 410° F (210° C) and a Pour Point of -54° F (-48° C). As you will note, the Amsoil OE ATF has extra protection from the heat in terms of the Flash Point than Toyota's WS ATF by an extra 63° F (35° C). The Amsoil OE ATF isn't available in the easy-to-pour pack (only the conventional quart or gallon plastic containers). The OE must be changed according to the manufacturer's specifications for your specific vehicle, however, the Signature Series will go double the distance (than the OE) under severe-driving conditions. For those of you that have a vehicle that doesn't accept a Fuel-Efficient ATF, you may consider the Amsoil 100% Synthetic Multi-Vehicle ATF (in both the Signature Series and the OE). They also carry 100% Synthetic in both their CVT fluid and Dual-Clutch Transmission Fluid. The beauty of using Amsoil Products is their fabulous Warranty, which is the widest in the lubrication industry, applies to automotive parts coming into contact with their fluids, regardless of the mileage or age of the vehicle, as long as the vehicle was in reasonably good mechanical condition before you first began to use the Amsoil Products! The OE ATF must be changed according to OEM recommendations for the Amsoil Warranty to apply, whereas the Signature Series ATF can go twice the distance of the OEM recommendations for Severe Service. Amsoil states that you can safely extend the oil drain-intervals beyond the Amsoil recommendation (for either the OE or the Signature Series ATF) in the event you secure an appropriate oil analysis (in which case the Amsoil Warranty will extend to the expected life of the oil accordingly, as determined by such oil analysis). Amsoil partners with Oil Analyzers, Inc. (OAI), to do a fluid analysis and OAI even measures the important level of oxidation in the used fluid (that Blackstone apparently doesn't measure). Lake Speed Jr. (aka The Motor Oil Geek) discusses the importance of measuring the oxidation levels in fluids in his various UA-cam Videos. Lake Speed Jr. measures oxidation in his oil analysis-business venture, SPEEDiagnostix (although his cost is higher than OAI). For full disclosure (as probably guessed right now), I am an Independent Amsoil Dealer (all dealers of Amsoil are independent contractors, as opposed to employees of Amsoil). A customer of mine (a mechanical shop) loves to use the Amsoil 100% Synthetic OE ATF in both varieties for their customers, since the OE Products are at an attractive price point and the comments they receive from their customers have been outstanding. If consumers wish to buy the Amsoil products as a Preferred Customer (PC), they will get the oil at a 25% discount, plus free shipping when they spend $100 (plus receiving a $5 coupon for every $100 you spend). It only costs $10 for a 6 month PC membership (or $20 a year) and there is no requirement to purchase (as there is with so many companies offering a membership for a preferred customer program, where there is an automatic shipment involved). Also, PCs can use their 25% discount to obtain a fluid analysis with Oil Analyzers, Inc. If you or any viewers are tempted to try Amsoil, I invite you to visit the official website of Amsoil and apply to become my Preferred Customer, by kindly utilizing my name (James Norris) in the box underneath the question that asks “Did someone refer you to Amsoil? If so, please tell us.” Then in the next box they ask “Have a Referral Number? Enter it below:” I kindly ask that you include my Referral Number of 1420935 in that box. If you can write down my name and referral number, before you eventually decide to exit this webpage, it will be appreciated (so that it will be at your fingertips when you get on the Amsoil website). You can also write me an email addressed to AutomotiveBuff at my gmail address (in case you have any questions). For mechanical shops choosing to become a Retail Account, the discount of Amsoil products is 30%, with free UPS shipping on orders of $400 or more and there isn't a membership fee. When you buy $2,500 or more in a calendar year, your discount expands to 35%. A few of my Retail Accounts that get a 35% discount, even in subsequent years where they fall below the $2,500 threshold, they still get the 35% discount. I had tried a variety of full synthetics over the years. I began to utilize Mobil 1 for several years thereafter, until I found Amsoil being sold by an auto parts store that is no longer in operation. After I personally emptied the Mobil 1 and I put it in the Amsoil in my car about 20 years ago, I was blown away with the increased performance, better fuel efficiency and the overall quietness of my engine. Thanks for the consideration!
I spent my entire life in car dealerships, and I totally agree with everything said here in this video. Pay the extra and do a full flush, not just a transmission service.
Getting ready to flush mine this weekend for my 100k service. Been draining 4 quarts and refilling with fresh every 20k miles. Transmission fluid is cheaper than a new transmission.
Unless it's the ZF design Chrysler uses in which case a low mileaged used transmission is about the same price as the fluid and the pan used for two or three changes. Not sure why they are so cheap except that maybe it's because every red neck, drug dealer, and pimp crashes hundreds of them a day and there's more in the salvage yards than they know what to do with.
I did my first transmission service on a ZF trans from a 2000 BMW E539 at 105000 miles. Worst thing i ever did. It never shifted the same again. Used correct spec parts and ZF fluids. Not that it happens often but it did for me. Even knowing that though I change out ZF trans fluids on my Jaguar XKs knowing that the odds are with me. Just wanted to bring up an example of how things can go wrong trying to do the right thing.
The Acura CL, TL and some RL all had bad transmission in them, we drain and fill using BG produce. BG could not prevent them from failing, I know because I was a Accura Tech for 5 years. The great thing about Acura's is that, as long you were a loyal customer and did your services through them, they would replace the Transmission under warranty, even when it was out of warranty. Acura Baby was the manufacture that took care of their customers!
Several years ago, I purchased a non-running (blown head gasket) 2007 Honda Pilot, with 225,000 miles on it. The transmission fluid was black as coal and about a quart low. Once I got it running, I did a spill and fill, with 3 quarts of Idemitsu. The magnetic drain plug was fairly clean, and I didn't notice any debris in the fluid. The transmission had a noticeable delay from park to drive, which had an accompanying two stage loud clack, it engaged after several seconds. Two more spill and fills, along with a bottle of Lubegard, and the delay in park to drive engagement was almost completely gone, the clacking noise is gone, and the transmission shifts through all five gears very smoothly. I still own the vehicle.
All our family Lexus and Toyota vehicles are on the BG flush cleaner and then fluid and conditioner. Our transmissions are at 302k and 24 years old, 288k and 14 years old, 388k and 14 years old and 230k and 10 years old. EACH ONE regularly has the $225 BG system flush.
Absolutely zero reason to use any type of cleaner. We use the BG flush machine at work and only use the cleaner in neglected gearboxes. Otherwise, a simple fluid exchange is all any transmission needs…. FRESH LUBE. That’s it. Wifey daily drives a GMC Acadia with the supposedly “bad” transmission… 180k miles. Shifts smooth. No issues. No leaks. I change the oil every 30k. 👍🏼
@I_know_what_im_talking_about the BG system that gives the bg warranty on your transmission uses the bg valve body cleaner and a fluid exchange with their conditioner. It's the bg recommended procedure. I'll stick with it. My mileage prooves it works with no damage
This is the topic that makes My blood boil. If the transmission fails after a properly performed service it was about to fail, the service had nothing to do with it. PERIOD. It's insane to argue that dirty fluid somehow 'protects' the transmission, pumping abrasive clutch material and micro metal particles endlessly through the system. This is how metal is removed from places you can't get to easily in machinery and porting work! Added chemicals may help or hurt, depending on the condition and type but fresh fluid and clean filter ( if possible) will definitely extend the life of a good transmission, whenever it's changed. I've changed fluid on 200, 250k mile trans for the first time and had no problems. Vehicles over 300k are common in my area and I know of one Dodge with 600k, original transmission. Probably go more but the rust gets them. Newer more complex units need service much more often, 30k is a common OEM recommendation for drain and fill, a partial service in my opinion. The proper way to service fluid is to change as much as practical, clean the reservoir (pan) and filter if serviceable and flush the cooler, lines and converter with fresh fluid. A machine is usually not required but can detect a restricted line or cooler (and faster, less messy) The fact is that almost nobody services the trans until a fault ( and likely failure) is evident and improper fluid service, malicious or otherwise, is blamed. If the trans has an issue, it may need to be fixed, fluid change is preventive, not repair. Paying for a failed transmission is no fun and everyone wants to blame others for the problem.
Hi, When the trans flush came out back in the 80's local news promoted the heck out of it, it was a new concept I had it done. Less then a year later, trans was gone. I bought it used and had the extended warranty only costed me $100 Ford rebuilt the trans. I was in the truck while it was being done. They told me when to shift it etc. Never put 2 & 2 together. yrs later did it on another vehicle, no extended warranty, costed me $3000 to have trans rebuilt. AND then the news media came out screaming along with all the other people how they got ripped off for the trans flush, in 2000. AND those trans flush places refused to do anything about it and deny, deny, deny they did anything wrong. Massive amount of people were upset about this. So was I after I had shelled out all that money for the flush only to have to shell out massive amount to have the trans rebuilt. Now today I bought a Toyota at a Lexus dealer they partnered with this company they put oil additives in the engines, transmissions, etc. BG Products whom also sells the transmission flushing unit, they warranty it too. I had a conversation with the Lexus shop on this, I requested the inspection sheet before buying the Rav4 saw the description and inquired about it after the sale. I went back after I got the key fob and asked them about it. They should me the kit they use for used cars and info sheet. They were upfront about it. The Toyota dealer flushes the transmissions using BG's flushing unit and again comes with a warranty backed be BG. I also got extended warranty for this car with $0 deductible bumper to bumper with 78000 miles on the car for a 2016. They do the trans flush. I'm on the fence with this. So is Scotty Kilmer. I talked to him and he has video on trans flushing too. He's had to deal with this in the past with his customers after the fact. What to do?
GM transmission guy here: you absolutely need to change or service your transmission fluid. I don’t like to flush transmissions I prefer to remove the pan and replace the filter if possible. When you flush a transmission you aren’t removing the debris from the magnets in the pan and you also aren’t allowing a new filter to capture all the debris dislodged when the detergents in the new fluid do their job. Most transaxles (FWD) can only be be drained and filled since the filter is only accessible when you remove the trans and split the case halves. Solenoid failure as well as valve body wear can be severely mitigated with proper service every 30-45k miles. Solenoids in the modern transmissions all actually attract metal and that is a huge part of what kills them.
A control valve body in any automatic transmission is filled with bores and valves inside of them. Everytime the vehicle makes a shift there is movement that occurs between 1) valve 2) bore. When there is debris (even a small amount) it cause them to wear either the bore or valve at an accelerated rate. This causes what is known as a hydraulic leak. It can lead to unsatisfactory shift quality and if it is bad enough it can cause damage to clutches. Great video from Royalty as usual!
I did a filter replacement on a 2016 RAV4 at 55,000 miles and the magnets couldn't hold any more material - I'm with you.
Not every GM trans has a serviceable filter. Changing the filter then doing a flush is probably best.
@ Every modern GM transmission has a filter that is serviceable. It’s just a question of how much labor is involved to
change it.
@@esoterictransmissions LOL splitting a case is not considered "serviceable". Sorry, it's not.
Sherwood, I'm impressed . I've been doing transmission for 40 years..yes 40 and you hit this rite on the head. One thing is I never put any chemicals in a transmission, I think its bad. The other is, its a transmission fluid exchange not a flush, not flushing nothing but just replacing the old fluid with new. New fluid brings back its lubrication qualities, friction modifiers, detergents, heat reduction abilities back with new oil. Now, when people want a fluid exchange (flush) its when they have a problem. When the fluid is dirty black, burnt or full of chemicals they've added is NEVER a time to replace the fluid. New transmission fluid is high in detergents and will begin to wash the internals of all the debris collected from the slow process of failure. It's like a Christmas snow globe, all the debris is settled, you come with new fluid and you shake that snow globe and distribute the debris in the oil. Suspended debris in the oil will get caught in valves and solenoids and failure is quick. So, I always say you have to have the right candidate for a fluid exchange. I always drop the pan when there is one, if it clean and fluid is not burnt, that's a candidate for a fluid exchange. Plus, you are "spot on" with a shudders, or converter clutch chatters can be fixed by new fresh Transmission fluid. Customers never bring their car in for a preventive maintenance. They bring it in when there's a problem. The uneducated tech changes the fluid and failure is quick. That's how the trans fluid change got its bad name. I don't care how many miles are on a transmission other than, is it a good candidate for a fluid exchange.
Question, 2003 jeep tj wrangler automatic 105,000 miles on it. Not original owner so don’t know if transmission has been serviced. First start of day if I shift right away into gear seems a little slow to engage. Drives great but have wondered if I should Sevice the transmission? I usually start my vehicles and idle in neutral for a minute before shifting into gear, just a habit.
That was always the recommendation; that if you have not serviced/flushed/change tranny fluid in a vehicle that now has 100k miles (or whatever), dont do it for these reasons. It will start to leak and then fail shortly thereafter. Many stories about that.
@@kevinolson3321very common. Do a Google search and you will find a couple cures. The transmission oil is draining out of either the torque converter and or the transmission cooler lines. My 97 was the same. I always just shifted into gear, and waited for it to engage.
@kevinolson3321 What Dave above you said. What does the fluid look like. Tells you if it's been changed on time regardless of how it's been driven.
I will change it anyway. Bad fluid will only get worse faster and leave you so.
IMO.
How does one do transmission for 40 years? 😂
Years ago I bought a used 1999 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer edition. It had high miles, but the 5.0 V8 engine ran good, but eventually, the transmission didn't feel right. I ordered a new OEM filter and a case of transmission fluid. When I took the pan off, the fluid was dark red. The pan had a lot of metal sludge on the magnet. I also drained the torque converter. After cleaning the pan thoroughly, I put everything back together and put new fluid. After that, the transmission shifted like new. After 30-40K miles. I did another service, and the fluid and pan were still clean.
I am a retired auto and heavy truck mechanic. I was maintenance manager of a fleet of Ford Ambulances. We put external filters on the trans., and plug. in pan and we would get 100,000 miles out of them and we were at max GVWR. We changes Trans oil at 30, 000. We put plugs in differental and changed it at 30,000 and engine oil on 7.3 diesels. I would get anywhere from 250,000 to 300,000 miles provided there was not some other issue. Blown head, valve, etc. Firm believer in changing fluids. Work for trucking company and ran 3126 Cat with HUEI fuel system and they wanted to extend oil changes. What a mistake. We started ruining HUEI pumps engine performance issues. Absolutely and very critical about fluid changes.
I good many years in the field and I absolutely agree.
As simple as it sounds, I think proactive fluid changes are the life of the car. For example, even when you think think your brakes are OK, if you bleed in new fluid, they suddenly start working better.. The pedal is more sensitive and it stops faster with less foot pressure.
@mrchad97z49 That is because brake fluid is designed to absorb moisture. While it absorbs the moisture, it does not have the same properties and compresses more. Your right changing it does perform better, and it also protects wheel cyl and calipers from rusting and pitting internally. It is probably one of the most neglected fluid changes on a vehicle but can certainly be costly if not changed. ABS modules, master cyl, clippers, and wheel cyl., paportioning valves, etc, are all very costly.
@@johndavis318 And on that note, the best 1 man brake bleeder is using a check valve (like Russel bleeder valves) instead of the OEM tips. And when you replace those tips, you do not have to "pump up the brakes" to bleed them. You dont have to blow out your master cylinder to bleed the brakes. Its so stupid that mechanics pump and pump and pump the brake pedal "to get pressure" to push out the fluid. It doesnt make sense! If you had to do that then operating your vehicle would be a nightmare. Imagine pumping your brakes 5 times every time to get it to stop.. It doesnt make sense! So this Russel Valve indicates this very well. 1 Pump get you 1 squirt at the wheel. You can see it in action. Its so simple. Why do mechanics pump the pedal 5 times? To get pressure? noo.... because they are brain damage.
Just a few comments from a retired Automotive Engineer. I agree with: “Regular fluid changes are a good thing” and “Follow the manufacturers specification when choosing a fluid”. That said, the economic decision for a fluid flush has three variables 1. Cost of fluid flush 2. Reliability of the Brand 3. Cost of transmission repair/replacement. For example: Trans fluid flush on a Lexus is $700, at the Dealer. Given the reliability of that brand, 30,000 miles likely results in wasted money. Additionally, the comparison with changing engine oil is not valid. Engine oil is contaminated by combustion byproduct which results in shorter change intervals. Transmission fluid is degraded by elevated temperature which oxidizes the fluid. A better comparison is the gear oil in the differential. You didn’t mention adding an air/fluid cooler. This reduces temperature and lengthens the change interval, and can be more economical. Consider the fluid/fluid transmission cooler in the radiator cannot cool the transmission fluid much below the coolant temp 200 - 220 deg. F, where an air/fluid cooler can drop that temp 50 to 80 degrees F. As the transmission fluid temperature rises the oxidation rate increases significantly.
If you have a chain CVT flushing fluid is a no brainer
What if the the transmission is designed to work well at those temperatures? Making them work cooler won't create problems? By that logic, if I remove the thermostat from the engine it should last longer, but we know that's not the case, quite the opposite.
However, modern Synthetic trans fluid doesn't go by the "above" 175 degree starts degrading. 220 to 250 degrees is nothing to modern fluid with a 450 degree flash point.
Trans fluid also gets contaminated with clutch pack material and other metals.
@@jeffreyb1451 The starting point of the degradation process is when any fluid (whether it is Oil, ATF, Gear Lube, etc.) reaches the "Thermal Breakdown Stage," which is at a much lower temperature than the "Flash Point." When any fluid reaches the Flash Point, we can safely assume that fluid will be completely unusable (where it can cause destructive damage in the vehicle). When you mention modern synthetic-ATF having a high Flash Point, a typical "Full Synthetic ATF" (that is mostly composed of hydrocracked petroleum oil, classified as a Grade III Synthetic) will not generally have a 450°F Flash Point. For instance, Toyota WS Fluid (a Full Synthetic, made by Mobil) has a Flash Point of 347°F. If premium protection is sought, select a 100% Synthetic ATF (such as Amsoil, the creator of various 100% Synthetic Fluids, including a Synthetic ATF, Gear Oil, Diesel Oil, Racing Oil, Marine Oil and Amsoil was the first company to have a Synthetic Motor Oil certified by the API in 1972).
The difference between a Full Synthetic and a 100% Synthetic? Rafe Britton, a former Lubrication Engineer at Mobil and the creator of a number of highly educational UA-cam Videos under the heading of “Lubrication Explained,” states in order for an oil company to call its oil product 100% synthetic, it must be composed of either a Class IV Synthetic (PAOs) AND/OR Class V Synthetic (such as Esters or equivalent), while being completely devoid of refined petroleum.
Please do more shop talk. I thought Chris Fix was the best, but you are the best teacher and honest mechanic. Wish I was located close to your shop, you would be my place to go. Will recommend your videos to friends and families.
The difference between ChrisFix and this channel is he's a professional doing it every single day. Can't beat experience and honesty.
THANKS FOR THE COMMENT HOWever i have a 1986 celica gts 5 speed and i go through this eveytime i get ready to service the transmssion and i was told my several mechanic dont flush the transmission just drain it and refilll it obvisoully with new transmiision fluid and for the past 39 years never had a problem
Chris Fix is great but it sucks that he's slowed down on uploading once he moved to Florida.
@@kimblem.w9952 slow down for higher quality contents and...living life man.
you compare ChrisFix to this channel? haha Although I will say that this channel, royalty, is all about stretching his video for the money. And I have seen him give advice on stuff that is not what I would do. Like the way he ranked the cheapest cars to maintain. Just really bad advice. All he knows about is what they have worked on the most. Then he told us about HIS cars. Oh please just stop the video bozo!
I just came across your videos! Great job, and thank you!! We're about 90% done... we're turning my dad's '85 F150, 2wd with the inline 6, into his daily driver. It's got the C4/C5 transmission in it. In freshening it up, we pulled the 300, put all new seals in it, and... drained the torque converter and transmission fluid --for the first time! Hopefully, I'm helping it and not hurting it. Thanks guys!
Yes you’re right,I got a 2019 dodge ram truck with a 5.7 litre and I do service every 5000 km for engine oil and 10000 km for transmission oil,love your work,keep it up,all the best from down under (Australia)🤙
I owned and operated a transmission shop for 40 years, The reason people say a transmission flush will ruin your transmission is that most people who notice that their transmission isn't operating quite right. Go in and ask to have the thing serviced and or flushed. And of course you know the transmission was already having difficulties and ultimately would fail and then they would blame the fact that they had it serviced or flushed when in fact it was already on the way out.
I don't think your blanket statement is true. Shops ALWAYS blame the customer for everything.
I can't disagree because I am not a mechanic but if I owned a shop I (and maybe you do) I would ask the customer, "have you ever changed the fluid, if yes, at how many miles and who did it and what fluid if you know did they use, what kind of driving do you do, do you tow, etc.,etc." And then I would drive it before recommending or no recommending a service, I am sure you do that but maybe a ,lot of mechanics don't.
@@spaceghost8995 So, you have a problem with a "blanket statement", then immediately follow that with a blanket statement. The irony and hypocrisy appear to be lost on you.
@dan1906 Busted lol🤣
Extra pressure, reverse or not, could damage seals and o-rings,...etc. drain and fill is what I do.
You asked if we want more shop talk videos. I do.
Thank you for the info. I own a 1984 Nissan Maxima with over 429,000 miles on the original transmission. Drain, replace filter, and fill every 30,000 miles.
That's the pre-Renault era Nissan.
I do the drain and fill method with good results it's the only way a diyer like me can do it without the professional flushing equipment. Good vid keep em coming cheers from Melbourne Australia.
Drain and fill seems to be more of an Asian vehicle thing with closer intervals. The theory as I know it is it leaves enough friction material behind to deliver benefits and swaps out enough fluid to keep it clean. Been doing it since I switched to Honda/toyota.
You don't need professional fluid exchange equipment. You an look up the cooler return line on line remove and place into a pan or bucket. As you poor in fluid the dirty will be pumped out the cooler line. Get a general idea for how much is coming out for how much u put in. Reattach the line, start it up and ck the fluid, add or subtract. You can use the drain plug but if not equipped than remove the cooler line to rid of excess oil. This is how the machines do it. Really, it's not that difficult.
@Dave-td3tu Thank you for the reply, David. My Mazda cx5 has a setup that doesn't allow me to do it the way you mentioned without making a plate with hose attachments that go over the trans cooler port, unfortunately. Kind regards, Allan.
THANKS FOR THE COMMENT HOWever i have a 1986 celica gts 5 speed and i go through this eveytime i get ready to service the transmssion and i was told my several mechanic dont flush the transmission just drain it and refilll it obvisoully with new transmiision fluid and for the past 39 years never had a problem
@@jameseverly8501 are you talking about a manual or automatic 5 speed? A manual is completely different. That has gearbox oil not automatic transmission fluid.
grandpop always told me NEVER shift from reverse to drive while moving, or drive to reverse. Always completely stop before you shift. I have never had a transmission go bad.
2014 explorer Sutter changed fluid it had 60,000 took care of my problem. Thank you
Sherwood, your content is absolutely on point. Keep putting it out. Thank you Sir.
On the dark fluid topic; both my kids had 2011-ish Equinox / Terrain cars and the transmission fluid on those looked like oil out of a diesel engine even at 80,000 miles. I drained it out and refilled a few times. A year later, same thing. BLACK! The Terrain was still going strong at 190,000 when it was sold and the Equinox is still doing well coming up on 200k. Filter can't be changed without separating the case and that's not going to happen. If I did that, guaranteed the car would get totaled within a week.
My 2015 Nox 4cl FWD same thing. I know it's time to do the drain and fill when it hard shifts down while coasting to a stop.
Changed my ford fusion at 30k and it was the same. Read that some of these new fluids change color quickly but doesn’t mean they are bad.
Excellent video. A big incentive for auto makers is the ability to say their vehicles have the lowest maintenance cost regardless of the long term consequences. When the vehicle fails after warranty they know they are off the hook and they are happy to try and sell you another.
110% I'm a former GM tech and worked in a shop that serviced all makes as well. The transmission fluid is the life blood, like any hard working fluid it needs to be cleaned and restored at some interval based on usage and mileage. What we always did was change the filter after the flush, this kept the new filter protected from the old oil, sure we had to top it up with some more transmission fluid but the customer was assured that all the old fluid and debris was removed after the service. Transmission fluid has friction modifiers and additives to help it cope with the heat and stresses of the hydraulic system and to keep the transmission going. It also is doing a continual cleaning of the clutchpacks and other areas as its used, at some point it can't do anymore and needs to be renewed. Understandably it's going to accumulate in the system, debris and heat takes its toll and has to be replaced, it's not just the fluid your replacing, it's all the built in additives for good transmission life. Like you said, if it's got signs of a over worked burnt smell or the customer says it's exhibiting slippage or shift issues, it's for past anything new fluid can fix anyway. Great video and good to see!
Back years ago I had a 1997 Ford Explorer with a 4.0L OHV and 5 speed auto trans bought brand new. I did a trans fluid exchange every 40K with the proper fluid. I got 240k miles without any problems. I had to get rid of the truck in 2017 because the body rusted out. No issues with trans or engine because I did fluid changes regularly. If you maintain anything when new than you can expect longevity with it. I just wish I kept up with the rustproofing otherwise I believe that truck would be still going today. Great video fellas.👍👍👍
Those were common in my neck of the woods but it must have been atleast 15 years since I saw one advertised with a _working_ transmission. I just checked Marketplace and there are two out there, both undrivable due to transmission issues.
Over the years, I have bought three of them just to pull the 8.8 LSD rear axle for other projects.
I've had transmission flush services on my 2003 Toyota Sequoia every 30k miles. To date, I've had 9 flushes and 1 drain and refill. The drain and refill occurred at about 300k miles, because the dealer, which services my SUV, was afraid to flush the transmission. My other vehicles get the flush as well. No issues whatsoever.
I changed the factory-filled Toyota WS ATF in my 2016 Toyota Hybrid with Amsoil 100% Synthetic Signature Series Fuel-Efficient ATF at about 40,000 miles, where the independent mechanical-shop performed a slow flush through the transmission lines with the BG machine, which I personally witnessed. The fascinating results from that one ATF exchange were the following: The moment I drove the Camry after the installation of the Amsoil ATF (without any other services being performed on my vehicle), I not only detected the vehicle was running a bit smoother, but also experienced increased power upon acceleration. More importantly, my EV light was coming on more often and staying lit longer (which of course signifies my car is running electrically from the battery, while the gas engine isn't operating)!!
The following will help establish that Amsoil "100 Synthetic" Signature Series (SS) Fuel-Efficient ATF Fluid is vastly superior to the Toyota "Full Synthetic" WS ATF Fluid (made by Exxon Mobil). You can compare the Safety Data Sheets between Amsoil and Toyota fluids and you will find the Toyota WS ATF (and true of the vast number of full synthetics) is mostly composed of hydrocracked-petroleum oil, a Class III Synthetic (that is extra-refined petroleum to mostly eliminate impurities, but it doesn’t get totally get rid of then entirely). Amsoil Signature Series doesn’t contain a drop of petroleum oil, but a pure chemical mixture of Class IV Synthetic, known as polyalphaolefins (PAOs) and Class V Synthetic (such as Esters), plus top-shelf additives. The molecules of these Class IV & V Synthetics are of the same uniform shape allowing them to flow much more readily throughout the engines, transmissions and differentials, reducing damaging heat, creating more power and increasing fuel economy. Also, the backbone of Amsoil 100% Synthetic lubricants have a much lesser tendency to attract oxygen molecules (where damaging oxygen can form sludge).
The difference between a Full Synthetic and a 100% Synthetic? Rafe Britton, a former Lubrication Engineer at Mobil and the creator of a number of highly educational UA-cam Videos under the heading of “Lubrication Explained,” states in order for an oil company to call its oil product 100% synthetic, it must be composed of either a Class IV Synthetic (PAOs) AND/OR Class V Synthetic (such as Esters), while being completely devoid of refined petroleum.
Toyota lists the Flash Point of their WS ATF Fluid as 347° F (175° C), whereas Amsoil's Flash Point is listed as 435.2 F (224° C), so Amsoil holds up to the heat far better than the Toyota WS ATF. Amsoil SS ATF's Pour Point is -85° F (-65° C), but Toyota fails to mention their Pour Point? Another convenience factor of the Amsoil "100 Synthetic" Signature Series Fuel Efficient ATF Fluid is that it is available in collapsible bags making installation a snap (without the need for a pump that only provides a slow fill operation)! Amsoil also provides a "100 Synthetic" OE Fuel-Efficient ATF Fluid (at 57% the cost of the Amsoil "100 Synthetic" Signature Series (SS) Fuel-Efficient ATF Fluid), where the Amsoil OE ATF provides lesser protection at the extremes than Amsoil SS ATF with a Flash Point of 410° F (210° C) and a Pour Point of -54° F (-48° C). As you will note, the Amsoil OE ATF has extra protection from the heat in terms of the Flash Point than Toyota's WS ATF by an extra 63° F (35° C).
The Amsoil OE ATF isn't available in the easy-to-pour pack (only the conventional quart or gallon plastic containers). The OE must be changed according to the manufacturer's specifications for your specific vehicle, however, the Signature Series will go double the distance (than the OE) under severe-driving conditions. For those of you that have a vehicle that doesn't accept a Fuel-Efficient ATF, you may consider the Amsoil 100% Synthetic Multi-Vehicle ATF (in both the Signature Series and the OE). They also carry 100% Synthetic in both their CVT fluid and Dual-Clutch Transmission Fluid.
The beauty of using Amsoil Products is their fabulous Warranty, which is the widest in the lubrication industry, applies to automotive parts coming into contact with their fluids, regardless of the mileage or age of the vehicle, as long as the vehicle was in reasonably good mechanical condition before you first began to use the Amsoil Products! The OE ATF must be changed according to OEM recommendations for the Amsoil Warranty to apply, whereas the Signature Series ATF can go twice the distance of the OEM recommendations for Severe Service. Amsoil states that you can safely extend the oil drain-intervals beyond the Amsoil recommendation (for either the OE or the Signature Series ATF) in the event you secure an appropriate oil analysis (in which case the Amsoil Warranty will extend to the expected life of the oil accordingly, as determined by such oil analysis).
Amsoil partners with Oil Analyzers, Inc. (OAI), to do a fluid analysis and OAI even measures the important level of oxidation in the used fluid (that Blackstone apparently doesn't measure). Lake Speed Jr. (aka The Motor Oil Geek) discusses the importance of measuring the oxidation levels in fluids in his various UA-cam Videos. Lake Speed Jr. measures oxidation in his oil analysis-business venture, SPEEDiagnostix (although his cost is higher than OAI).
For full disclosure (as probably guessed right now), I am an Independent Amsoil Dealer (all dealers of Amsoil are independent contractors, as opposed to employees of Amsoil). A customer of mine (a mechanical shop) loves to use the Amsoil 100% Synthetic OE ATF in both varieties for their customers, since the OE Products are at an attractive price point and the comments they receive from their customers have been outstanding.
If consumers wish to buy the Amsoil products as a Preferred Customer (PC), they will get the oil at a 25% discount, plus free shipping when they spend $100 (plus receiving a $5 coupon for every $100 you spend). It only costs $10 for a 6 month PC membership (or $20 a year) and there is no requirement to purchase (as there is with so many companies offering a membership for a preferred customer program, where there is an automatic shipment involved). Also, PCs can use their 25% discount to obtain a fluid analysis with Oil Analyzers, Inc.
If you or any viewers are tempted to try Amsoil, I invite you to visit the official website of Amsoil and apply to become my Preferred Customer, by kindly utilizing my name (James Norris) in the box underneath the question that asks “Did someone refer you to Amsoil? If so, please tell us.” Then in the next box they ask “Have a Referral Number? Enter it below:” I kindly ask that you include my Referral Number of 1420935 in that box. If you can write down my name and referral number, before you eventually decide to exit this webpage, it will be appreciated (so that it will be at your fingertips when you get on the Amsoil website). You can also write me an email addressed to AutomotiveBuff at my gmail address (in case you have any questions).
For mechanical shops choosing to become a Retail Account, the discount of Amsoil products is 30%, with free UPS shipping on orders of $400 or more and there isn't a membership fee. When you buy $2,500 or more in a calendar year, your discount expands to 35%. A few of my Retail Accounts that get a 35% discount, even in subsequent years where they fall below the $2,500 threshold, they still get the 35% discount.
I had tried a variety of full synthetics over the years. I began to utilize Mobil 1 for several years thereafter, until I found Amsoil being sold by an auto parts store that is no longer in operation. After I personally emptied the Mobil 1 and I put it in the Amsoil in my car about 20 years ago, I was blown away with the increased performance, better fuel efficiency and the overall quietness of my engine. Thanks for the consideration!
I love this channel. I bought my '99 Accord new amd immediately added a trans cooler. Every second year I do a drain and replace of the trans fluid. The fluid always looks good and no problems. I do the same with the coolant and recently replaced the thermostat for the first time in 25 years. The inside of the housing and water jacket looked perfect. I always use distilled water when mixing my coolant.
Your a good man, if you want to keep your cooling system super clean, add a cooling filter.
I am very proactive. I was warned about Nissan CVT transmissions failing before the engine does so take the precautions to I maintain it.
My wife’s Honda HRV ( CVT trans ) was starting to give a little nudge you could feel when applying throttle. I replaced the Transmission filter, which was a royal pain in the you know what, and changed the fluid. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. It’s been working smoothly since.
Just had the transmission replaced in my GX460 at 189k. I don't think the fluid was ever changed before so I'm okay with taking care of this one. I just wish people were more informed and didn't buy into the "lifetime fluid". Thank you for putting out great content and info, especially when it comes to transmissions. If the previous one got 189k with neglect, I'm excited to see how far I get with regular filter and fluid changes.
Yes I dig this kind of content. And I agree with you all the way, trans service is crucial. Manufactures under rate maintenance these days but I kind of stick with old school standards.
It's not like when dad's had the hoods up every Saturday, nowadays folks get a car and just drive and forget about maintenance entirely.
I think the issue folks have with transmission servicing is many only attempt it once damage is done.
Same kinda idea of only changing your oil when the motor starts knocking, damage is done fresh oil isn't going to fix damage, it will only slow wear down.
I have a 2022 lexus GX 460. At 30,000 miles I had ALL the fluids dropped and replaced using OEM Toyota specific fluids. I take care of the oil changes myself as well as front and rear diffs as well as Transfer case. Oil at 3,000 mile intervals.
I changed the factory-filled Toyota WS ATF in my 2016 Toyota Hybrid with Amsoil 100% Synthetic Signature Series Fuel-Efficient ATF at about 40,000 miles, where the independent mechanical-shop performed a slow flush through the transmission lines with the BG machine, which I personally witnessed. The fascinating results from that one ATF exchange were the following: The moment I drove the Camry after the installation of the Amsoil ATF (without any other services being performed on my vehicle), I not only detected the vehicle was running a bit smoother, but also experienced increased power upon acceleration. More importantly, my EV light was coming on more often and staying lit longer (which of course signifies my car is running electrically from the battery, while the gas engine isn't operating)!!
The following will help establish that Amsoil "100 Synthetic" Signature Series (SS) Fuel-Efficient ATF Fluid is vastly superior to the Toyota "Full Synthetic" WS ATF Fluid (made by Exxon Mobil). You can compare the Safety Data Sheets between Amsoil and Toyota fluids and you will find the Toyota WS ATF (and true of the vast number of full synthetics) is mostly composed of hydrocracked-petroleum oil, a Class III Synthetic (that is extra-refined petroleum to mostly eliminate impurities, but it doesn’t get totally get rid of then entirely). Amsoil Signature Series doesn’t contain a drop of petroleum oil, but a pure chemical mixture of Class IV Synthetic, known as polyalphaolefins (PAOs) and Class V Synthetic (such as Esters), plus top-shelf additives. The molecules of these Class IV & V Synthetics are of the same uniform shape allowing them to flow much more readily throughout the engines, transmissions and differentials, reducing damaging heat, creating more power and increasing fuel economy. Also, the backbone of Amsoil 100% Synthetic lubricants have a much lesser tendency to attract oxygen molecules (where damaging oxygen can form sludge).
The difference between a Full Synthetic and a 100% Synthetic? Rafe Britton, a former Lubrication Engineer at Mobil and the creator of a number of highly educational UA-cam Videos under the heading of “Lubrication Explained,” states in order for an oil company to call its oil product 100% synthetic, it must be composed of either a Class IV Synthetic (PAOs) AND/OR Class V Synthetic (such as Esters), while being completely devoid of refined petroleum.
Toyota lists the Flash Point of their WS ATF Fluid as 347° F (175° C), whereas Amsoil's Flash Point is listed as 435.2 F (224° C), so Amsoil holds up to the heat far better than the Toyota WS ATF. Amsoil SS ATF's Pour Point is -85° F (-65° C), but Toyota fails to mention their Pour Point? Another convenience factor of the Amsoil "100 Synthetic" Signature Series Fuel Efficient ATF Fluid is that it is available in collapsible bags making installation a snap (without the need for a pump that only provides a slow fill operation)! Amsoil also provides a "100 Synthetic" OE Fuel-Efficient ATF Fluid (at 57% the cost of the Amsoil "100 Synthetic" Signature Series (SS) Fuel-Efficient ATF Fluid), where the Amsoil OE ATF provides lesser protection at the extremes than Amsoil SS ATF with a Flash Point of 410° F (210° C) and a Pour Point of -54° F (-48° C). As you will note, the Amsoil OE ATF has extra protection from the heat in terms of the Flash Point than Toyota's WS ATF by an extra 63° F (35° C).
The Amsoil OE ATF isn't available in the easy-to-pour pack (only the conventional quart or gallon plastic containers). The OE must be changed according to the manufacturer's specifications for your specific vehicle, however, the Signature Series will go double the distance (than the OE) under severe-driving conditions. For those of you that have a vehicle that doesn't accept a Fuel-Efficient ATF, you may consider the Amsoil 100% Synthetic Multi-Vehicle ATF (in both the Signature Series and the OE). They also carry 100% Synthetic in both their CVT fluid and Dual-Clutch Transmission Fluid.
The beauty of using Amsoil Products is their fabulous Warranty, which is the widest in the lubrication industry, applies to automotive parts coming into contact with their fluids, regardless of the mileage or age of the vehicle, as long as the vehicle was in reasonably good mechanical condition before you first began to use the Amsoil Products! The OE ATF must be changed according to OEM recommendations for the Amsoil Warranty to apply, whereas the Signature Series ATF can go twice the distance of the OEM recommendations for Severe Service. Amsoil states that you can safely extend the oil drain-intervals beyond the Amsoil recommendation (for either the OE or the Signature Series ATF) in the event you secure an appropriate oil analysis (in which case the Amsoil Warranty will extend to the expected life of the oil accordingly, as determined by such oil analysis).
Amsoil partners with Oil Analyzers, Inc. (OAI), to do a fluid analysis and OAI even measures the important level of oxidation in the used fluid (that Blackstone apparently doesn't measure). Lake Speed Jr. (aka The Motor Oil Geek) discusses the importance of measuring the oxidation levels in fluids in his various UA-cam Videos. Lake Speed Jr. measures oxidation in his oil analysis-business venture, SPEEDiagnostix (although his cost is higher than OAI).
For full disclosure (as probably guessed right now), I am an Independent Amsoil Dealer (all dealers of Amsoil are independent contractors, as opposed to employees of Amsoil). A customer of mine (a mechanical shop) loves to use the Amsoil 100% Synthetic OE ATF in both varieties for their customers, since the OE Products are at an attractive price point and the comments they receive from their customers have been outstanding.
If consumers wish to buy the Amsoil products as a Preferred Customer (PC), they will get the oil at a 25% discount, plus free shipping when they spend $100 (plus receiving a $5 coupon for every $100 you spend). It only costs $10 for a 6 month PC membership (or $20 a year) and there is no requirement to purchase (as there is with so many companies offering a membership for a preferred customer program, where there is an automatic shipment involved). Also, PCs can use their 25% discount to obtain a fluid analysis with Oil Analyzers, Inc.
If you or any viewers are tempted to try Amsoil, I invite you to visit the official website of Amsoil and apply to become my Preferred Customer, by kindly utilizing my name (James Norris) in the box underneath the question that asks “Did someone refer you to Amsoil? If so, please tell us.” Then in the next box they ask “Have a Referral Number? Enter it below:” I kindly ask that you include my Referral Number of 1420935 in that box. If you can write down my name and referral number, before you eventually decide to exit this webpage, it will be appreciated (so that it will be at your fingertips when you get on the Amsoil website). You can also write me an email addressed to AutomotiveBuff at my gmail address (in case you have any questions).
For mechanical shops choosing to become a Retail Account, the discount of Amsoil products is 30%, with free UPS shipping on orders of $400 or more and there isn't a membership fee. When you buy $2,500 or more in a calendar year, your discount expands to 35%. A few of my Retail Accounts that get a 35% discount, even in subsequent years where they fall below the $2,500 threshold, they still get the 35% discount.
I had tried a variety of full synthetics over the years. I began to utilize Mobil 1 for several years thereafter, until I found Amsoil being sold by an auto parts store that is no longer in operation. After I personally emptied the Mobil 1 and I put it in the Amsoil in my car about 20 years ago, I was blown away with the increased performance, better fuel efficiency and the overall quietness of my engine. Thanks for the consideration!
I have a 2008 Honda Civic LX with the R18 and an automatic transmission. The ATF was brownish red at 142k miles when I bought it. I’ve replaced the inline filter, and drained and refilled it three times, and the ATF is a nice clean red. I use the Castrol ATF for Asian transmissions including Honda, and have 178k miles on it now. It’s not a CVT, so it actually shifts planetary gears, and I’ve had smoother shifts and no problems with anything to do with the transmission so far. It’s time again, so I’ll update if that changes. I intend to replace the filter can as well as the ATF every 30k miles. Thanks for putting this together for us!
All great advice, we use BG on most transmissions and we never lost a trans from service. It's amazing how many transmissions come back to life with a cleaner, flush, and conditioner.
I have always been taught that you should just drop the pan and change the filter, so as not to remove all the old fluid. The theory being to keep some clutch material in the transmission. This has worked well for me, Although I’ve always owned older, higher mileage vehicles not always knowing prior maintenance schedules. I’m going to be buying a vehicle with 30k on it. (As soon as my dad is ready to sell😊) i’ll be going with the flush on that one for sure. Great information 👍 thanks for sharing your experience and thoughts! I’m a long time subscriber and respect your work!
This is all great advice. I appreciate your service to the public for free. I personally replace my transmission fluid and filter every 60,000 on a traditional transmission, and on CVTs recommend every 30,000 miles. CVTs don't always last as long, but all my cars have lasted 200,000 with no transmission issues. My old 2006 Saab 9-3 I sold at 195,000 with a Toyota transmission, still is running in 2024 with the second owner now with 270,000 on the transmission. I have never had to replace a transmission on any car I have owned (European, Asian, and American) following the proper interval with the proper fluid as he talks about. It is something to live by. if you clean under your car in the northeast with a pressure washer every time it snows, it won't rust out as well.
This is my favorite type of content actually. Very good information
I recently purchased a 1979 Lincoln Mark V Cartier edition with 21,566 miles and was parked for 32 years.
The transmission fluid was over filled and black. Not burnt just black. Black from being oxidized from being parked way too long. I took out 4 quarts to regular level as per dip stick. I went to jiffy lube and had the manager flush the transmission. The filter needs to be replaced but now the transmission shifts smoothly and I don’t regret flushing the transmission because the fluid was not burnt. Just old and oxidized. The total cost to flush the fluid was $152.33. I understand the filter is only $19.88 at NAPA. BEEN DRIVING EVER SINCE AND SMOOTH SHIFTS FROM THE C6 transmission and power from the 6.6 400 engine.
I think transmission services got a bad reputation from people not doing them and then the transmission would start to fail. So they would service the transmission as a hail marry only for it to fail completely (which it was going to anyway). They had it in their mind that servicing the transmission was what actually caused it to fail as an excuse.
I had a '97 Taurus with the AX4N (terrible) and when it would start shifting funny, I would pull all the fluid out through the dipstick and refill with new. Fixed it right up. It would cut the engine out for a moment when it shifted to make it smoother. When it was time to change the fluid, the engine cutting out and the shift would get out of sync with each other. Do a quick suck out and refill would fix it for about 25,000 miles. It lasted a long time until the converter failed internally which is what they did. Nothing to do with the fluid though. Hard part failure.
I have heard of changing CVT fluid every 30,000 miles. Thanks for sharing your insights.
great video, I have been doing transmissions for a long time, in 1977 I swaped a 350 and a turbo 350 into my 57 belair a big undertaking for a 17 year old in highshool, I found a B&M shift improver kit at midwest auto for 9 bucks, it worked great barking tires was a big thing back then, since those days I have done a decade at a Cadillac dealer and then got my own shop that I still run, I think it is more important to drop the pan and change the filter than to flush all the fluid, 30,000 is about right, on CVTs a lot of people do not know that the Jatco trans has 2 filters one in the pan and one behind the cooler or the plate where the cooler lines go in, that is the one that will plug first, causing overheating and high pressure pump failure, then it is game over god can not fix those!!
Good video on an important topic. I have heard differing opinions on this topic but yours is in agreement with my trusted independent transmission specialist in the Philadelphia area. Interestingly , my Subaru dealer told me "No you dont have to ever change it, it is lifetime fluid" Like you say, they are interested in the lifetime not being too long so you can come back and buy another one.
Ohhhhh I have been waiting for someone to make a video on this. Answers float everywhere about the transmission, but I of course believe in changes to keep it going strong!
Love the message on the metal water bottle to your left. Praise God
Transmission fluid flushing is a great topic. Who else talks about it? Thank you for doing this one.
Sherwood, you're 100% spot on. I learned the hard way. But let me back up. I co managed a Jiffy Lube in Colorado in 1998 and a customer came in for a T-Tech(Jiffy Lube transmission flush service) on a 1995 or so Explorer for his daughter. It had about 100K miles on it. It had never been serviced. We recommended against it. He said do it anyway. We did and we found out later the transmission went out as she went over the Eisenhower Pass going skiing. Back to my 2010 Chevy Equinox V6 AWD...I went 149K miles before it failed. It started slipping around 130K miles I did several drain and fills with Valvoline DexVI (red bottle) along with some Lucas Trans Treatment. So it got me along a few more miles. After I had it rebuilt to the tune of almost $5K, the shop used GM fluid. It started to slip around the 170K mile mark. I had another YT Mechanic here in Bradenton, Rainman Ray, do a flush on it using BG Synthetic fluid. It's been awesome ever since. So lesson learned. Every 25K miles I'll do that service. Another question. You mentioned Honda. A friend has a 2020 Acura RDX FWD. It's coming up on 40K miles. If it were your car, would you go Amsoil or Honda ATF for the trans service? Thanks. Great video.
Honda ATF 100%. The manufacturers spend a ton of money on research and development of these fluids and they are specifically designed for that component. The manufacturers may not be up front with consumers on doing maintenance because they want to keep their overall cost of maintenance on the car low and let’s be honest they don’t want your car to last forever. But when it comes to its components and fluids in the car it is absolutely recommended to go with OE
@@2491kridge Yea they all do and GM fluid in my GM was garbage. So you think Amsoil isn't up on all the fluid technology for each manufacturer?
I would definitely try to stick to using the same fluid that came in the car, they're a bit more spendy than the standard stuff but I think it is worth it, or at the very least try to find a brand that does formulate their fluid to be used in Japanese vehicles. Not sure if their is a brand like that for JDM imports, but I do know some brands like Liqui Moly make a lot of their fluids with use in Euro cars in mind. I would also say to check the Technical Service Bulletins for the vehicle, as sometimes manufacturers will change what fluids they recommend or they may have discontinued producing that specific fluid(this is unlikely on a 2020 model but doesn't hurt to check)
Amsoil 100% without question is the right answer. It meets all the requirements for Honda. OE fluids have one of four base oils unless you use a product like Amsoil. Honda's fluid really isn't that special. The transmission is built and designed by other engineers not Honda. A majority of OEM brands are made by the same company. We only run Amsoil and would only consider Valvoline FS as a backup option.
@@Balticblue93 Honda automatics are very picky and going OEM is a guaranteed safe option. I've heard good things about Valvoline Maxlife, but not much about Amsoil. If you don't have actual oil analysis/composition data to PROVE that the Amsoil is a better fluid, there is no good reason to buy a more expensive, non-OEM alternative. Brand name alone is not an argument.
One thing I have heard consistently is definitely don't use Lucas. It'll fix things for a little bit but ultimately kill the trans within a couple years.
I was a Nissan tech about a decade ago and I choked laughing when you mentioned those CVTs. I think in 2014 we had a fort by the shipping/receiving door built out of core crates we were sending back.
I agree 100%. That said, first service I got done, I had a flush (fluid exchange).Every service there after, I just did a spill and fill. At 200 K, I dropped the pan,cleaned the magnets and changed the filter. When my car hits 300,000 miles, I will have spent about $600 on transmission services, (mostly DIY) at which point I won’t care if the transmission fails, time for a new car. If it makes it to 300,000, I’ll continue to service it, and drive it till the wheels fall off.
And if you replace worn suspension parts, the wheels won’t even fall off! Lol. You might be driving that vehicle for the rest of your life.
@@brettcarter6189 That's a bitter sweet deal... :)
Can you do a video about lubing the suspension? Discuss how it has changed over the years or has it? Thanks for all the great videos!
Nothing lasts forever, especially transmission fluid! Love your content!
I have done a good amount of flushes, the only cars I've had issues with were Nissan, and one Volvo that started acting up after the flush, but we later found out it was already having issues and the customer thought the new fluid would fix them. Aside from that I've seen people do the flushes incorrectly and leave transmissions with low fluid afterwards which caused slipping issues as well. If you do one, make sure it is done right with the right fluid and the right technician.
We drive GM Chevys (Equinox's 2019 & 2020) with the 2.0 Liter 9 speed transmissions. GM says replace trans fluid every 30K miles. Fluid life for oil, trans, transfer case, rear diff, etc. is reduced due to the 2.0 liter being pretty small for a mid-size SUV and Turbo charged to wrench out 250 hp out of these engines. (Now only 1.5 Liter available - this is horrible in my opinion) Clean fluids are paramount to longevity. Especially oil and not waiting until the dash indicates 0% oil life left. The cost of major repairs for engine, trans and even the turbo is very high compared to fluids. The small turbo charged engines will not last if they are neglected.
I flushed my transmission on my 2006 BMW X5, went from stalling to never stalling. Transmission warning was shutting down the vehicle. It's been an interesting build, since I bought it. Hoping to drive it through the winter, with those heated seats. on the rear suspension now.. have also replaced most of the cooling system.
However, I am considering making a mod & moving to the 2008 transmission cooler, to give the engine bay more space, over the existing 2006 transmission cooler, which also seems to be the weak link for the cooling system.
Yes love these type of videos. Can you expound more when to drain vs flush besides when there is no connection possible. What situations would you recommend a drain(dark fluid, unknown service history etc). Maybe also transfer case, rear rim intervals. Thanks.
Vehicle has high mileage with unknown or questionable history? Do a drain and fill to be safe (and filter if possible).
Vehicle has low miles or high miles with regular transmission service history? A flush should be okay.
I agree 100%, with the way all of the new vehicles are being made to not be reliable. Proper Maintenance is definitely key. 👌 however i noticed that you did not mention about the thermal expansion valves on the newer transmissions especially ford's they do have adapters for the machines but I found on the dodges, you can't get enough flow to do flush them unless you were to take the machine with you of course which we all know is not realistic lol😂 anyways thanks for the videos keep up the good work!
Transmission services are definitely a hot topic as I can't seem to get the same opinion twice when I ask about lol. I trust your opinion on this and your advice is what I'm going with. Thank y'all for doing these awesome vids!
Great to see a few transmission guys telling the actual truth about the fluid. The fluid is really complicated all the different additives are crucial to shift quality heat protection etc etc older cars not too critical but more later multi ratio & lock up converters need the appropriate fluid for the model
97 Benz C230, original engine and transmission with 302k miles. The 722.6 torque converter actually has a drain plug, and the original owner did service intervals as such:
50k: drain from drain plug,drop pan and replace filter and gasket, replace fluid.
100k: same as above except drain torque converter, replace all fluid and refill to spec with standard fluid.
I got the vehicle with 234k on it and did the interval service at 255k with just the 4.5 quarts in the pan and the filter, using full synthetic fluid to "start the process". She wasn't that dirty at all at that point.
In under 3k miles I'll be doing the full service and replacing all the fluid with synthetic, and I'll be sending a sample for analysis to determine wear levels compared to the first drain and fill with the regular non-synthetic fluid.
I'm hoping to see just as good if not better numbers for wear levels and detergent breakdown from the last sample. It shifts fine unless you hammer on it and she goes into what I call "race mode", where the transmission stays in the lower gears longer, but eventually goes back to normal after a minute of driving.
Time will tell, but I should be able to get her up to 500k from this car over the next 5 years with required maintenance.
I absolutely agree with his statement that OEMs don’t make money with you driving around in a 300K mile car.
I bought a ‘12 Toyota new. The service schedule log book, that the OEM gave me for the vehicle, does not recommend a single coolant or transmission fluid service. The log book goes out to 120K miles.
They definitely want you buying a new vehicle.
Suprised to hear that fluid changes don’t really help on older Nissan cvts. Thanks for the info ,I won’t waste my time changing the fluid
I've always changed trans fluid at about 1/2 manufactures interval or less. Allision 1000s generally we have done at 40-50k. The new 10 speed allision branded we have changed/serviced every 20-25k. great video!
I just watched your transmission flush video. I agree with everything you said and also agree with most of the comments. I have an Orthodox way of replacing transmission fluid on most of the older vehicles and have had good results. For the vehicles that have no operation and shift concerns with fluid that is old and is getting discolored. These are perfect candidates for fluid changing. What I do is disconnect the cooler line preferably the one coming out of the cooler going back into the transmission. I run that into a bucket and then start the engine. While the old fluid is going into the bucket I pour in the new OEM fluid. When the fluid going into the bucket is nice and clean then you are done. This wil usually take as many quarts as the dry fill specification of that transmission. I do this with the veical at operating temperature.
It is great to hear an experienced technician talking about auto transmissions. After having one CVT transmission vehicle 🚗 I would not buy another one.
So far 190,000 miles on my 2015 Corolla’s CVT. I have done two fluid changes since I got it. Soon comes the third. Doubt any were done before I got it with 129k.
I do it myself every 40-50k Transmission Fluid & Filter changes on all my vehicles since the 80’s. Never had Transmission issues and still have some of them with 350k+ miles on them. I use BG EPR MOA & 44K products Great stuff,but never have used their Transmission products.
We ❤ Shop Talk! Can’t wait for Rotor recommendation video!
This aligns with when my local shop recommended to not service the transmission in our kids 2000 VW Beetle with auto transmission. It has 150,000km but no record of the transmission ever being serviced.
Absolutely love these kinds of videos. Really helps me in my approach to recommend services to my customers!!
Thanks for the video! I've got a 2006 Honda Pilot with 153K on it. I got it from my brother-in-law and he bought it new. He says he doesn't remember ever servicing it. I looked at the fluid and it's not burnt or nasty. I get a couple of hesitation shifts when it's cold, especially in the lower gears. I'm afraid to do anything with it at this point because I hear horror stories about the friction material being the only thing keeping it shifting. What would you do with it? Try a drain and fill, which is recommended? From what I understand it replaces just 3-4 quarts when the capacity is about 9.
I'm actually pretty excited about some new fluid fixing the hesitation after watching your video. I just don't know whether to risk it at this point though.
I listened in to hear your thoughts,
I can’t dispute a thing and as a matter of fact I totally agree, especially about not changing dark burnt fluids.
Many years ago we had a Ford Windstar that we purchased new. I don't recall the mileage, but we had the transmission serviced at the dealer, and it failed shortly thereafter. It had not had problems prior to the service. Ford replaced it under the extended warranty.
Fast forward many years, I bought a 2005 Volvo XC70 with 75K on it. The Aisin trans in these were known to be a bit problematic. I immediately serviced the trans, and subsequently serviced it about every 20-30K, until I sold it at 170K with the trans still working perfectly.
The TF80-SC is the most common trans I work on, it's in a helluva lot of euro cars. Doing only the recommended drain and fill every 60,000 or 90,000 km (~40k-60k mi), these usually ran/run in taxis for about 500k km (300k mi) before starting to act up. Myself, I drive a Citroën with the same trans that had its first service @ 345,000 km (215k mi) and it's been pulling trailers regularly - still does.
Really can't call them problematic from my perspective.
I embarrassingly neglected my 4l80e for about 50000 miles but then I finally snapped out of it and made it a yearly if not twice a year drain and fill with alternating drains being a filter change as wel, did the same for transfer case and both diffs. Wasn't haven't any issues when I started doing this but they all have reacted well to getting new fluid. The 4l80e took a few drain and fills for the fluid to finally become red. It always shifted good but every fluid change I would notice an improvement. Flushes definitely have their uses. People who claiming changing transmission fluid made their transmission fail are people who totally neglected the transmission to where it started having failures and they changed the fluid trying to fix mechanical damage. My 4l80e had 280k miles on it when I parted ways with it because I swapped to a manual transmisison. but I'm sure its going to serve its new owner well.
It’s the same interval I’ve used on all our cars. I’ve always serviced them according to the manual procedure, but my intervals are always shorter than the factory recommends. And we’ve had great luck so far with transmissions across the board.
I'm pretty sure that I've paid for transmission flushes that were never performed. I'm 99% sure of it. At the first place I ever tried to get one, I got an oil change and they "sold" me on a transmission flush -- which I was already thinking about doing... After the work was done, in about 30 minutes, I was at the counter asking how the flush was done so quickly and I asked where they made the connections to perform this flush. This was an oil change shop and the guys were all hanging around, joking around, and being friendly... and it was a slow day... So, before I paid, the guy at the register walked me out there, where they had just closed my hood. He asked the tech about the transmission flush... the tech stuttered and stammered... another guy opened the hood again... Then he said, "Well, we weren't able to do the flush because this truck (a 2005 F150) doesn't have the ports for it. There are usually lines running up here (pointing near the top of the radiator) with connections but your truck doesn't have them."
The guy from the office just turned and walked back inside... he recalculated my bill to include only the oil change. I knew they were lying... anyway, I did look and there was a new oil filter and the oil was clean....
Since then, with newer vehicles, I've paid for transmission flushes, but I'm sure they were never done. Just like the first scam attempt, I don't believer they were done because of how quickly they were finished with my vehicle.
At least the service should be on the Carfax so it should help resale lol
We let a Honda dealership talk us into flushing the trans in my wife's 1999 Accord when it had no issues. Immediately after the flush is developed a whining sound when the engine was cold and would go away once the engine warmed up. It still shifted fine and over time the noise dissipated.
My 2004 Pilot developed a trans shudder at about 180k. Did a few drain and fills and the shudder went away after a few weeks.
Most manufactures of vehicles says not to change it. But if you research the actual manufacturers of the transmission itself they tell you to services service the transmission.
Yes, the car manufacturers tell you that it's not needed, because they know it won't fail during the warranty period. But if you want to keep the car way longer than that, often fluid changes are critical.
Enter the curious case of the ubiquitous ZF 8HP, lol. Tons of vehicles across nearly every car maker, uses some variant/model of it these days. Then a bunch of those manufacturers tell you it's "lifetime fluid" and ppl from ZF are like 🙄Officially they can't say anything other than "follow [the carmaker's] maintenance schedule", you question them in real life and they basically tell you that's a bunch of nonsense and you should never [not change it].
@@rolandm9750 It is a lifetime fluid. The issue is that the lifetime they talk about is the probably the warranty period. They don't care after that.
Not a proponent of "flush" per se, but I do perform drain-and-fills on the 4 automatics here. The Honda got a triple drain and fill when we bought it 4 years ago, then it gets one drain and fill a year after that (about 3.5 quarts and 8K miles). The Toyota (U660), Jeep (42RE), and Dodge (46RE) each get a drain and fill every other year. Yeah, a drain and fill is not cheap, but it's way cheaper (and way more convenient) than taking the car to a shop for a new transmission. And the service takes place on my schedule, not the busy shop's schedule.
I like the content here. Sherwood's presence on screen is getting more and more comfortable. If he's talking impromptu, he's doing a real good job. Keep it up. This channel is one of my top five favorites.
I changed the factory-filled Toyota WS ATF in my 2016 Toyota Hybrid with Amsoil 100% Synthetic Signature Series Fuel-Efficient ATF at about 40,000 miles. The fascinating results from that one ATF exchange were the following: The moment I drove the Camry after the installation of the Amsoil ATF (without any other services being performed on my vehicle), I not only detected the vehicle was running a bit smoother, but also experienced increased power upon acceleration. More importantly, my EV light was coming on more often and staying lit longer (which of course signifies my car is running electrically from the battery, while the gas engine isn't operating)!!
The following will help establish that Amsoil "100 Synthetic" Signature Series (SS) Fuel-Efficient ATF Fluid is vastly superior to the Toyota "Full Synthetic" WS ATF Fluid (made by Exxon Mobil). You can compare the Safety Data Sheets between Amsoil and Toyota fluids and you will find the Toyota WS ATF (and true of the vast number of full synthetics) is mostly composed of hydrocracked-petroleum oil, a Class III Synthetic (that is extra-refined petroleum to mostly eliminate impurities, but it doesn’t get totally get rid of then entirely). Amsoil Signature Series doesn’t contain a drop of petroleum oil, but a pure chemical mixture of Class IV Synthetic, known as polyalphaolefins (PAOs) and Class V Synthetic (such as Esters), plus top-shelf additives. The molecules of these Class IV & V Synthetics are of the same uniform shape allowing them to flow much more readily throughout the engines, transmissions and differentials, reducing damaging heat, creating more power and increasing fuel economy. Also, the backbone of Amsoil 100% Synthetic lubricants have a much lesser tendency to attract oxygen molecules (where damaging oxygen can form sludge).
The difference between a Full Synthetic and a 100% Synthetic? Rafe Britton, a former Lubrication Engineer at Mobil and the creator of a number of highly educational UA-cam Videos under the heading of “Lubrication Explained,” states in order for an oil company to call its oil product 100% synthetic, it must be composed of either a Class IV Synthetic (PAOs) AND/OR Class V Synthetic (such as Esters), while being completely devoid of refined petroleum.
Toyota lists the Flash Point of their WS ATF Fluid as 347° F (175° C), whereas Amsoil's Flash Point is listed as 435.2 F (224° C), so Amsoil holds up to the heat far better than the Toyota WS ATF. Amsoil SS ATF's Pour Point is -85° F (-65° C), but Toyota fails to mention their Pour Point? Another convenience factor of the Amsoil "100 Synthetic" Signature Series Fuel Efficient ATF Fluid is that it is available in collapsible bags making installation a snap (without the need for a pump that only provides a slow fill operation)! Amsoil also provides a "100 Synthetic" OE Fuel-Efficient ATF Fluid (at 57% the cost of the Amsoil "100 Synthetic" Signature Series (SS) Fuel-Efficient ATF Fluid), where the Amsoil OE ATF provides lesser protection at the extremes than Amsoil SS ATF with a Flash Point of 410° F (210° C) and a Pour Point of -54° F (-48° C). As you will note, the Amsoil OE ATF has extra protection from the heat in terms of the Flash Point than Toyota's WS ATF by an extra 63° F (35° C).
The Amsoil OE ATF isn't available in the easy-to-pour pack (only the conventional quart or gallon plastic containers). The OE must be changed according to the manufacturer's specifications for your specific vehicle, however, the Signature Series will go double the distance (than the OE) under severe-driving conditions. For those of you that have a vehicle that doesn't accept a Fuel-Efficient ATF, you may consider the Amsoil 100% Synthetic Multi-Vehicle ATF (in both the Signature Series and the OE). They also carry 100% Synthetic in both their CVT fluid and Dual-Clutch Transmission Fluid.
The beauty of using Amsoil Products is their fabulous Warranty, which is the widest in the lubrication industry, applies to automotive parts coming into contact with their fluids, regardless of the mileage or age of the vehicle, as long as the vehicle was in reasonably good mechanical condition before you first began to use the Amsoil Products! The OE ATF must be changed according to OEM recommendations for the Amsoil Warranty to apply, whereas the Signature Series ATF can go twice the distance of the OEM recommendations for Severe Service. Amsoil states that you can safely extend the oil drain-intervals beyond the Amsoil recommendation (for either the OE or the Signature Series ATF) in the event you secure an appropriate oil analysis (in which case the Amsoil Warranty will extend to the expected life of the oil accordingly, as determined by such oil analysis).
Amsoil partners with Oil Analyzers, Inc. (OAI), to do a fluid analysis and OAI even measures the important level of oxidation in the used fluid (that Blackstone apparently doesn't measure). Lake Speed Jr. (aka The Motor Oil Geek) discusses the importance of measuring the oxidation levels in fluids in his various UA-cam Videos. Lake Speed Jr. measures oxidation in his oil analysis-business venture, SPEEDiagnostix (although his cost is higher than OAI).
For full disclosure (as probably guessed right now), I am an Independent Amsoil Dealer (all dealers of Amsoil are independent contractors, as opposed to employees of Amsoil). A customer of mine (a mechanical shop) loves to use the Amsoil 100% Synthetic OE ATF in both varieties for their customers, since the OE Products are at an attractive price point and the comments they receive from their customers have been outstanding.
If consumers wish to buy the Amsoil products as a Preferred Customer (PC), they will get the oil at a 25% discount, plus free shipping when they spend $100 (plus receiving a $5 coupon for every $100 you spend). It only costs $10 for a 6 month PC membership (or $20 a year) and there is no requirement to purchase (as there is with so many companies offering a membership for a preferred customer program, where there is an automatic shipment involved). Also, PCs can use their 25% discount to obtain a fluid analysis with Oil Analyzers, Inc.
If you or any viewers are tempted to try Amsoil, I invite you to visit the official website of Amsoil and apply to become my Preferred Customer, by kindly utilizing my name (James Norris) in the box underneath the question that asks “Did someone refer you to Amsoil? If so, please tell us.” Then in the next box they ask “Have a Referral Number? Enter it below:” I kindly ask that you include my Referral Number of 1420935 in that box. If you can write down my name and referral number, before you eventually decide to exit this webpage, it will be appreciated (so that it will be at your fingertips when you get on the Amsoil website). You can also write me an email addressed to AutomotiveBuff at my gmail address (in case you have any questions).
For mechanical shops choosing to become a Retail Account, the discount of Amsoil products is 30%, with free UPS shipping on orders of $400 or more and there isn't a membership fee. When you buy $2,500 or more in a calendar year, your discount expands to 35%. A few of my Retail Accounts that get a 35% discount, even in subsequent years where they fall below the $2,500 threshold, they still get the 35% discount.
I had tried a variety of full synthetics over the years. I began to utilize Mobil 1 for several years thereafter, until I found Amsoil being sold by an auto parts store that is no longer in operation. After I personally emptied the Mobil 1 and I put it in the Amsoil in my car about 20 years ago, I was blown away with the increased performance, better fuel efficiency and the overall quietness of my engine. Thanks for the consideration!
Appreciate your advice on this. Also your video quality is excellent-did you upgrade to a better quality camera?
Changed your atf fluid regularly. If available, use an approved synthetic. Out with the old, in with the new!!
A transmission flush saved me a couple of bucks on my ’99 Tacoma. It wasn’t shifting properly after maybe 80k miles. The dealer said it was my valve body, “It’s probably dirty,” and that cleaning it would only be a temporary fix. I called another dealer for a second opinion and estimate. The tech there recommended trying a flush first because it would be a lot cheaper and worth a shot. I had a Monro shop do it, and I never had a problem with it again. I drove it for another 80k miles.
Flushed my 2019 4L60E over 40k miles ago. 90+k now. Shifts perfect and smooth. Soon will swap out the 194F Thermal Bypass Valve for a 158F one and add a drain plug.
I love and learn so much by watching your videos! I own a 2008 Nissan Altima SE 3.5 with 134K miles; it is equipped with a CVT, so it has a GREAT engine but a lousy transmission, as you note in this video. I purchased this vehicle about six years ago with about 83K miles and have done nothing to service the transmission other than replacing one of the drive shaft seals and replenishing transmission fluid that was lost due to the bad seal. The CVT operates well and shows no obvious issues. Other than driving the car gently (easy acceleration), what else do you recommend, as service, to prolong the life of the transmission? Thanks very much!
There's also a big diff. between a fluid exchange and a flush. You can use the machine without chemical cleaner which is a fluid exchange, for me, it is my preference....to each his own I guess! thanks for the vid, be well !
Your best video so far. EXCELLENT! Yes please more content like this.
If you drain and fill JATCO CVT’s regularly from when they are new, it does prolong the life of the transmission. Yes they are still weaker than regular auto transmissions but it helps a lot. I’m at 100k on 2015 Rogue and it shifts like the day it was bought. I drain and fill with ns3 fluid every 30k.
Hey thanks for clarifying the black nasty burnt state of fluid. My boss and I have argued numerous times over it. One thing I didn’t hear you discuss is draining the torque converter. I know not all converters have drain plugs. How about a topic on auxiliary coolers?
I love
the air quotes ! It takes a quarter century of experience to earn the right to know when to tell the customer you’re trans is dead BUT you need to do a fluid service & it’s probably going to remove the only friction material left in your transmission right out the drain. Or you’re trans is dead drive it till it don’t no more.
Excellent video, great information. Thanks for sharing, always wondered about the transmission service, a lot of people say not to do it. But thanks for clarifying. Love your videos, great job!!
Amsoil is often cheaper and better than from the dealer. Valvoline Maxlife ATF/CVT also has an excellent track record.
I'm from the UK & used genuine Toyota FE CVT fluid at a cost of £70,3yrs ago it was £60....i checked the price of Valvoline Maxlife it's £41 😮 BUT it's doesn't mention CVT FE just the ATF T-4, so i won't be using that.
You are so right on the Nissan CVT transmission not worth servicing. We brought a new 2011 Nissan Quest off the lot. I did a drain and fill every 25k with Nisssn fluid. The transmission when out at 110k. It was a great family vehicle except the crappie transmission.
Fluid changes cost me an arm and a leg for my 04 dodge ram here in the Bay Area Ca. I’ll probably rent a lift next time and do it myself. Nice to have work done for you but the prices were insane. I’ll go 50 k between trans fluid drains especially if I have to pay those prices. It’s just pretty hard for me to wrench in the street where I live but the mechanics prices here leave me not much choice. I found a place to rent a lift for about 220 bucks (8hours) and the place is a god send. I did my brakes there and avoided being bent over by the mechanics. Most mechanics here are charging 150 -200 an hour plus the parts mark up.
Great advice. can you do a video on dual clutch transmissions with wet clutch.
Once a year, drop the trans fluid snd clean the pan & magnets (i do it at fall service). Once the fluid / magnet stays clean, extend you service interval (two, three years, etc). If the fluid / magnet is really bad, drop the fluid again after a short drive, repeat.
Always keep it changed… the manufacturers do not care! Service is wayyy cheaper than a new unit
I agree with you!
35 years of experience and Ive never had a problem
Depends on the cost of each service and how many times you do it over the life of the vehicle. My service guys charges $600 dollars so do the math.
@crand20033 What are you servicing a freight train?
And then again, what's downtime and being on the side of the road worth?
Maybe you're being over charged.
@@Joe-hu7di A 2017 Nissan Rogue, I called around and they all said they charge the same for a drain and fill including a filter change. I had it done at 103,000 miles and the shop said the fluid wasn't even dirty. For just a drain and fill without filter change they charge $350. It makes no sense because that takes about 20 minutes
@crand20033 Then you did it on time. Brown fluid is late.
I change the transmission fluid in my vehicles every 15-30,000 depending on the vehicle. On my 98 Chevy K1500 with the 4L60E, it's been closer to 15,000 miles since these transmissions are not known for being the most durable. I bought this truck new, and it currently has 144,000 miles on the original transmission that has had no repairs. I do the same thing with my 98 Chevy K3500 with the 4L80E that I bought used with 94,000 miles on it. Truck now has 124,000 miles on it.
I got my 92 Chevy Cavalier at 76,000 miles and have changed fluid and filter about every 20,000 miles and it's now at 253,000 miles with no transmission issues or repairs.
I bought my 2014 Mustang GT new and changed the fluid and filter at 30,000 miles and added a drain plug to the pan and an aftermarket dipstick that goes up into the engine compartment. I will be changing the fluid on it every 30,000 miles.
I changed the factory-filled Toyota WS ATF in my 2016 Toyota Hybrid with Amsoil 100% Synthetic Signature Series Fuel-Efficient ATF at about 40,000 miles. The fascinating results from that one ATF exchange were the following: The moment I drove the Camry after the installation of the Amsoil ATF (without any other services being performed on my vehicle), I not only detected the vehicle was running a bit smoother, but also experienced increased power upon acceleration. More importantly, my EV light was coming on more often and staying lit longer (which of course signifies my car is running electrically from the battery, while the gas engine isn't operating)!!
The following will help establish that Amsoil "100 Synthetic" Signature Series (SS) Fuel-Efficient ATF Fluid is vastly superior to the Toyota "Full Synthetic" WS ATF Fluid (made by Exxon Mobil). You can compare the Safety Data Sheets between Amsoil and Toyota fluids and you will find the Toyota WS ATF (and true of the vast number of full synthetics) is mostly composed of hydrocracked-petroleum oil, a Class III Synthetic (that is extra-refined petroleum to mostly eliminate impurities, but it doesn’t get totally get rid of then entirely). Amsoil Signature Series doesn’t contain a drop of petroleum oil, but a pure chemical mixture of Class IV Synthetic, known as polyalphaolefins (PAOs) and Class V Synthetic (such as Esters), plus top-shelf additives. The molecules of these Class IV & V Synthetics are of the same uniform shape allowing them to flow much more readily throughout the engines, transmissions and differentials, reducing damaging heat, creating more power and increasing fuel economy. Also, the backbone of Amsoil 100% Synthetic lubricants have a much lesser tendency to attract oxygen molecules (where damaging oxygen can form sludge).
The difference between a Full Synthetic and a 100% Synthetic? Rafe Britton, a former Lubrication Engineer at Mobil and the creator of a number of highly educational UA-cam Videos under the heading of “Lubrication Explained,” states in order for an oil company to call its oil product 100% synthetic, it must be composed of either a Class IV Synthetic (PAOs) AND/OR Class V Synthetic (such as Esters), while being completely devoid of refined petroleum.
Toyota lists the Flash Point of their WS ATF Fluid as 347° F (175° C), whereas Amsoil's Flash Point is listed as 435.2 F (224° C), so Amsoil holds up to the heat far better than the Toyota WS ATF. Amsoil SS ATF's Pour Point is -85° F (-65° C), but Toyota fails to mention their Pour Point? Another convenience factor of the Amsoil "100 Synthetic" Signature Series Fuel Efficient ATF Fluid is that it is available in collapsible bags making installation a snap (without the need for a pump that only provides a slow fill operation)! Amsoil also provides a "100 Synthetic" OE Fuel-Efficient ATF Fluid (at 57% the cost of the Amsoil "100 Synthetic" Signature Series (SS) Fuel-Efficient ATF Fluid), where the Amsoil OE ATF provides lesser protection at the extremes than Amsoil SS ATF with a Flash Point of 410° F (210° C) and a Pour Point of -54° F (-48° C). As you will note, the Amsoil OE ATF has extra protection from the heat in terms of the Flash Point than Toyota's WS ATF by an extra 63° F (35° C).
The Amsoil OE ATF isn't available in the easy-to-pour pack (only the conventional quart or gallon plastic containers). The OE must be changed according to the manufacturer's specifications for your specific vehicle, however, the Signature Series will go double the distance (than the OE) under severe-driving conditions. For those of you that have a vehicle that doesn't accept a Fuel-Efficient ATF, you may consider the Amsoil 100% Synthetic Multi-Vehicle ATF (in both the Signature Series and the OE). They also carry 100% Synthetic in both their CVT fluid and Dual-Clutch Transmission Fluid.
The beauty of using Amsoil Products is their fabulous Warranty, which is the widest in the lubrication industry, applies to automotive parts coming into contact with their fluids, regardless of the mileage or age of the vehicle, as long as the vehicle was in reasonably good mechanical condition before you first began to use the Amsoil Products! The OE ATF must be changed according to OEM recommendations for the Amsoil Warranty to apply, whereas the Signature Series ATF can go twice the distance of the OEM recommendations for Severe Service. Amsoil states that you can safely extend the oil drain-intervals beyond the Amsoil recommendation (for either the OE or the Signature Series ATF) in the event you secure an appropriate oil analysis (in which case the Amsoil Warranty will extend to the expected life of the oil accordingly, as determined by such oil analysis).
Amsoil partners with Oil Analyzers, Inc. (OAI), to do a fluid analysis and OAI even measures the important level of oxidation in the used fluid (that Blackstone apparently doesn't measure). Lake Speed Jr. (aka The Motor Oil Geek) discusses the importance of measuring the oxidation levels in fluids in his various UA-cam Videos. Lake Speed Jr. measures oxidation in his oil analysis-business venture, SPEEDiagnostix (although his cost is higher than OAI).
For full disclosure (as probably guessed right now), I am an Independent Amsoil Dealer (all dealers of Amsoil are independent contractors, as opposed to employees of Amsoil). A customer of mine (a mechanical shop) loves to use the Amsoil 100% Synthetic OE ATF in both varieties for their customers, since the OE Products are at an attractive price point and the comments they receive from their customers have been outstanding.
If consumers wish to buy the Amsoil products as a Preferred Customer (PC), they will get the oil at a 25% discount, plus free shipping when they spend $100 (plus receiving a $5 coupon for every $100 you spend). It only costs $10 for a 6 month PC membership (or $20 a year) and there is no requirement to purchase (as there is with so many companies offering a membership for a preferred customer program, where there is an automatic shipment involved). Also, PCs can use their 25% discount to obtain a fluid analysis with Oil Analyzers, Inc.
If you or any viewers are tempted to try Amsoil, I invite you to visit the official website of Amsoil and apply to become my Preferred Customer, by kindly utilizing my name (James Norris) in the box underneath the question that asks “Did someone refer you to Amsoil? If so, please tell us.” Then in the next box they ask “Have a Referral Number? Enter it below:” I kindly ask that you include my Referral Number of 1420935 in that box. If you can write down my name and referral number, before you eventually decide to exit this webpage, it will be appreciated (so that it will be at your fingertips when you get on the Amsoil website). You can also write me an email addressed to AutomotiveBuff at my gmail address (in case you have any questions).
For mechanical shops choosing to become a Retail Account, the discount of Amsoil products is 30%, with free UPS shipping on orders of $400 or more and there isn't a membership fee. When you buy $2,500 or more in a calendar year, your discount expands to 35%. A few of my Retail Accounts that get a 35% discount, even in subsequent years where they fall below the $2,500 threshold, they still get the 35% discount.
I had tried a variety of full synthetics over the years. I began to utilize Mobil 1 for several years thereafter, until I found Amsoil being sold by an auto parts store that is no longer in operation. After I personally emptied the Mobil 1 and I put it in the Amsoil in my car about 20 years ago, I was blown away with the increased performance, better fuel efficiency and the overall quietness of my engine. Thanks for the consideration!
I spent my entire life in car dealerships, and I totally agree with everything said here in this video. Pay the extra and do a full flush, not just a transmission service.
Getting ready to flush mine this weekend for my 100k service. Been draining 4 quarts and refilling with fresh every 20k miles. Transmission fluid is cheaper than a new transmission.
Why? That's crazy
With the maintenance you're already doing, sounds to me like flushing would be unnecessary.
Unless it's the ZF design Chrysler uses in which case a low mileaged used transmission is about the same price as the fluid and the pan used for two or three changes. Not sure why they are so cheap except that maybe it's because every red neck, drug dealer, and pimp crashes hundreds of them a day and there's more in the salvage yards than they know what to do with.
@@jasonmorris2813 Because that's what Scotty says to do! 🤣🤣🤣🐴🐴🤣🤣🤣
I did my first transmission service on a ZF trans from a 2000 BMW E539 at 105000 miles. Worst thing i ever did. It never shifted the same again. Used correct spec parts and ZF fluids. Not that it happens often but it did for me. Even knowing that though I change out ZF trans fluids on my Jaguar XKs knowing that the odds are with me. Just wanted to bring up an example of how things can go wrong trying to do the right thing.
The Acura CL, TL and some RL all had bad transmission in them, we drain and fill using BG produce. BG could not prevent them from failing, I know because I was a Accura Tech for 5 years. The great thing about Acura's is that, as long you were a loyal customer and did your services through them, they would replace the Transmission under warranty, even when it was out of warranty. Acura Baby was the manufacture that took care of their customers!
Pretty much an issue on all Honda/Acura vehicles with the J30/J32/J35 engines for many years
I enjoyed your video. I'd like more of this kind of topics - the different fluids and grease intervals would be nice to see.
Several years ago, I purchased a non-running (blown head gasket) 2007 Honda Pilot, with 225,000 miles on it. The transmission fluid was black as coal and about a quart low. Once I got it running, I did a spill and fill, with 3 quarts of Idemitsu. The magnetic drain plug was fairly clean, and I didn't notice any debris in the fluid. The transmission had a noticeable delay from park to drive, which had an accompanying two stage loud clack, it engaged after several seconds. Two more spill and fills, along with a bottle of Lubegard, and the delay in park to drive engagement was almost completely gone, the clacking noise is gone, and the transmission shifts through all five gears very smoothly. I still own the vehicle.
Really great video! You really know how to explain the why when and how.
All our family Lexus and Toyota vehicles are on the BG flush cleaner and then fluid and conditioner. Our transmissions are at 302k and 24 years old, 288k and 14 years old, 388k and 14 years old and 230k and 10 years old. EACH ONE regularly has the $225 BG system flush.
Absolutely zero reason to use any type of cleaner.
We use the BG flush machine at work and only use the cleaner in neglected gearboxes.
Otherwise, a simple fluid exchange is all any transmission needs…. FRESH LUBE. That’s it.
Wifey daily drives a GMC Acadia with the supposedly “bad” transmission… 180k miles. Shifts smooth. No issues. No leaks. I change the oil every 30k. 👍🏼
@I_know_what_im_talking_about the BG system that gives the bg warranty on your transmission uses the bg valve body cleaner and a fluid exchange with their conditioner. It's the bg recommended procedure. I'll stick with it. My mileage prooves it works with no damage
This is the topic that makes My blood boil. If the transmission fails after a properly performed service it was about to fail, the service had nothing to do with it. PERIOD.
It's insane to argue that dirty fluid somehow 'protects' the transmission, pumping abrasive clutch material and micro metal particles endlessly through the system. This is how metal is removed from places you can't get to easily in machinery and porting work!
Added chemicals may help or hurt, depending on the condition and type but fresh fluid and clean filter ( if possible) will definitely extend the life of a good transmission, whenever it's changed. I've changed fluid on 200, 250k mile trans for the first time and had no problems. Vehicles over 300k are common in my area and I know of one Dodge with 600k, original transmission. Probably go more but the rust gets them.
Newer more complex units need service much more often, 30k is a common OEM recommendation for drain and fill, a partial service in my opinion.
The proper way to service fluid is to change as much as practical, clean the reservoir (pan) and filter if serviceable and flush the cooler, lines and converter with fresh fluid.
A machine is usually not required but can detect a restricted line or cooler (and faster, less messy)
The fact is that almost nobody services the trans until a fault ( and likely failure) is evident and improper fluid service, malicious or otherwise, is blamed. If the trans has an issue, it may need to be fixed, fluid change is preventive, not repair.
Paying for a failed transmission is no fun and everyone wants to blame others for the problem.
Hear hear!
Good video. What suggestion for people buy used cars and trucks don't know trans maintenance past?
Not a transmission input but come on! Let’s get the rotor recommendations 😅 I need to replace my brakes and trust your input!
It’s edited and will be posted this upcoming week! 😬
@ Yes! Can’t wait!! 😁 Amazing videos guys!
Hi, When the trans flush came out back in the 80's local news promoted the heck out of it, it was a new concept I had it done. Less then a year later, trans was gone. I bought it used and had the extended warranty only costed me $100 Ford rebuilt the trans. I was in the truck while it was being done. They told me when to shift it etc. Never put 2 & 2 together. yrs later did it on another vehicle, no extended warranty, costed me $3000 to have trans rebuilt. AND then the news media came out screaming along with all the other people how they got ripped off for the trans flush, in 2000. AND those trans flush places refused to do anything about it and deny, deny, deny they did anything wrong. Massive amount of people were upset about this. So was I after I had shelled out all that money for the flush only to have to shell out massive amount to have the trans rebuilt. Now today I bought a Toyota at a Lexus dealer they partnered with this company they put oil additives in the engines, transmissions, etc. BG Products whom also sells the transmission flushing unit, they warranty it too. I had a conversation with the Lexus shop on this, I requested the inspection sheet before buying the Rav4 saw the description and inquired about it after the sale. I went back after I got the key fob and asked them about it. They should me the kit they use for used cars and info sheet. They were upfront about it. The Toyota dealer flushes the transmissions using BG's flushing unit and again comes with a warranty backed be BG. I also got extended warranty for this car with $0 deductible bumper to bumper with 78000 miles on the car for a 2016. They do the trans flush. I'm on the fence with this. So is Scotty Kilmer. I talked to him and he has video on trans flushing too. He's had to deal with this in the past with his customers after the fact. What to do?
You seriously refer to Scotty Kilmer?!?