Automatic Transmission Service

[N80]

I took my '03 F-150 in for an oil change and the Ford place told me my transmission fluid and steering fluid were 'brown' and I needed to have the tranny and steering system 'flushed'. He said it should have been done 20k miles ago. (Of course when I took it in 5k miles ago he said nothing about the tranny fluid!) I thought he was blowing smoke up my skirt (as service departments will do from time to time when the customer is a dumb blonde or gullable dufus like me). The truck has 50k miles on it and no problems. I usually follow proper service schedules and did not remember anything about have the tranny fluid changed.

So I went back to my maintanence schedule and sure enough, right there in crypitc numbers and in parentheses was the transmission on my truck. How on earth was I to know that I have the "4R100" transmission? Well I do, and it should have been serviced 20k miles ago.

However, the manual says nothing about 'flushing' the tranny and nothing about flushing or changing the steering fluid at all.

The price to do both is only about $225.

My questions are:

What is flushing?
Does it provide any benefit over just changing the fluid?
Would you bother having the steering fluid changed OR flushed?

Thanks for your opinions.

(By the way, I'm new to automatic transmissions (I hate them) and I used to do all the maintanence on my manula tranny vehicles myself.)

 

[DieselPower]

Having worked in dealerships in the past I am very familiar with the flush machines. In my opinion they do work and exchange a greater quantity of the oil than a simple drain does. In the transmission when you pull the pan that's the only fluid that is getting changed. The flush machine hooks up in series with the cooler lines and exchanges the dirty fluid for clean oil. Basically the same setup for the power steering system.

Don't get me wrong, they are money makers for the service shop. If they were not they wouldn't be using them. But they do provide a more complete fluid change than the simple drain and refill will. Is it worth it, that's up to you. I have my own transmission flush machine I purchased at a auction a couple of years ago and I use it on all my vehicles.

If you are unsure if you want to do it or not my suggestion would be to have the dealership take you over to their flush machines and explain what they do. They can actually show you how they hook up and flush the system out. A little hands on demonstration goes a long way to a lot of understanding.

 

[N80]

That's pretty much what I thought. And to tell the whole truth, I know the owner of the dealership very well and the service guy is a patient of mine.

So, I don't mind spending a couple of hundred on this truck with friends. The idea of flushing the tranny seems like a good one and I can see where it could get more 'junk' out of the tranny than just changing the fluid. I'm a little less impressed with the idea of a steering system flush. But, I'll probably just do it. I have not had to spend any money on this truck in 50K miles. Plus, they treat me like a king at this place, offering me drinks, rides or loaners, etc. They have treated my Dad well to.

Its a lot easier to spend a little money on fluff at a place that treats you well.

 

[BillyP]

That's pretty much what I thought. And to tell the whole truth, I know the owner of the dealership very well and the service guy is a patient of mine.

Maybe the service guy is getting even.

Sorry, couldn't help myself

 

[N80]

Could be. Maybe next time he's in to see me for 'routine maintenance' I'll recommend a 'system flush' for him too!

 

[jdbower]

Could be. Maybe next time he's in to see me for 'routine maintenance' I'll recommend a 'system flush' for him too!

Make sure you've got a garden hose in your hand when you say that

My truck has "lifetime" tranny fluid so they say, but "lifetime" turns out to be based on the assumption that the truck will explode at 100k. I had mine flushed at 70k just to play it safe.

 

[N80]

Well, the generic maintenance schedule book that came with my truck makes it look like most other vehicles don't need to change the fluid, but it lists several trannys, including mine (by part number!) that need to be changed every 30k miles. That's why I overlooked it. No big deal but I don't understand why that can't give you a maintenance schedule just for the vehicle I have.....I don't really need to know how often you have to change wiper fluid on a Ford Focus!

 

[Bird]

I recently changed Ford dealers for doing my routine service. The one I've been using does good work and they're likeable people, but they are always trying to sell you things you don't need. However, I do get all the service done that the manufacturer recommends, and yep, I let them flush the transmission and power steering at 60k miles.

 

[jdbower]

I don't really need to know how often you have to change wiper fluid on a Ford Focus!

Yeah, but those Focuses really blow through the blinker fluid, I think it may be a design issue...

 

[Slacker]

How does the Tranny filter get changed when the "flush" method is used?