ATS service, "flush" vs pan-drop and filter?

[jeffsw6]

What is the real story on ATS oil "flushing" without changing the filter? Is it beneficial or stupid?

 

[oldballs]

I'd say that "flushing" without changing a filter is stupid. IMO

 

[murphy1244]

Why the heck would you NOT change the filter????? 8 quarts of clean oil plus 1.5 quarts of dirty oil= 9.5 quarts of dirty oil.

 

[timswi]

This starts a rehashed war.

 

[JCByrd24]

In my opinion changing old fluid out entirely for new without changing the filter is better both than not changing at all and just doing a pan drop and filter change, as long as the filter isn't plugged, which it probably isn't. Doing a pan drop and refill (maybe half new oil) is better than doing nothing, and is a good idea at some point to change the filter but definitely mixes old and new fluid heavily. A trans filter is more like an air filter than an engine oil filter in that the filter itself is not a container of oil that can't be drained, so I disagree with murphy and oldballs. As long as you are not getting it "back flushed" the filter will continue to hold the junk in there and will not really contaminate your new oil. Unlike engine oil, transmission oil will normally wear out/break down from heat before it gets dirty, so a vehicle that does heavy towing could benefit from a complete fluid exchange more regularly than a filter change service, though doing both would be best. Since they're completely different though, they cost is probably double unless you're doing it yourself, which it sounds like your not. What is your vehicles mileage?

 

[jeffsw6]

05 Suburban K1500 with right at 90k miles. I bought it at 55k miles and don't know what the previous owner did to it. First thing I did was get the trans oil flushed.

At 75k something happened to the transfer case (known problem on 05) and this somehow damaged a seal on the transmission (according to the dealership, who repaired it under warranty) so I had them put on a new ATS filter then since it was getting new oil and I figured the filter may have been contaminated by debris from malfunction. I was really shocked that the dealer would not put the filter on the warranty, they made me pay for it.

I don't drive a lot of miles, 5000 - 8000 a year, but it's mostly towing 3000# - 7000# around town. It does have the aux trans cooler. So far this truck has been great, no gremlins, etc. and I want to keep it a long time. I plan to buy a second, bigger truck for the bigger tows but it might be a year or two before I can afford it. I'm hoping to save enough for a fairly new 1-ton DRW and keep working this Suburban hard until then.

Anyway that's a lot of information. I just wanted to know what people think about doing only the flushes, or only the pan drop, etc. On my '99 I alternated at about 20k intervals but electrical gremlins drove me to trade it at 110k miles anyway.

EDIT: You are correct I don't do the service myself. I have the tools and I could probably do it but it would take me all day, I'd be buying the service manual and following the instructions. I stopped doing my own auto maintenance when the price of fluids and parts at local shops started costing more than the price of just taking the truck in to have it done.

 

[Bob77064]

Changing the filter and fluishing the transmission works well if water gets in the transmission.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Most new trannys dont have a filter anymore. I know many of the imports, Ford, and some others have gone this way. Some are also doing away with fuel filters.

Chris

 

[Wacky]

I have an 09 Accord and the dealership informed me that Honda does not recommend flushing the transmission, they say it can screw something up, don't recall what they said when we had ours done. Just a pan drop and filter change.

 

[Fixemall]

I did a swap on a month old transmission in a friends cube van because the previous installer neglected to flush out the trans cooler from the previously gernaded transmission then refused to stand behind his mistake while my friend was going broke without his work truck, I share this because I realize that the only way you can be sure to get all the impurities out is to drop the pan and then flush the system of the rest of fluid. I do agree that on some lower mileage vehicles a simple flush is ok to maintain if it is performed regularly and before the fluid is smoked however, at higher mileage pan removal and flush combination is the better way to go. My concern with flushing is some techs really have not been properly trained on how to do it and may end up damaging seals and other of the nearly 1,000 or more components that make up modern transmissions.