Auto Transmission Service Question

[dcholden]

Hi Guys,

Just a question. How ofter do you need to service an auto transmission? Surely the oil and oil filter must get dirty and need changing like engine oil? Most people have told me you don't have to worry about it till 100,000. However on a previous car, a Ford Fairlane I had to replace the transmission because the radiator has become clogged and I didn't know until the thing starting jumping roughly between gears and then when I took it be looked at and they dropped out the pan, you could see all the metal shavings sitting on the bottom, so $2500 later i had a reco unit put in and was on my way. But they guy told me you should get it serviced every 20,000km.

While I know my Caprice only has 30,000km on the clock, it is 5 years old, and what is a bit worrying is that my mechanic checked the auto level when I took it for service to him (after i got jack of Holden) and he said it was almost half way down so had to top it up, he said it was probably like that from new, as it doesn't leak.

Any advice much appreciated.

[Minikeg]

I think the go with them is they are a sealed unit, but do need the service at 100,000kms. After that it is every 20,000km as it had been opened..?

[Peter B - CV8]

I get mine serviced (new fluid & filter/s) every 20,000 & I run a transmission cooler as well.
Might be a bit of overkill in some people's eyes - but I've never killed a transmission either (& not through lack of trying !!!)

[Vulture]

Interested to hear people's thoughts on this too. I also run a bigger cooler but power may be rising soon :nyuk: Is it a function of how it is driven? How much power you're putting through it? Or does it not matter?

[Sonnymad]

Hi Guys,

Just a question. How ofter do you need to service an auto transmission? Surely the oil and oil filter must get dirty and need changing like engine oil? Most people have told me you don't have to worry about it till 100,000. However on a previous car, a Ford Fairlane I had to replace the transmission because the radiator has become clogged and I didn't know until the thing starting jumping roughly between gears and then when I took it be looked at and they dropped out the pan, you could see all the metal shavings sitting on the bottom, so $2500 later i had a reco unit put in and was on my way. But they guy told me you should get it serviced every 20,000km.

While I know my Caprice only has 30,000km on the clock, it is 5 years old, and what is a bit worrying is that my mechanic checked the auto level when I took it for service to him (after i got jack of Holden) and he said it was almost half way down so had to top it up, he said it was probably like that from new, as it doesn't leak.


Any advice much appreciated.

The manufacter says every "75000km's" though we do them at "50000km's" as 75k is a long time to leave auto fluid in a trans,we recently did a service on 2 forum members ls1's and both were serviced by holden to date and both had the vicinity around 70k and both hadnt had trans services yet,on the test drive i noticed the auto shifting very odd,after close inspection of the oil,we realised the oil was black and smell burnt.After removing the auto pan off both cars we found that the oil was totally burnt and the trans pan was full of metal filings to a degree where you could see the base of the pan,to sum it up,i recommned a auto service every 50k and make sure you use "genuine kit" as the after market comes with a crappy cork gasket and a $2 tiawanese filter.

:)

regards sonny

[dcholden]

The manufacter says every "75000km's" though we do them at "50000km's" as 75k is a long time to leave auto fluid in a trans,we recently did a service on 2 forum members ls1's and both were serviced by holden to date and both had the vicinity around 70k and both hadnt had trans services yet,on the test drive i noticed the auto shifting very odd,after close inspection of the oil,we realised the oil was black and smell burnt.After removing the auto pan off both cars we found that the oil was totally burnt and the trans pan was full of metal filings to a degree where you could see the base of the pan,to sum it up,i recommned a auto service every 50k and make sure you use "genuine kit" as the after market comes with a crappy cork gasket and a $2 tiawanese filter.

:)

regards sonny

Thanks Sonny, Appreciate the advice.

[Tez82]

Sweet with only 45k on the clock means I got still a month away before I have to look into it :D hehehe

Tez

[Vulture]

Sonny, for cars that are putting out a significant amount more grunt, does this change things or not? Regular drag use etc?

[Sonnymad]

Sonny, for cars that are putting out a significant amount more grunt, does this change things or not? Regular drag use etc?

Yes it sure does,theres alot of factors,

-Does the car have a cooler?
-Does it tow heavy trailers?
-Does it have huge amounts of hard driving ?
-Is the horse power level higher?

If ur car mataches any of the above i would advise you to service the auto earleir.

:)

regards sonny

[XLR8 V8]

What's an approximate costing of getting the auto serviced? ... (i.e. price of genuine kit, fluid flush/refill + how many hours expected labour?)

Mine is now (over) due ...

[Tez82]

Its funny you call up different places you get different quotes etc. Most places actually just drop the pan and replace filter and add 4L or so of oil.

However you should get the system flushed out in which 13L or so goes in as a lot of oil is stored in the convertor etc.. Sonny whats your method of a tranny and service and what sorta $$$ you charge mate.. Just give us an idea up here :p

Last time I did it, I hooked the system in series with trans cooler to suck in new fresh fluid in and old stuff went into waste container hehehe. Won't be doing that again was a pain in the arse :p

Tez

[Dane VN V8]

I got my automatic transmission serviced for $120-140 from a shit bodgy mechanic in Padstow named Sinclair Mechanical Services. I would never go there again as they stuff you around and **** up your transmission for not putting the right amount of fluid in. Now I am forking out $1000 to get the damn transmission fixed from Craig Automatic's (Craig s is a legend, very helpful and polite to young guy like me :D ).

Dane.

[Drewie]

Hi Guys,

While I know my Caprice only has 30,000km on the clock, it is 5 years old, and what is a bit worrying is that my mechanic checked the auto level when I took it for service to him (after i got jack of Holden) and he said it was almost half way down so had to top it up, he said it was probably like that from new, as it doesn't leak.

Any advice much appreciated.

The oil level needs to be checked when it is hot I think in the handbook it says something like check after 20km of driving so that the fluid is up to temp, when it is cold it will read low. You have to be careful not to overfill them. My VX SS is 5 years old only 45k I have asked the dealer a few times about servicing and he said as I don't tow or drive it overly hard and the fluid is as clean as the day I got it he would maybe do it at about the halfway point around the 50 to 60k mark.

[Sonnymad]

Its funny you call up different places you get different quotes etc. Most places actually just drop the pan and replace filter and add 4L or so of oil.

However you should get the system flushed out in which 13L or so goes in as a lot of oil is stored in the convertor etc.. Sonny whats your method of a tranny and service and what sorta $$$ you charge mate.. Just give us an idea up here :p


Tez

Tez,

Theres 2 ways of doing a trans service,one is drain the oil by removing the pan "while oil is hot" ,replace filter,wash pan and renew gasket,fill to correct level with fresh oil and road test.....$195 drive in drive out.

The other way to do it is remove the cooler lines ,to the feed hose we plug a machine in ,which feeds fresh oil to the gearbox,and the other line is pointed into a drian tin,we run the car till we pump 12litres out or oil starts running clean,this process is costly and not alot of ppl want it done this due to the cost..$325 that includes a new gasket and filter kit also,hope this helps :)

regards sonny

[TUNDV8]

The manufacter says every "75000km's" though we do them at "50000km's" as 75k is a long time to leave auto fluid in a trans,we recently did a service on 2 forum members ls1's and both were serviced by holden to date and both had the vicinity around 70k and both hadnt had trans services yet,on the test drive i noticed the auto shifting very odd,after close inspection of the oil,we realised the oil was black and smell burnt.After removing the auto pan off both cars we found that the oil was totally burnt and the trans pan was full of metal filings to a degree where you could see the base of the pan,to sum it up,i recommned a auto service every 50k and make sure you use "genuine kit" as the after market comes with a crappy cork gasket and a $2 tiawanese filter.

:)

regards sonny


That wouldn't be my car your talking about sonny would it? :p By the way I am buying that new VZ 4L60 2morrow and getting it sent directly to your store. Thanks for your help sonny.

[Sonnymad]

That wouldn't be my car your talking about sonny would it? :p By the way I am buying that new VZ 4L60 2morrow and getting it sent directly to your store. Thanks for your help sonny.

:),sorry yes one of them is urs i,m talking bout,no problem,thats wat we are here to do,help out our customers :)

regards sonny

[Mozz]

For the Brisvegans here I just had the full trans flush ($190 including new auto trans kit) done on my car - 2 weeks ago by:

Direct Drive Automatics & Power Steering
Unit 2/ 17 Counihan Rd
Seventeen Mile Rocks
QLD, 4073
Australia
3376 0011

Took one hour, and they did pretty much what Sonny said, hooked up lines and ran the car on a hoist while all old fluid was pumped out, then filled it up with new stuff. I had them change the oil in the diff while it was up on the hoist - car has 110k on it and both the old trans fluid and old diff oil looked very second hand.

I highly recommend regular changing of a car's fluids - a philosophy well drilled into me and promoted by some high profile qld forum members MarkOne2 and Chilly who both change their auto trans fluid even more regularly with very positive and long lasting results on their respective well used transmissions.

[Smitty]

What's an approximate costing of getting the auto serviced? ... (i.e. price of genuine kit, fluid flush/refill + how many hours expected labour?)

Mine is now (over) due ...

I always have done mine
my ol VR 185i auto got the trans done every 20,000...by me!
filter kit was $35 from my dealer and the Transmax Z
from repco was $55 ish last time I did it
Used to take me about an hour to do it..in my garage

I had also put a trans cooler on it (its the Holden one that
goes with a towbar package)
never had a problem with the trans

SOld the VR earlier this year with 140,000 klicks
on it..still span the wheels into 2nd :demon:


hth

[Sonnymad]

For the brisvegans here I just had the full trans flush ($190) done on my car - 2 weeks ago by:

Direct Drive Automatics & Power Steering
Unit 2/ 17 Counihan Rd
Seventeen Mile Rocks
QLD, 4073
Australia
3376 0011

Took one hour, and they did pretty much what Sonny said, hooked up lines and ran the car on a hoist while all old fluid was pumped out, then filled it up with new stuff. I had them change the oil in the diff while it was up on the hoist - car has 110k on it and both the old trans fluid and old diff oil looked very second hand.

I highly recommend regular changing of a car's fluids - a philosophy well drilled into me and promoted by some high profile qld forum members MarkOne2 and Chilly who both change their auto trans fluid even more regularly with very positive and long lasting results on their respective well used transmissions.

Wat about the filter in the trans ? surely they replaced that ?

:)

regards sonny

[Mozz]

Sonny - it's a Ford AUIII 6 cylinder not LS1 - so I don't know if it had filter or not - but they said it included a new auto trans kit, I don't know what the kit consisted of - I edited my first post to include the auto trans kit which I left out of my original post. Your advice in this thread is appreciated, most of us know 2/10th's of 5/8th's of stuff all in relation to mechanical stuff.

[Sonnymad]

Sonny - it's a Ford AUIII 6 cylinder not LS1 - so I don't know if it had filter or not - but they said it included a new auto trans kit, I don't know what the kit consisted of - I edited my first post to include the auto trans kit which I left out of my original post. Your advice in this thread is appreciated, most of us know 2/10th's of 5/8th's of stuff all in relation to mechanical stuff.

No problem at all,all auto's have filters,good to see they changed it :)

regards sonny

[dcholden]

The oil level needs to be checked when it is hot I think in the handbook it says something like check after 20km of driving so that the fluid is up to temp, when it is cold it will read low. You have to be careful not to overfill them. My VX SS is 5 years old only 45k I have asked the dealer a few times about servicing and he said as I don't tow or drive it overly hard and the fluid is as clean as the day I got it he would maybe do it at about the halfway point around the 50 to 60k mark.


Cool, thanks. I believe it was hot when checked. Based on the advice from you guys i will plan on getting it done at probably the 50,000k mark. I actually rang a local transmission specialist today, and he said bring it down now, it should be done every 20,000km. I said no thanks, I guess you can't really blame them in a way for trying to drum up business.

[Sonnymad]

Cool, thanks. I believe it was hot when checked. Based on the advice from you guys i will plan on getting it done at probably the 50,000k mark. I actually rang a local transmission specialist today, and he said bring it down now, it should be done every 20,000km. I said no thanks, I guess you can't really blame them in a way for trying to drum up business.

If you were towing heavy caravans or trialers,i would say yes every 20k,though if ur doing normal dailey driving 50k will be fine,though if you want the most out of ur auto,fit a good auto tranny cooler as heat is the biggest killer of auto's.

:)

regards sonny

[dcholden]

If you were towing heavy caravans or trialers,i would say yes every 20k,though if ur doing normal dailey driving 50k will be fine,though if you want the most out of ur auto,fit a good auto tranny cooler as heat is the biggest killer of auto's.

:)

regards sonny

Thanks Sonny, no no towing ever done that i'm aware of, doesn't even have towbar. What sort of $$$ are we talking roughly for a transmission cooler as a matter of interest.

[Sonnymad]

Thanks Sonny, no no towing ever done that i'm aware of, doesn't even have towbar. What sort of $$$ are we talking roughly for a transmission cooler as a matter of interest.

Theres all diff types of coolers and prices vary,it just depends on how much you wanna spend.

:)

regards sonny

[BuickChief]

Is there any fix for the light throttle 1-2 thump in the WHII Gen 3 Auto? Do they all do it?

Regards,

[dcholden]

Is there any fix for the light throttle 1-2 thump in the WHII Gen 3 Auto? Do they all do it?

Regards,


Yeah don't you hate that! I always get it at roundabouts. You slow down to make sure no one is going to come across, then when you enter the roundabout you give it some gentle acceleration and you get the thump as it changes gears. I think it's pretty normal. My previous Supercharged 6 Statesman used to do it as well, think it's just the nature of the unit.

[Mozz]

Is there any fix for the light throttle 1-2 thump in the WHII Gen 3 Auto? Do they all do it?

Regards,

A good tuner can provide an aftermarket tune which would be able to address this issue, even giving you different options for power or normal trans settings :)

[Vulture]

Just had my trans serviced by SureShift in Virginia. Cost was just over $200. They also shim the bands, now I am not entirely sure what this means but it feels better to drive. The 1-2 shift seems quicker and more positive (not firmer which is the last thing I want when driving sedately to church on Sundays).:clown:

[XLR8 V8]

Just had my trans serviced by SureShift in Virginia. Cost was just over $200. They also shim the bands, now I am not entirely sure what this means but it feels better to drive. The 1-2 shift seems quicker and more positive (not firmer which is the last thing I want when driving sedately to church on Sundays).:clown:

Do you know if they did the full flush style of service or just dump the pan and replace the filter? Was considering going to Sureshift as they are more convenient for me than one of the other options

[Vulture]

Do you know if they did the full flush style of service or just dump the pan and replace the filter? Was considering going to Sureshift as they are more convenient for me than one of the other options

Mmm, it wasn't the full flush as due to the amount of fluid involved this would be more $. Scott at SureShift said that for mine it was probably not worth it as I haven't done a lot of Kms and oil looked good. Hope I have done the right thing...

[Tonner]

Mmm, it wasn't the full flush as due to the amount of fluid involved this would be more $. Scott at SureShift said that for mine it was probably not worth it as I haven't done a lot of Kms and oil looked good. Hope I have done the right thing...

oh well you could always just drive 'cautiously' till you find out if you have done the right thing:teach:

[XLR8 V8]

Mmm, it wasn't the full flush as due to the amount of fluid involved this would be more $. Scott at SureShift said that for mine it was probably not worth it as I haven't done a lot of Kms and oil looked good. Hope I have done the right thing...

Fair call, yours is still quite new so that should be fine. I'm sure Scott would have had no hesitation in telling you to go the full flush if there was a chance it might need it.
... mine being a VXII with now 102Kkms I'll be going the full deal

[VX2VESS]

I change it every 20K myself ,that only replaces half the fluid, but at every 20K by 100K you have replaced all the fluid 2.5 times. you also get to see what the filter is collecting, can catch a problem early before to much damage happens. doesn't hurt to keep it fresh and clean.

main thing when your checking the oil level is to watch for the fluid turning brownish, and smelling burnt. time for a change at any K's if you see that. 100K is really to long, it may last that long. but won't last much longer than that 100k warrantee period. where as it has more chance of lasting longer on clean Fluid. Fluid from a 100K box looks very poor, i wouldn't leave it that long.

[XLR8 V8]

100K is really to long, it may last that long. but won't last much longer than that 100k warrantee period. where as it has more chance of lasting longer on clean Fluid. Fluid from a 100K box looks very poor, i wouldn't leave it that long.

My fluid has been changed before during a warranty thing at Holden ... hasn't gone the full 100K without a change ... I shudder at the thought of the state of fluid that has served a full 100K term.

[Jargle]

I have mine done at 20k as I regularly tow a boat, oh yeah and my sons cars on trailers each time they break down so it does get a bit of a work out and I like to keep it fresh and it's not expensive.

[SandmanUte]

What type of oil is best recommended. Mines due for a change and I was going to use transmax Z, as I heard it was the best to use.

Also what brand/grade oil for LSD diff??