Auto Transmission Fluid Change

[shoosty]

Hi ....looking like my ATF has not been changed forever. I am slightly familiar with doing this on other vehicles but would love a brief summary or link to a post from you professionals out there........also where abouts do you find the ATF Filter that I have briefly read about here??

Thanks!

Mark B.

[JMK]

I was told that as a 'Red Green' alternative to having the tranny fluid professionaly flushed, you can do the following, which is not as thorough than the professional job, but much better than doing nothing:

Drain all the fluid you can by removing the drain plug from the bottom. This apparently may drain around 35% or so of the total fluid present. Top it up with new fluid. Drive for a few days, and then do it again, and again, and again. End the end you will obviously still have some old fluid present, but obviously much less than you started with.

If you live in a rural setting without easy access to a shop that can do the job, or you are too poor, then perhaps this is worth considering?

Again, I'm not necessarily recommending this, more like looking for other opinions?

[norisan]

Hi Shoosty:Recently did mine on a '93 Exceed and it turned out to be fairly simple, if a little messy. I picked up a filter/gasket kit for a '92 Mitsubishi Montero which seems to have the same transmission - it was about $20 Can.,and ten liters of Red Line synthetic transmission fluid, which they say is specifically made to replace Dexron 11. That was about $120, but how often do you change the transmission fluid? I drained the pan, removed and thoroughly cleaned it, and the two magnets. The filter, (actuall it's a screen) is bolted onto the bottom of the transmissionl - caution, when I unbolted mine quite a lot of fluid came gushing out as the screen is very fine. Replace the filter, clean the gasket surfaces, reinstall the pan and refill with about 2-3 liters of fluid. I then disconnected the out line from the trans oil cooler, connected a suitable tube from the cooler to a container, started the engine in neutral and then kept topping up the transmission 'til the fluid ran clean. Stopped the engine and fastened everything back up and topped up the fluid as needed. I used about 91/2 liters. So far I have been happy with the results.

[fexlboi]

That was about $120, but how often do you change the transmission fluid?

Roughly every 10k km

[mararmeisto]

That was about $120, but how often do you change the transmission fluid?

Roughly every 10k km

Maybe you meant 100k km? After 40 000 km of mostly city driving, Moon Machine's ATF is still reddish (with a hint of brown), but I figured it was time to start changing it.

Anyway, I just changed some of mine in the above-described manner. Exchanged about 2 litres. Will do another 2 litres at the next oil change, and then again at the next oil change - that should get the bulk of it.

[fexlboi]

That was about $120, but how often do you change the transmission fluid?

Roughly every 10k km

Maybe you meant 100k km? After 40 000 km of mostly city driving, Moon Machine's ATF is still reddish (with a hint of brown), but I figured it was time to start changing it.

Anyway, I just changed some of mine in the above-described manner. Exchanged about 2 litres. Will do another 2 litres at the next oil change, and then again at the next oil change - that should get the bulk of it.

Hmm?! Maybe there is something wrong on our tranny, but we put a little bit over 22000km on our Delica so far and CVI changed the tranny fluids already twice. They said it's kind of normal....

[mararmeisto]

Hmm?! Maybe there is something wrong on our tranny, but we put a little bit over 22000km on our Delica so far and CVI changed the tranny fluids already twice. They said it's kind of normal....

Quick Googling of a couple of sites agree that 30 000 miles is the average. I chose 40 000 kms cause that lined up nicely with my preventative maintenance routines schedule.

[fexlboi]

Hmm?! Maybe there is something wrong on our tranny, but we put a little bit over 22000km on our Delica so far and CVI changed the tranny fluids already twice. They said it's kind of normal....

Quick Googling of a couple of sites agree that 30 000 miles is the average. I chose 40 000 kms cause that lined up nicely with my preventative maintenance routines schedule.

Good to know, thanks.

[jrman]

I did the tranny fluid on import - then again after 1 yr & 20K just because.
6 month later (during December snow storm) - the A/T light kept coming on then off intermittently - without any pattern.
Some have said it could have been related to the moisture from all the snow I was pounding through - apparently it messes with the sensor.

I did the tranny fluid anyway again at CVI to be safe - seemed to work for a week then back to problems. Ignored the light for a while - and a couple of weeks after the snow was gone, the light stopped hassling me.

I was checking fluid the whole time - clean, not burned smelling - no apparently problem.

CVI did advise that the sensors can be a bit temperamental.

Ran quite a few months without incident and no light coming on. Ran up to the Okanagan and light came on during some of the long climbs - checked fluid and no apparent problems - still clean and not smelling burned. Even pulled over at one point for 20 min with engine running (as per owners manual) but light would not turn off...eventually gave up and started ignoring that damn light again.

Recently - light is coming back on when heading up the North Shore mountains - again, checking fluid is reasonably clean and no burned smell.

NOW - I'm thinking maybe my side exit exhaust might be complicating matters - the muffler is quite close to the sensor.

Going to change the sensor soon and if that doesn't fix it....I'll just keep sticking to the 40K change which is the interval I think is reasonable also - or until the tranny poops out altogether...whichever comes first!

[nvanadm]

My transmission fluid still looks pink, but it's been 3.5 years and 50,000kms since I purchased it from Mardy. Probably time for a change.
I have the filter (screen) and gasket. I'm just wondering what type of fluid is needed and how much I will approximately need (of course I will go by the dipstick in the end, just need to know roughly how much to buy).
Living in Ontario I don't have a mechanic I can trust so I will be starting to do more on my own. Last summer was oil and fuel filters, this summer transmission. Pretty soon i'll be a licenced mechanic
Thanks for your help!

[LeeHammy]

Here is a question I would like to add to the topic. Do Pajero's have trans filters? I thought it was just a mesh screen? Is a flush good enough or should I be sea-foaming it and flushing it and dropping the pan and replacing the screen/filter/TBA?

Thanks!

[nvanadm]

I think the screen/filter is the same thing. I've never done it before (hence the questions), but I was planning on draining it, then taking the pan off, changing the filter then putting the pan back on and filling it up. I don't know though. Seems pretty easy, but am I missing something?

Didn't think about seafoam for the tranny. Maybe a "trans tune" is in order too.

[LeeHammy]

http://www.seafoamsales.com/trans-tune.html Yup.. just picked some up. I guess with the Pajero it is a screen and it is just cleaned not a filter that has to be replaced. We will see.. now just wanting some weather so I can crawl under my truck without freezing my ass off and getting soaked.......

..........so not till May.

[nxski]

http://www.seafoamsales.com/trans-tune.html Yup.. just picked some up. I guess with the Pajero it is a screen and it is just cleaned not a filter that has to be replaced. We will see.. now just wanting some weather so I can crawl under my truck without freezing my ass off and getting soaked.......

..........so not till May.

The L300 filter is just a screen that can be cleaned as well. I used gas to clean mine, let it dry, re-installed. As an amendment, more than 35% of the fluid comes out when you drain it. about 2.5-3L comes out with the drain plug and another 0.5-1 when the filter is removed.

[nvanadm]

What is the total capacity of the transmission in an L300?