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fatmanskinny
Premium
join:2004-01-04
Wandering
 ·Comcast Digital Vo..
 ·Comcast
| Any rule of thumb for getting fluids changed?
When I went to NTB (www.ntb.com) the other day to have my tires replaced and aligned, they recommended for me to have the following fluids flushed:
Power steering - $69.99
Transmission - $79.99
Brake - $59.99
Coolant - $69.99
The guy didn't show me anything but said they needed to be flushed. Me, being green at car care but also being cautious about the mechanic upsells, declined and said I will think about it.
After I declined, he made a comment "all you do is put in gas and drive the car." I smiled and left it there before getting ugly in return. I also know some shops are notorious for selling you stuff they don't actually do.
Anyhoo, I have a 1997 4 Cyl Toyota Camry. Any rule of thumb on when I need to get these fluids changed? I just had most of them topped off and those prices seemed a little steep.
Is this something, over time, I can actually do myself?
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God answers Knee Mail. | |
Zero Gravity
Next to Arch Stanton
Premium
join:2002-04-30
Top Floor | Easy. Look in your owners manual. | |
fatmanskinny
Premium
join:2004-01-04
Wandering | Unfortunately, my car didn't come with an owner's manual. I purchased it in used condition.
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God answers Knee Mail. | |
Snakeoil
Taxes are Armed robbery.
Premium
join:2000-08-05
Mentor, OH
·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to fatmanskinny
When was the last time you had the transmission flushed/cleaned?
Here is why I ask.
I had a car with over 100k miles on it. i said yes to a tranny flush. After i pay and drive the car down the street, I notice something very bad. The tranny was slipping.
I went back and spoke to the manager. I felt it was his fault, until he explained it to me.
If I never had my tranny serviced [I had only owned the car for 30k of the 100k miles], then it is possible that dirt had been compressed into the worn areas and allowed the tranny too function as normal, even though it was worn.
By getting it flushed, I had the dirt washed away, which in turn made the tranny feel loose.
So if you never had service on the tranny, beware that it could reveal a world of hurt.
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72276539
Premium
join:2001-01-19
Atlanta, GA
1 edit | reply to fatmanskinny
I'm gonna get the tranny flushed next week.... shouldn't be any problems since I'll 56Kish miles on the car. Any later and I'd probably not mess with it.
Would your tranny slip at all RPM's or just certain ones? How did it feel when it was slipping? Notice an RPM change?
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BIGMIKE
Premium
join:2002-06-07
Westminster, CA
| reply to fatmanskinny
Transmission flush 30K
It is also very important to keep the transmission fluid clean change ATF at least every 30,000 miles or once a year.
Toyota Recommended Maintenance Schedule
»www.rkautogroup.net/toyotamaintenance.htm
Engine coolant, flush & refill…… DO IT YOUR SELF
»www.4x4wire.com/toyota/maintenan···#coolant
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BIGMIKE
Premium
join:2002-06-07
Westminster, CA
| reply to Snakeoil
said by Snakeoil  :When was the last time you had the transmission flushed/cleaned? Here is why I ask. I had a car with over 100k miles on it. i said yes to a tranny flush. After i pay and drive the car down the street, I notice something very bad. The tranny was slipping. I went back and spoke to the manager. I felt it was his fault, until he explained it to me. If I never had my tranny serviced [I had only owned the car for 30k of the 100k miles], then it is possible that dirt had been compressed into the worn areas and allowed the tranny too function as normal, even though it was worn. By getting it flushed, I had the dirt washed away, which in turn made the tranny feel loose. So if you never had service on the tranny, beware that it could reveal a world of hurt. When not to flush:
Before draining or flushing you should pull the dip stick and look at the fluid. If it is dark, burnt smelling, and you see little flakes or speck in it, DO NOT FLUSH IT. The fluid and transmission is TOAST, but the transmission just has not figured out it should die yet. In these cases for reasons no one has figured out yet, if you flush a transmission in this condition it will fail right away. Real strange, but that is what seems to happen. If your trans is in this condition just drive it while you save for a replacement transmission. There is no way of telling when it will fail. It might be today, next week, or next year, but it is doomed.
The goal here is to flush the trans BEFORE the fluid gets rancid. What you are taking out should look like what you are putting in. Do not wait for a color or smell change. My 4Runner Owner's Manual calls for transmission fluid change at 30,000 mile intervals. The industry standard it two years OR 24,000 miles which ever comes first. It is your truck, you decide what is best for you.
Automatic Transmission Flushing
»www.gadgetonline.com/TransFlush.htm
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Snakeoil
Taxes are Armed robbery.
Premium
join:2000-08-05
Mentor, OH
·RoadRunner Cable
1 edit | Also:
I have heard that getting an engine replaced can lead to needing a new tranny as well. Because the new engine will have more torque then the old worn out engine.
The repair shop I worked at did a study on that. They found out the majority of the time, after replacing an engine, the customer gets a new tranny a few months down the road.
EDIT:
BTW, I agree with ya on following the owners manual or service coupon book.
--
Say no to the IRS.. Yes to the Fair Tax!
This beer is for: 464th bat. 98th div. Combat engineers. Hillside Ave schenectady NY. | |
GilbertMark
Premium
join:2001-05-02
Gilbert, AZ
·Cox HSI
| reply to fatmanskinny
said by fatmanskinny :When I went to NTB (www.ntb.com) the other day to have my tires replaced and aligned, they recommended for me to have the following fluids flushed: Power steering - $69.99 Transmission - $79.99 Brake - $59.99 Coolant - $69.99 The guy didn't show me anything but said they needed to be flushed. Me, being green at car care but also being cautious about the mechanic upsells, declined and said I will think about it. After I declined, he made a comment "all you do is put in gas and drive the car." I smiled and left it there before getting ugly in return. I also know some shops are notorious for selling you stuff they don't actually do. Anyhoo, I have a 1997 4 Cyl Toyota Camry. Any rule of thumb on when I need to get these fluids changed? I just had most of them topped off and those prices seemed a little steep. Is this something, over time, I can actually do myself? If you have one shop do all that work, ask for a better price. At those prices I would buy a maintenance manual specific to that car and do all the work myself. After your third time or so it should have paid for itself.
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Just because a word has an S in it doesn't mean it needs an apostrophe too. | |
BIGMIKE
Premium
join:2002-06-07
Westminster, CA
1 edit | reply to Snakeoil
said by Snakeoil :Also: I have heard that getting an engine replaced can lead to needing a new tranny as well. Because the new engine will have more torque then the old worn out engine. The repair shop I worked at did a study on that. They found out the majority of the time, after replacing an engine, the customer gets a new tranny a few months down the road. EDIT: BTW, I agree with ya on following the owners manual or service coupon book. Most car transmissions are made to last the life of the vehicle if properly maintained and serviced regularly.
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Every 3,000 Miles
• Change engine oil and filter
• Lubrication service
• Check and top off all fluids
• 20 pt. Inspection
Every 6,000 Miles
• Change engine oil and filter
• Lubrication service
• Check and top off all fluids
• 20 pt. inspection
• Rotate tires
• Every 30,000 Miles
• Change engine oil and filter steering components
• Lubrication service
• Check and top off all fluids
• 20 pt. inspection
• Rotate tires
• Perform differential service
• Inspect brakes
• Inspect tune-up parts
• Replace fuel filter
• Brake system flush
• Inspect exhaust system
• Check chassis, suspension, and other steering components
• Flush cooling system
• Flush transmission fluid
• Battery service
• Fuel system service
• Power steering flush
Every 60,000 Miles
• Change engine oil and filter
• Lubrication service
• Check and top off all fluids
• 20 pt. inspection
• Rotate tires
• Perform differential service
• Inspect braking system
• Inspect tune-up parts
• Replace fuel filter
• Brake system flush
• Replace spark plugs
• Inspect exhaust system
• Timing belt and water pump (if applicable)
• Check chassis, suspension, and other steering components
• Fuel system service
• Flush cooling system
• Battery service
• Power steering flush
Every 90,000 Miles
• Change engine oil and filter
• Lubrication service
• Check and top off all fluids
• 20 pt. inspection
• Rotate tires
• Perform differential service
• Inspect braking system
• Inspect tune-up parts
• Replace fuel filter
• Brake system flush
• Replace spark plugs
• Inspect exhaust system
• Timing belt and water pump (if applicable)
• Check chassis, suspension, and other steering components
• Fuel system service
• Flush cooling system
• Battery service
• Power steering flush | |
ASE TECH
@charter.com
| reply to fatmanskinny
Trans fluid - every 50k, unless you do a lot of "heavy duty" driving such as dusty conditions, towing, constant below freezing or 100f+ temps, or off-roading, in which case i'd say 20-30k
Brake fluid - as needed. The reason brake fluid must be changed is not because it gets dirty, but because it absorbs moisture (by design). By "absorbing" the moisture into itself, it prevents internal damage to your hydraulic brake components, such as calipers, wheel cylinders, master cylinder, etc... Also brakes get VERY HOT and moisture in water form can boil, causing air pockets, which we all know is bad in brake hydraulic systems. Over time the fluid becomes so saturated with moisture it cannot hold any more, and that's where the havok begins. Most shops have the ability to test this. Trust the test results, not the fluid appearance.
Power Steering Fluid - I'd say 60k at the earliest. Unless leaking, hard to steer, or noisy steering there typically isn't much reason to change this fluid, unless it's just NASTY (black in color and/or rancid smelling), or a wrong fluid has been added at one point.
Coolant - 2 years/30k MAXIMUM. Even if you have the pink/orange "dexcool", or the "lifetime" gold stuff. There is no such thing as an extended life antifreeze from what I've seen. The pink/orange stuff has a tendancy to turn to "jell-o" by design, and while theoretically will go 150k/10years, it is designed to seal small leaks by thickening when mixed with air. The problem is that even a tiny leak invisible to the human eye will cause this stuff to solidify and plug up your entire cooling system. I've seen this a million times, especially on General Motors 4.3 engines (due to radiator caps sucking air into the cooling system on cooldown. If you have one of these with the plastic covered cap directly on the radiator, remove the cap when cool, and if you see solid pink stuff around the edge, have the system flushed and install a new cap ASAP).
As far as NOT flushing a neglected transmission, I've seen no evidence to support this, however it does seem logical. IF your fluid is in extremely poor shape, especially if small metal particles are present, it's probably best to save the money towards a new one.
Hope this answers some questions! | |
LazMan
join:2003-03-26
Angus, ON
 ·TekSavvy Solutions..
| reply to fatmanskinny
When it comes to tranny's - if there's more then 100k on it, and the fluid hasn't been changed; leave it be. The friction material on the plates in the clutch packs will wear off, and instead of being on the plate, it is suspended in the liquid. It works, as it's still between the plates when they squeeze together. When you replace it with 'fresh, clean' fluid, that friction material goes, and your plates start to slip...
As for the other fluids; my personal opinion is
Oil - 3000 miles - it's cheap insurance.
Coolent - every 2 years, or as needed - check the strength of it every so often.
Power Steering - I only flush the PS system if there's been work done (lines, pump, rack and pinion or ???) - otherwise, unless it's burnt and stinks, it's OK.
Brake fluid - same as PS.
Just my thoughts... Served me well, so far.
Laz | |
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