Transmission filter/fluid question.
 

So I was talking to this mechanic guy at work today about my car and his car and blah blah blah....and he asked my 0-60 time and I very embarrassingly replied to him that my car does 0-60 in 9 to 10 seconds..haha. And I told him the car shifts kinda hard, and that it needs fluid and stuff, and he was like, "ah well sometimes that could be your transmission filter slowing you down some, and that they sell rebuild kits for that.
Well I asked my step dad, whos been doing transmissions for 20 years about it and he said to just leave it alone? He said dont worry about changing the fluid or the filter because its such an old transmission that it could fuck it up or something.....

Well, I was just wondering what some of yall might think, or has anyone done it before on an older mustang like mine (96 v6).

And what the hells the deal with the trans fluid? I was under the impression that that shit needs to be changed when it starts to get old and dirty, because...there would be no lubrication....so....wtf?

ATF needs to be changed every 30-60k, along w/ the filter. I guarantee you'll feel a difference after a flush and filter change. What your dad is probably saying that the car isn't worth it and you should get another, newer one.

trans fluid in an automatic uses the particles that come off the bands and clutches as sort of a friction modifier... It uses the particles to help the bands grip... I wouldnt change the flud in an old automatic either. your dad is right.

Lol i got a 89 or 79 nissan with 280k miles on it, and has never had trans fluid changed on it :D

Hes not my dad! Hes my step dad! (shawn of the dead?)

Any how, I cant afford a new or used car, or make payments on anything right now, so basically Im just trying to get my car into better health. Theres not a whole lot wrong with it, the engine runs good and all. only things wrong with it that could complicate driving it is the ball joint, and the brakes (pads, calipers..) And a minor issue is the ac wont blow through the vents on the dash, but will flow through the defrost. AND I have a ghetto ass chrysler ac compressor on it and all its good for is the pulley. So nothing too bad. I just figured I oughta change the tranny filter and throw some new fluid in cause Im sure its been a WHILE.

But about the filter, Id have to flush all the existing fluid out to change the filter, right?
And if so....I guess its a no-no? I would just buy a new tranny if it wasnt so expensive, so instead of that...I want to preserve the one I got.

Honestly idk, um if noone posts back ill call my dad and ask what he thinks.

I just run into this kinda shit alot....mechanics with different fucking knoweledge and opinions....and it all happens at work, haha.
For example I told this guy, who wanted to fix my ball joint for 150 bones, that I wanted to throw true dual exhaust on my car and he told me, when I already know this is possible and done all the damn time...he told me that I could not do that because there isnt enough space under the car....

Needless to say, I did not call him back the next day. Haha.

I would change it and the filter for sure.

Depending on how many miles are on it and whether or not it has ever been changed before are all determining factors in flushing the old trans fluid. If it hasn't been changed in 80-90k miles then I would leave it alone, especially if it has high miles on it already. Like Zig said, by changing the fluid it fucks with the clearance/friction and could potentially ruin the trans. And since there are basically very few different types of ATF there really isn't any way to compensate for the extra clearance difference like you can with motor oil..

Summary: Based on the guestimated facts, I'd say don't change your fluid.

So no filter either?
And what about the no-slip fluid stuff you can pour in your transmission? Could that be a temporary solution for the hard shifting, or could that fuck it up too?

First off, I don't really understand the "needing fluid" and shifting hard. A slipping transmission is a characteristic of LOW fluid. An automatic transmission that shifts hard is usually a sign that the tranny's about to go.

I dont know how many miles your car has, but if average mileage for a 96, and the transmission fluid has not been changed, I agree with those above who say leave it alone...Unless you are sure of what you feel the car doing. If it's shifting hard, I'd change it. Usually by that time, you've got nothing to lose.

Well, sometimes it just seems like it takes a bit to0 long for the gears to catch, especially when Im slowing down. Just seems like theres something different about it now from when I first started driving it. Im not low on fluid or anything, Its just really old fluid, and I know I havent changed it since Ive had the car which is going on 3 years now. So theres no telling how long its been. And as for the mileage...its stuck at 103,000 miles. and its been been stuck there since Ive had it. My guess is it could be up to...200,000 by now...maybe? I was just curious about all the input Id get about this. Might learn something new.

I think what you're experiencing is just normal wear and tear for a car with that many miles. I would consult someone at your local automatic transmission shop and see what they say, but I honestly think that doing anything at this point would be too much.. If you feel like it's bad enough to need service then you might try draining some of the fluid and adding some lucas "stop slip" (I thoroughly believe in all Lucas brand lubricants, you can get this at any Auto Zone or Advanced Auto Parts stores) and see if that helps at all, but completely flushing your trans. is a bad idea.

http://www.gimmelucas.com/osc/eshop/...products_id/13

Considering that those particles would be filtered out by the filter, that isn't true. ATF has chemical friction modifiers, like in diff fluid, as well as many cleaner agents and other additives (many old guys use ATF in engine assembly for the cleaning additives). This is also why depending on the brand, synthetic ATF may be bad because the synthetic base makes things too slick (especially for manuals that use ATF since the synchros can't grip as well).

From what I was told, the new fluid has alot of detergents and your old tranny has alot of sludge laying around inside, so when you change the fluid it stirs all that up. But like anything else, nobody thinks of changing it till somethings wrong and then wonder why it didnt fix it. If you're really worried about it, get it flushed.

If I'm not mistaken the V6's still had a 4R70W so you do the J-mod while you're at it.