ATF Quanity

[DAEDALUS]

I am now terrorizing the highway in my 5.2 L V8 Dodge Dakota.

Hey, that makes 2 of us! Don't you love how you have to back up just to pull a u-turn on a 4-lane road? The steering wheel was an afterthought.

If you by any chance have a vacuum source you can minimize mess by drawing most of the fluid out of the pan before dropping it. It'll be messy regardless, but not having fluid in the pan sloshing around sure helps. I have a couple of those 2'x3' baking pans that Pep Boys sells that is perfect for catching drips. About $10 I think, and well worth it.

[Aussie Q45a]

The fluid is pushed, not pulled thru... All youd do is empty the fluid and starve the planetaries.....

Hey Wes So does the transmission pump only pumps one way? The reason I ask is that I'm thinking of putting the return from the cooler into a 10>12 L supply of new ATF and pumping it through. I believe you wrote somewhere that the mechanical flush used the pump in the transmission anyway.

[DrewQ45]

Daed,

Your suggestion was perfect. I ran into the kitchen and found a large aluminum-foil baking pan... the kind you cook big bird in.

I loosened one end of the drain pan screw by screw until dripping commenced... I then stuck a screwdriver at the corner of the pan to hasten the flow making sure it wouldnt damage the old gasket. Once I got the fluid down to pan level, I kept loosening in sequence causing the pan to tilt towards the rear...no muss no fuss. It's fully drained now. I plan to do this a few times with the old gasket in place using cheap Advance Auto Dextron III ATF (I already bought two gallons of the stuff already)

The oil pan is now completely off and I'm going to let the transmission drip-drain till I get home from work tomorrow. I've got a few nice pics of what the pan magnet looks like before and after cleaning. It looked somewhat like a little starfish sitting there until it was cleaned. So far the visible part of the transmission interior looks good... even the old filter looks clean but I suspect i'm looking at the exit side of the mesh.

I fear this will be a mechanical issue....Will post pics when I get a chance.

PS: Your Dakota has reverse? How much did you pay for that option? ...Drew....
Modified by DrewQ45 at 12:52 AM 7/29/2005

[maxnix]

I believe you wrote somewhere that the mechanical flush used the pump in the transmission anyway.

BG machine does, Sun and Wynn's have their own pump.

The reason tehse $5K machines exist is so no part of your transmission is ever starved. Even at $100 for the service, it is money well spent.

Unless you're feeling lucky.

[DrewQ45]

I drained exactly 1.25 gallons of ATF (5 qts) by doing the pan drop. That's rougnly half the fluid capacity of the transmission. Suprisingly, the inndards looked squeaky clean. No sign of sludge buildup anywhere at all. I looked straight up the shaft after removing the screen filter and it was shiny like-new aluminum.

For those doing this, I really don't think purchase of a brand new screen filter is necessary... It seems that one can just clean the old one by spraying some type of cleaner in it I could barely tell if there was anything on the filter at all. I even tried breathing through one end of it and the air flow was as unimpeded as with the new filter.

I'm about to put it all back together but I'm puzzled by one part Joe sent. It's part # 11810-60u00 and is labelled "Valve Control". It's a one-way valve, roughly 1.25 inches tall with one end threaded and the other end seems to connect to a hose judging by the expanded lip. Not sure where this thing goes.

[elwesso]

Hey Wes So does the transmission pump only pumps one way? The reason I ask is that I'm thinking of putting the return from the cooler into a 10>12 L supply of new ATF and pumping it through. I believe you wrote somewhere that the mechanical flush used the pump in the transmission anyway.

What im saying is... the car is at idle and it pushed the old fluid out, while simultaneously replacing the new fluid with the exact amount the transmission pushed out...

[DrewQ45]

Aussie,

I apologize for hi-jacking your thread as I had no idea I'd be posting this much... It was also late and I wasn't thinking too straight...

Wess, if you want to move my posts out as a new thread I'd have no complaints. Aussie, if they can stay here that's fine with me too.

Drew

[elwesso]

Its all good information drew!!!

[RobertsnewQ]

The fluid is pushed, not pulled thru... All youd do is empty the fluid and starve the planetaries.....

Wes - I meant FLUSH it through the cooler lines, not drain it. I'm talking drain the pan first, then flush with a bucket of fluid (yes, I understand what you mean, that's why it would have to be up high to get a head on it...)

That's essentially the way the shop flush machines do it, but with a pump (some of them anyway). I've heard of and seen this done with other cars, it's an old "trick".

AusQ - You and I are thinking along the same lines. As long as it doesn't starve for oil it should be good to go.

[maxnix]

They can't have a system that replaces the exact same amount on every car. I would think the wording is probably along the lines of "up to 95%". If it says "95% minimum" that would be darn impressive.

Read the Wynn's brochure again..."...replaces greater than 95% of the contaminated fluid." Seems like a per centage repalcement amount across different units is reasonable. Think I will ask BG next.

By the way, all you DIY be sure to read the Q45tech post where he warns against starving the planetaries. Risking a $3000 dollar transmission to save a $100 is a not very wise gamble, in my estimation.

[Q45denver]

The service manager at the local Infiniti dealership said the way they do it is to drain the pan and the torque converter and that got most of it out. I couldn't find the drain plug on the converter so I blew out the fluid with compressed air before refilling. It also got out the stuff that was in the transmission cooler. Do you think I did any damage?

[maxnix]

Probably didn't do any damage, but the dealer was misrepresenting big time.

That is precisely why one uses a ATF exchange machine.

[Jesda]

I am now terrorizing the highway in my 5.2 L V8 Dodge Dakota.

Slight hijack, but watch out for oil sludge issues on that engine.

[Aussie Q45a]

DrewNo need to apologise. I'm stoked that I raised a topic that has created so much interrest. I feel sure the Admin guys will handle it in the best interrest of the NICO forum.

Maxnix, I for one will be doing what Q45tech recommends, i.e. get the machine flush from a dealer. At this stage, with so many diffrent opinions, you are right, it's not worth risking the transmission for a few hundred $$$, but I believe the discussion has opened up some interresting possible options.Aussie

[DrewQ45]

Thanks Jesda,

When things slow down on Nico I spend a little time edumacating myself here....

http://www.dodgedakotas.com/

Shhh...don't tell anyone I cheat on Nico.

[DrewQ45]

Ah well,

Performing a pan drop and changing the screen filter did not help. I even changed switched back to the 90' TCU just to see if the 93 might be a culprit... still no luck. At 192K, it's time for a new transmission.

Anyone know of a good source for Japanese take-outs? I can't bring myself to purchase an old high-mileage transmission even if the owner took good care of it so I'm going to take my time and find something worthwhile.

....Drew...

[maxnix]

Look no further than http://www.everythinginfiniti.com for a factory rebuilt one.

Cheaper than my four speed automatic on my Acura!

One cannot go wrong with a shifting as new transmission for Joe's price. With takeouts, you are just buying someone else's problems, and doubling your labor sooner than you expected.

Get the rear engine (transmission) mount, exhaust hangers, and rear engine seals. If you haven't done your motor mounts in last 70K miiles or so, no better time than when the transmission is dropped.

[DrewQ45]

Maxnix,

There's nothing I'd love more than a dealer unit but Joe's price, while considerably lower than other dealers, is more than I wish to spend at this point. I'm going to leave it as a last option. Right now I'm really interested in finding a Japanese take out unit.

...Drew...

[maxnix]

...but Joe's price, while considerably lower than other dealers, is more than I wish to spend at this point.

Good luck! You pays your money now or you pays more of your money later. Your choice.

Might consider waiting and saving?

[3Q Jay]

I'm about to put it all back together but I'm puzzled by one part Joe sent. It's part # 11810-60u00 and is labelled "Valve Control". It's a one-way valve, roughly 1.25 inches tall with one end threaded and the other end seems to connect to a hose judging by the expanded lip. Not sure where this thing goes.

uhhh, Drew? that my friend would be the PCV valve. It was in your transmission pan???!!!??

about takeouts.... i've said before that's good for a core to rebuild. if you *must* go that route, at least smell the beastie before you buy it.also, an alternative used path is to buy from one of our members parting out, provided they can give you a documented history of what you are buying.

good luck.oh, and don't forget the case markings.. you prolly want the 51x65 to keep the ultra-wide 1st and 2nd.

[DrewQ45]

"uhhh, Drew? that my friend would be the PCV valve. It was in your transmission pan???!!!??"

GQ, Indeed, it was the PCV valve which I had forgotten that I had ordered along with the transmission parts. Having not changed one before, I didn't know what it looked like and was thinking only about the transmission at the time.

...Drew....

[maxnix]

Spoke to the Regional BG Products Distributor (to which BG Products refer all technical questions) and he said the BG machine replaces 95% - 98% or the fluid.

He also stressed the importance of the chemical flush element to dislodge the deposits of clutch material that cling as a film to the internal components.

[Q45denver]

Spoke to the Regional BG Products Distributor (to which BG Products refer all technical questions) and he said the BG machine replaces 95% - 98% or the fluid.

He also stressed the importance of the chemical flush element to dislodge the deposits of clutch material that cling as a film to the internal components.

Does the flush do any damage if some of it is left in?

[maxnix]

Yes, it is a solvent meant to immediately require an ATF flush to clear it.

He mentioned that now they are flushing some transmissions with 4 gal of ATF, and they have also introduced a machine wiht a pump built in for transmissions with weak pumps such as the Fraud Exploder.