i just got off the phone with my local mechanic. i purchased a case of amsoil atf a few weeks ago, and have been planning on taking it in to get the tranny fluid changed.

when i told my mechanic that i was bringing in synthetic transmission fluid, he said that its a bad idea to change the fluid in the tranny with it - he said that when you do a tranny fluid change, you only change about 1/3 of the fluid, so i'd be mixing the amsoil atf with the regular fluid in there, which could cause problems.

is this true? is it also true that you only change 1/3 of the fluid when you do a change?

 

if you drop the pan you will only get a few quarts out

when i dropped the valve body i got a total of 8 and it holds 10.3

the conveter typically holds 2 quarts


the only way to get a 100% fliud change is to do a flush which runs around 125 commonly called a T-TECH when they do this they dont change the filter

 

They mix fine and you CURRENT fluid is a synthetic blend. There is NO problem mixing Amsoil with any ATF -- the only problem is that it's not as good as using Amsoil by itself.

Your mechanic is working what is now a myth but used to be a fact 30 years ago when synthetics were made from esters which didn't mix well with oil. Modern PAO based synthetics are TOTALLY compatible. Don't worry about it.

Some shops hate Amsoil because if they don't sell it, they don't make any money off it, lol.

 

dont mechanics have machines that flush almost 100% of the tranny fluid? is that what youre talking about?

its typically $125 including the tranny fluid, or in addition to the fluid?

 

Yep they are the best way to do it. they pull your tranny lines off the radiator and plug the lines into a machine and your car pumps all the fluid out while it pumps the new fluid in, like a blood transfusion! This doesn't get your filter though, and they will tell you that it doesn't need to be replaced, but I would pull it anyway and replce it. so essentially you end up doing a tranny flush and a tranny splash, but it is the only way to get it all out and get the filter changed. Man am I glad I have a stick!

~HJ

 

ok i called around, and a local shop does full atf flushes - they drop the pan, change the gasket and filter, and do a full flush. they said if i bring in my own atf (they need 20 quarts!!!) it will cost $130 for the service.

does that sound right? (the amount of atf they need, and the price)

 

sounds right for the amount they need if not alittle more

 

Yes, but DON'T use Amsoil for the entire flush. If they can do it, start the flush with about 8 quarts of CONVENTIONAL ATF, then the remaining as Amsoil. The conventional ATF will be used to flush dirt and contaminants, and a small amount of it will remain -- but it will be NEW fluid and the small amount won't diminish the Amsoils benefits.

I did my own flush using the instruction on Amsoils website and I used over 12 quarts doing it. Expensive, but my transmission shifts better than it did, even NEW, lol.

 

ok thanks for the tip john... that'll save me ~ $65 for an 8 quart amsoil order :o)

is conventional atf much cheaper per quart than amsoil?

 

mercon V will run about 4-5 bucks a quart

you could get away with reg mercon for 3 bucks a quart since its going to get flushed out anyway

 

If you don't have someplace locally to get your amsoil , I can help you out and most likley get you the best price.

 

Really cheap Mercon V "off brand" from AutoZone or someplace is even cheaper, I do believe. Can't remember what it was the last time I looked but I think it was cheaper than 4-5 bucks.

 

i couldnt find it any cheaper localy

 

what a tool. He is full of it, besides you should have the entire fluid replaced anyawy