What should i need to know about changing the trans fluid on my06? It has 16k and i have towed a lot with it and am wanting to be safe and change the fluid. I know the dealer will charge alot to do this and I dont know anything about adjusting the bands or if they even need adjusting.any advice would help. Thanks

 

Same as any other auto.Wouldn't mess with bans for many miles.Most dealers for a standard service charge less then a $100 unless you get a flush(fliud exchage) done.(which is what I'd do) and I'd leave the filter alone for many miles.16k isn't much unless worked REAL hard.

 

I'd just drop the pan and change the filter, add back 6-7 quarts and call it good.

 

Bet that filter will look like new.Then adding new fliud into old is not my thing.Just my thoughts I'd leave it alone at 16k rather then waste my time and money on a filter and a few qts of new fliud at 16k. I'd hook to a fliud exchage,change the fliud andf call it dne quicker then I'd pull the pan on a 16k vehicle this day and age.Times change,manufacturing is better,fluid is better.The drop the pan and add fliud is old school.Just my thoughts.That filter is good for 60k or longer these days.I changed the one in our 2000 Mercury Gran Marquis at 90k for the first time and if dried could have put it into the box the new one came in and returned for new.

 

owners manual says filter & fluid @ 15k miles than bands,filter & fluid at 30k..

 

Owners manual been saying that for 20 years or more.

 

thats fine, you do what the owners manual says and have the proof to back it up than you should not have any warranty issues if something comes up down the road.....

 

The 06 manual schedule B says 30k on transmission fluid change/band adjustment.

I agree with Hounddog. Too many people change tranny and other fluids well before the MINIMUM interval for "insurance" - Oil changes at 3k, tranny service at 15k, diffs at 10k, fuel filters at every oil change. The intervals for all vehicles are conservative and based on worst case scenario of vehicle use.

However, with that in mind, to each his own. That doesn't necessarily apply to those of you that drive less than 10k a year, but for those of us that drive 50k+ a year, shortening the intervals gets expensive.

 

Trans fliud is the life blood of a automatic.If you really want it to last swap all the fliud out,not just some.I've seen the proof of how how well doing this affected fleets.Company owners saw a huge differance in their repair bills.Fliud exchage machines best thing to happen to a automatic trans(and owners) since its invention.Most shops have them and use the heck out of them.Also stopped the comebacks on leaking pans after having them on and off.If you worked in a shop a while and saw what was in the pans and filters you would see.

 

Do the dealers do the flush or a trans shop

 

The dealers I've been in (not me working in just browsing the shop if dropping some one off etc.)all had exchange machines,Jiffy lube types and the equiped independents.The three tech dealer near me has one.They have been in use a decade or longer.Old fliud comes out and new fliud goes in.Kinda like a blood transfusion.Had two of them at the D.C. dealer I worked at.Used them enough to wear the fittings out on them yearly if not sooner.Only time I've had customers comment about the quality of shifts were like new again and torque convertor shudder was gone.Never heard that on a add a few new qts of fliud to old fliud that had worn or sheared down.

 

Really, you and I must be reading different posts.

I have read of guys having tranmission problems after having a transmission flush. Then I've read posts about guys never servicing their transmissions for 200,000 miles without problems.

To each there own i guess.

 

I have never seen issue after a FLIUD EXCHAGE on a unit that was sound to start with.In fact some with moring sickness(bad internal seals)it actually cured for a while and bought the owners some time before a overhaul. I handled hundereds if not thousands of fliud exchages in 4 years or so in a busy shop with 35 techs and two machines. My wife works at a Caddy dealer thats been doing them daily forever.Actually I've NEVER read a post about a issue with a FLIUD EXCHAGE here or on TDR.If you know of them then a link to them please.

 

this is a fine thing to do if you keep it up every 15000 miles if you let it go more than that you risk knocking loose varnish that has built up and trashing the valve body or govenor!! basically if you have let your truck get over 30000 miles and then decide to get the flush you could run this risk!!! our first gen has 378000 miles on it and the 727 has the pan dropped every 15000 filter changed and then topped off!! as for the leaky pans... rtv sealant and no gasket!

 

I just had mine in the dealer for a trans flush and filter at 33,000 miles. 20,000 of that is towing a 11,000 lb fifth wheel. The tech noted that the fluid was very dark coming out to the flush machine and he told me he expected to find clutch material in the pan. The pan and filter were, however, free of clutch material. We had come back from an 11,000 trip aound the US and that included a lot of mountains and several long 10% grades. The transmission shifts better and the fluid was all changed. Not cheap at $327 but a new trans is expensive and I like my 7/70 warranty. I vote for full flush.