just bought a used 2008 2500 with 66Kmiles. the transmission seems to shift okay but thought I would have the transmission filter changed since I'm unsure who and what they used the truck for before. When I called the dealer they asked if I wanted it flushed which takes a special machines. I'm having second thoughts because all I thought they did was drain the oil, drop the pan and change the filter. For some reason i envision all the dirt in the pan being "flushed" up into the transmission. Am I worrying for nothing and is there a difference from changing the oil and filter from flushing the system? If it is doing okay should I just keep going until 100K?

appreciate the feedback.

 

Nope, don't get the flush. Your envisions are right, all the gunk that might be in the pan or what not will be forced up and through the transmission...not a good thing. I would suggest dropping the pan, changing the filter, and then replacing the amount of fluid that was drained out of the pan with new fluid. I would expect it's just as easy to do on the 68rfe as it is on the 48re. Plus if you do it yourself than you'll get to know the truck.

 

I agree with not getting the flush. I have read on this or someother forums that some long haul user have stated that if a transmission has been flush, they will guarantee that the trans will fail between 3,000 to 5,000 miles after the flush.
With that being said, I would do the transmission oil change myself and change out the stock oil pan to a deep pan such as a Mag-Hytec. This will help with additional cooling and have additional oil for the trans.
The cost of the dealer flushing and changing the oil at the dealership will pay for the cost of the pan.
You will need the following items to do this. 9.5 quarts of ATF+4 trans oil,
two filters (on the 68RFE there is an internal spin on filter) and the Mag-Hytec pan. My total cost for this was $380.
Good luck
Jim

 

check 03 to o7 about traney flushing botom of page to flush or not

 

There is a difference between a flush and an exchange. Do an exchange, it just replaces most of the fluid vs dropping the pan which is a fraction of the fluid. Ask for clarification because a bunch of people call an exchange a flush.

 

There was an article I read (TDR) on changing the fluid in the 68RFE transmission and if you don't like taking the shower that comes with the pan drop method you can get a total drain of the tranny by removing the return line at the transmission that comes from the cooler. Its the bottom fitting on the side. Attach a heavy heater hose to it to a 5 gallon pail and fire up the rig until the fluid just stops flowing. You should collect around 10 or 11 litres of fluid. Just dropping the pan collects about 6-7 litres of fluid.

So if you want to totally exchange the fluid, drop that fitting and pump it out. I have also got a MagHytec pan for a quick drain without the mess next time.

 

pumping trans fluid till it quits is not a good idear.asking for truble.do reserch

 

I'll have to dig out the article for us. I can't get it to be accessible to non members.

 

I agree, flushing is not the way to go, at least not with a pressurized machine. It is redundant to flush because you can't change the filters unless you drop the pan. If flushing is necessary it should be done by disconnecting the cooler return line and allowing the transmission to pull the fluid from a pail. This creates a natural flow for the transmission pump and passages. The down fall is you still have to drop the pan and change the filters. The secret is not to let the fluid get that dirty! I change my fluid and filters every 60,000 KMs.

 

Luckily I was able to call the dealership after I read the first reply and was able to stop the flush!! All your advice was great. I plan to get a new pan and filter and change it myself.

 

Something to bear in mind when contemplating a fluid flush or exchange is the service history of the unit. ATF, whether its Dex II, DEX III, ATF+4, Mobil 1, Royal Purple, etc., is highly detergent. IOW, the new ATF will scrub the insides of the case, the pan, the clutch packs, bands, etc., clean as a whistle and all of that material goes into suspension. The "new" ATF whips all that stuff into the valve body and plugs the filter. Changing the filter only delays the inevitable! So, unless you know the service interval, and amounts of ATF per service, you are rolling the dice. The safest decision is the just drop the pan, change the filter and gaskets and top it off with ATF+4. It would be "GREAT" if the TC had a drain plug and you could get out almost all the fluid, but stock TCs don't so any tranny that has been dealer serviced (not flushed) has only had the filter changed and 2 liters of ATF+4(+/-) added. Bottom line: Unless you have the maintenance history of your tranny, don't rock the boat!

 

I agree.
Years ago, someone came up with a machine that used pressure to aggressively force all the gunk out of your transmission, and apparently they were capable of a lot of damage.
That machine has evolved into an exchange machine that intercepts the fluid as it flows through the cooler circuit, using the transmission's own pump as the engine idles, and replaces every quart of fluid it removes with a quart of new fluid.
It is not invasive and in no way damaging to the transmission, as it simply uses the transmission's natural flow path and pressure. It is a way to replace every bit of fluid hiding in the pan, cooler, and converter. Of course, the pan should still be removed and the filter replaced, but in conjunction with a fluid exchange you are changing all the fluid and not just a third of it.

I've done this with my own vehicles and many, many customer vehicles, and never a problem, and thought I should try to clear up some misconceptions from the past.

 

I agree I have been doing trans flushes for years and never had any trans problems. I flush mine and then do a service every 30k miles. No metal or clutch material on magnet and have over 100k miles. Trans shifts as good as the day I drove it off the lot can you say the same?