2003 protege 5 automatic transmission question

garcub77

Member
I need to do a slow fluid change on my 03 P5 automatic sport shift.....the previous owner apparently never changed it and at 185,XXX miles its very dark. Does anyone know how much just the pan holds? I want to do several pan changes over the next few weeks to slowly integrate the new fluid.
 
Well the fluid is almost black it's so dirty....I know better than putting it through a flush cause that will kill the tranny....I know the best way is to slowly change the fluid, and yeah a filter is a good idea....just wanted to know what the pan holds quantity wise.
 
To answer your original question..........pan holds about 2.5 - 3 qts. Whole thing holds 9 total. More like 10.5 if you have an aftermarket atf cooler. The "filter" is more like a strainer than a filter.
 
Thanks!! That is exactly what I needed to know. Yeah the filter is just a fine wire mesh but as black as the fluid is I have no doubt clutch pack particles are bound to be gumming it up
 
I run AMSOIL synthetic atf. Lowers temps, longer change intervals. Good stuff, worth the coin IMO.
 
Well the fluid is almost black it's so dirty....I know better than putting it through a flush cause that will kill the tranny....I know the best way is to slowly change the fluid, and yeah a filter is a good idea....just wanted to know what the pan holds quantity wise.

So by getting my transmission flushed a few months ago, I caused my transmission to now rev and not shift and just basically crap out? Why would my mechanic NOT let me know that was a possibility?
 
So by getting my transmission flushed a few months ago, I caused my transmission to now rev and not shift and just basically crap out? Why would my mechanic NOT let me know that was a possibility?

A few months is a large enough time period that the fluid change was not the cause of failure.

Not changing old fluid is an old wives tale anyway, which was brought to life by people that attempted to fix an already problematic transmission with a fluid change, and then blaming it when the trans fails entirely.
 
Not changing old fluid is an old wives tale anyway, which was brought to life by people that attempted to fix an already problematic transmission with a fluid change, and then blaming it when the trans fails entirely.

From what I remember reading on this forum, there were more than a few people who changed out their automatic transmission fluid (thinking it would be prudent to do so ) and it caused problems immediately...

Apparently the tranny and ECU "learn" to deal with old fluid and adjust accordingly...

You are even supposed to save your old atf and put it back in when doing major transmission work.

Apparently you're supposed to replace just a few liters at a time to give the car time to "relearn" how to deal with the new fluid...
 
I need to do a slow fluid change on my 03 P5 automatic sport shift.....the previous owner apparently never changed it and at 185,XXX miles its very dark. Does anyone know how much just the pan holds? I want to do several pan changes over the next few weeks to slowly integrate the new fluid.

This is just my personal experience on my own P5 and on another P5 that I gave the same advice to:

I bought my wagon with 144,XXX miles on it. Shortly after it started getting a flashing AT light when it was run after sitting for more than a few hours. I tried scanning for codes, and all sort of things and nothing would come up. I eventually tried straining the old liquid and putting it back in and still experience the same flashing AT (which would go off after about 1 mile, and run fine until left to sit cold for a while).

Eventually I saved up some for a new tranny and decided to bite the bullet and flush out the fluid and replace the filter. I didn't flush 100% out using the usual method people use because I was afraid of risking running dry. I added Dextron 3 (recommended) oil and swapped a new filter + gasket. The P5 has run into no more transmission issues. Within a year I changed it again to reach more like 80%-90% total change. She runs like a champ. The ECU doesn't "learn" to live with wasted fluids, nor will you automatically damage your transmission. Fluids lose their properties to control heat, viscosity and lubrication. Sometimes the ECU tends to detect something is out of order (like a dirty filter) which makes it think its low on fluid until it finally gets moving through all the solenoid sensors. In my opinion I would recommend changing transmission fluid just like any other fluid in your car (albeit not as frequently). Possibly add some transmission treatment to keep things from falling apart.

My wagon has 178,XXX miles and knock on wood everything has been working beautifully! (flash)
 

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