P5 tranny flush at 95k?

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redcalimp5

Member
:
'03 P5
I recently went to the dealer to get some work done on my P5, and one of the things they recommended I get done was a transmission flush($180). I ended up not doing it then, because back when the car had 48k miles on it, I got the transmission rebuilt, which of course meant new fluid at the time they rebuilt it.

Should I consider a flush at 95k, after having the tranny rebuilt at 48k? The service guy said the fluid was pretty dark when he checked it.
 
since the trans was rebuilt and has only 40k or so on it i would flush it every 30k.Flushing higher milage trans is not a good idea.over time you get a build up on all the shafts and what not.Trand fluid has a high amount of detergents in it and flushing a high milage trans would mean cleaning it very well and removing the varnish off the parts causing some play.So since your trans has low milage i would do it and keep up with it.


-jake
 
I flushed and changed to AMSOIL atf at 35k. Am at 85k now and will not be flushing this time. I will drop pan, replace filter/strainer deal, seal pan back up with gray RTV, drain as much will come out, replace with new AMSOIL, run car and push out quart or 2, then replace with same amount & do this several times until the whole 2 1/2 gallons of the fresh AMSOIL atf is in the car.
 
Mazda recommends flushes every 30,000 miles. YOu can do-it-youself much cheaper than $180. You can buy some really good fluid and spend half that.
 
Less than half for sure. I spent less than $30 just for fluid for my other car(GSR). Bought the Trans Fluid at the dealer too. Did it myself and saved. And yes, even mine is recommended at 30K as well.
 
The reason I use AMSOIL syn atf is lower operating temps and double service life but I'm not leaving it in there for 60k. Got 50k on the first batch of it now and it looks brand new but I'm gonna change it again soon. Got the jug in the garage waitin on me. Bout 100 for the juice but worth it IMO. Adding a tranny cooler is too, got the Hayden transaver stacked plate one for 20,000 GVW. Fluid going back to tranny is never more than warm to the touch. You can hold the return line bare handed all day at full operating temp.
 
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is ur car auto? I once ignored dealer's tranny flush recommendation and my tranny end up being broken and I had to pay for rebuilt. very expensive

If you have money then do it and check tranny fluid color time to time.
 
Bijou-MP5 said:
is ur car auto? I once ignored dealer's tranny flush recommendation and my tranny end up being broken and I had to pay for rebuilt. very expensive

If you have money then do it and check tranny fluid color time to time.
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Was it under warranty? If so, you need to fight that. The owner's manual does not recommend changing the fluid, so they can't blame you for neglected maintenance.

To the OP, go ahead and "flush" it, but don't let them power-flush it with a machine - they usually do more harm than good. Whoever does the job, make sure that they at least drain the old fluid, drop the pan, replace the filter, and put new fluid in.

I'm all for transmission maintenance, but I would never let someone force fluid through the tranny with a machine.
 
slavrenz said:
Was it under warranty? If so, you need to fight that. The owner's manual does not recommend changing the fluid, so they can't blame you for neglected maintenance.

To the OP, go ahead and "flush" it, but don't let them power-flush it with a machine - they usually do more harm than good. Whoever does the job, make sure that they at least drain the old fluid, drop the pan, replace the filter, and put new fluid in.

I'm all for transmission maintenance, but I would never let someone force fluid through the tranny with a machine.
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At that time i was at close to 80K. Dealer even showed me color of fluid which was very dark, but at that time, I thought it was just dealer bs so I gnored and few days later, my tranny was not working properly. it won't shift to 4th and can't driver beyond 50mph.
 
Bijou-MP5 said:
At that time i was at close to 80K. Dealer even showed me color of fluid which was very dark, but at that time, I thought it was just dealer bs so I gnored and few days later, my tranny was not working properly. it won't shift to 4th and can't driver beyond 50mph.
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But you don't know if flushing would have prevented the failure.

Clifton
 
Bijou-MP5 said:
is ur car auto? I once ignored dealer's tranny flush recommendation and my tranny end up being broken and I had to pay for rebuilt. very expensive

If you have money then do it and check tranny fluid color time to time.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's the auto/tiptronic tranny. Sorry about yours pooping the bed, that sux. Hopefully they rebuilt it correctly for you.
 
redcalimp5 said:
Yeah, I figured. Is there a "need" for a flush, vs. just draining it and refilling it?
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There's a How-To posted somewhere on here. It's basically a drain and fill but then you disconnect the transmission cooler return line (from the cooler) and let the transmission pump some fluid out. This extra step helps to get the fluid stored in the torque converter and cooler out.

I've done it 2 times. It's easy.
 
Tom03es said:
There's a How-To posted somewhere on here. It's basically a drain and fill but then you disconnect the transmission cooler return line (from the cooler) and let the transmission pump some fluid out. This extra step helps to get the fluid stored in the torque converter and cooler out.

I've done it 2 times. It's easy.
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It's fine to flush it that way, but most garages will flush it by forcing fluid through at high pressure to save time. That's what can end up causing damage.
 
slavrenz said:
It's fine to flush it that way, but most garages will flush it by forcing fluid through at high pressure to save time. That's what can end up causing damage.
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the machine most garages use, uses the trans pump to do the pumping.it goes in between one of the trans lines.And as for doing a drain and fill, i feel its pretty much useless.Taking roughly 4 quarts of old oil out and putting 4 new quarts in with 12 quarts of ould fluid.Whats the point
 
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msp5 said:
the machine most garages use, uses the trans pump to do the pumping.it goes in between one of the trans lines.And as for doing a drain and fill, i feel its pretty much useless.Taking roughly 4 quarts of old oil out and putting 4 new quarts in with 12 quarts of ould fluid.Whats the point
Click to expand...

First of all, our transmissions hold 7.6 qts of fluid, not 12, so you're replacing about 53% in one go. Second - the machine method is fine if you've been doing it since your car was new. But there is a very real risk of varnish and old deposits clogging up your transmission if your fluid is bad.

If you don't want to just drain and fill, flush it yourself by removing the trans cooler line.
 
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