Risks of changing the transmission fluid

A mechanic told me that I should change the transmission fluid, it smell a little burnt. I have read that this can cause problems due to the change in viscosity when you exchange it for new one. What is your recommedation?

Thank you so much in advance you would be right ...if its smells burnt and it shifts fine a drives fine .....leave it alone ........... I would go ahead and change it. Just drop the pan, check it for debris, clean it real good, change the filter and refill. You might find something in the pan which will tell you if anything serious is going on inside there. If the fluid is really contaminated, you could go as far as a flush BUT ONLY AFTER DROPPING THE PAN and CHANGING THE FILTER. Also DO NOT take it to one of those fast Lube places for the service. Go to either a dealer or transmission shop.

What kind of car are we talking about? Year, make, model, and engine size.


Transman. if its smells burnt a little thats a sing that the cltuches are worn ......agine u mite get lucky a chang it a nothing happens down the road .....then agine u mite not and it could start leaking from any seal or could give ya troble with a shifting problme ......as a good rule ifs its never been chang ....i wouldn`t chang it or even flush it .....unlast u are haveing troble with it and if so that mite not even make a diffent chang tranny fluid should be changed regularly just like any other fluid. If your engine oil is dirty would you leave it?If you check the owners manual there will be a schedule for changing it and what fluid and amount you will need.But first I would get a second opinion from a qualified mech. If the car is old with alot of miles and the oil and filter haven't been changed yes you could have problems if you change it now but eventually if you don't change it you are going to have problems too.Tranny oil gets dirty and breaks down like any oil. whats the year make and modle .......and did u owen this brand new ? and what doses it have for miles on it I would definately get a second opinion from a trans shop. Shops, mostly those fast lube places just love to sell those flushes. The problem is that they rarely service the transmission PROPERLY. Such as, dropping the pan and changing the filter BEFORE flushing it. If anyone tells you that they will flush the transmission without changing the filter then dont even set foot in their shop. If the fluid is indeed burned or even slightly burned, I would go ahead and get a flush done. If the fluid looks ok then go ahead and have them service the trans by dropping the pan and changing the filter then refilling. Do this service every 25k and your trans should be happy.

Believe it or not, about 80% of the transmissions that cross my bench on a daily basis are there because of improper servicing or lack of servicing. The other 20% are usually part failures or age.



transman

GM MASTER TECHNICIAN
SR. TRANSMISSION BUILDER I agree with transman 100% do not change fluid if it is not safe to do so .The only place that will tell you is a TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST cottman , AAMCO or one of the other NATIONAL chains or if you have a good local transmission shop Quote:The only place that will tell you is a TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST cottman , AAMCO or one of the other NATIONAL chains



DEFINATELY DO NOT go to one of those places. Find a small, friendly mom and pop type transmission shop to get your second opinion from.


transman why not a national chain they are better regulated with a corporate office to register a complaint cheese wrote:why not a national chain they are better regulated with a corporate office to register a complaint


Those stores are independantly owned and are well known for pushing rebuilds when they are not needed.


Transman I have to agree with transman on this also. Unless you are personally involved with national chains, they are only there to replace with a remanufactured unit. If you know the personally, you can get more out of them. I used to use a chain store on our transmissions and got good service. But, I know somewhat how a trans works, and refused to pay for unneeded repairs. By the way, I manage a fleet of over 1200 vehicles and they wanted my business also. Now I have a tech that does nothing but transmissions and save a lot of money. Take transman's advice on this. BUY THERE IN LIES THE RUB ONE MAN CAN LOOK AT THE SYMPTOMS OF A FAILING COMPONENT AND CALL FOR ITS REPLACEMENT WHERE ANOTHER MIGHT CALL FOR A MINOR REPAIR THAT GETS ANOTHER MONTH OR WEEK OR YEAR OUT OF THE VEHICLE SO THE QUESTION IS ....... DO YOU SPEND A SMALL AMOUNT TO GAMBLE ON YOUR CAR OR DO IT RIGHT THE 1ST TIME WITH WORRY FREE DRIVING ???????????????????. iN MY EXPERIENCE THE DEALER WANTS YOU TO TRADE YOURS IN FOR A NEW ONE , SOME NOT ALL OF THE MOM AMD POP STORES WILL TRY TO PATCH SOMETHING FOR A COUPLE OF HUNDRED DOLLARS KNOWING THAT WHEN IT FAILS THEY CAN REPLACE IT FOR RETAIL PLUS THE MONEY THEY MADE ON THE MINOR REPAIR. THE CHAINS WHO HAVE FRANCHISE AGREEMENT TRY TO DO IT RIGHT THE 1ST TIME EVEN IF IT MEANS AN EXPENSIVE REPAIR. (NOW ARE THERE CHAIN STORES THAT ABUSE THIS ??? ABSOLUTLY!!!!!!!! . HENCE THE DISCAIMER "CAVEAT EMPTOR"

BUT TO LABEL ALL CHAIN STORES AS BAD IS TO ALSO SAY ALL DEALERS ARE BAD OR ALL MOM AND POPS ARE GOOD WHICH IS UNFAIR TO ALL. MY ADVICE GET TO KNOW YOUR CHAIN STORE MANAGER YOUR LOCAL MOM AND POP SHOP AND YOUR DEALER SERVICE WRITER.
IF i WAS HAVING HEART SURGERY YO BET I M GETTING A SECOND OPINION BUT TO LABEL ALL CHAIN STORES AS BAD IS TO ALSO SAY ALL DEALERS ARE BAD OR ALL MOM AND POPS ARE GOOD WHICH IS UNFAIR TO ALL. MY ADVICE GET TO KNOW YOUR CHAIN STORE MANAGER YOUR LOCAL MOM AND POP SHOP AND YOUR DEALER SERVICE WRITER.
IF i WAS HAVING HEART SURGERY YO BET I M GETTING A SECOND OPINION

This is about what I stated. I agree with lumping all in one group. SOme are good, some are bad. But a transmission that has a bad shift solenoid that is replaced by dropping a pan for 350$ versus 1800 to 2500$ is a lot to a lot of owners. Most people want a quick, cheap repair. Ideally the shop will explain exery option the owner has so than they can make a decision that will benefit both parties.Car Repair Talk's forum.