Jstas....and others..

Serendipity

MikeC78 wrote: »

Pan drop... as in just doing a pan drop of the transmission to drain the fluid. I would personally just keep doing the pan drops between 20-30k miles, also changing the filter. As long as you keep up with the basic pan drop on a tranny/filter, I believe there is no need for a complete flush.

I am doing this myself tomorrow.

Any precautions/warnings before I tackle this? I did notice that some of the bolts on the transmission pan are somewhat rusted, so would that be a problem? I don't want to be loosening bolts and find that I can't get them all off...

Also looking to do the coolant change (manual states every 30,000 miles). Any suggestions besides adding Water Wetter? I already understand that I need to bleed the coolant for air.

Thanks!!

Jstas

appadv wrote: »

I am doing this myself tomorrow.

Any precautions/warnings before I tackle this? I did notice that some of the bolts on the transmission pan are somewhat rusted, so would that be a problem? I don't want to be loosening bolts and find that I can't get them all off...

Also looking to do the coolant change (manual states every 30,000 miles). Any suggestions besides adding Water Wetter? I already understand that I need to bleed the coolant for air.

Thanks!!

If the bolts are rusted, get yourself a can of penetrating oil. WD-40 works ok but stuff like PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench are made specifically for the purposed and work better IMO. Saturate the rusted bolts with the stuff and let it sit for a while. If I have something I am fearful of breaking, I soak it, let it sit for 15 minutes then soak it again and let it sit for another 15 minutes and just before I am ready to go I soak it again. The penetrating oil is essentially a light machine oil with some solvents mixed in. It gets down in to place between threads and rust and lubricates the movement so you don't overstress the bolt head and break it off at the shoulder.

If you get the filter, it should have a gasket in it. Some foreign cars don't have gaskets but you also don't have to drop the pan on some of them either. The neck will likely have an O ring on it. If one doesn't come off, it's stuck in there. You can dig it out gently with a screw driver. If you don't get the old O ring and all of the old gasket off, it will leak.

Go to a Pep Boys or something and grab yourself a gasket scraper from Lisle. It's my favorite one. Uses straight edge razor blades and I haven't had it fail me yet. Best part is, if you break the blade, get a new one. Check both the pan lip and the transmission housing. If you are having a tough time getting some off the gasket material off (rubberized paper or felt can be a ****), soak it with the penetrating oil. I can't stress enough that you need to get all the gasket off otherwise the new one will not seal correctly and it will leak. Transmissions use very high pressures and the fluid is not only a lubricant but a friction modifier and a coolant for the transmission. A leaky trans over-heats quickly even if it doesn't seem so and it shortens life drastically.

As far as the coolant goes, Water Wetter is not really necessary but it can be beneficial. If you are going to flush, follow the directions. You are going to need to let the car warm up and open the thermostat before you can burp it and get the air out. But other than that, it's pretty straight forward and it does make a mess so get yourself a very big drain pan. The best way to drain the whole system is to pull the lower radiator hose. That's usually the lowest spot in the system and it will drain all the coolant from everywhere except maybe the heater core. But a coolant drain, unless it is REALLY funky, isn't always that necessary.

Serendipity

Okay, thanks. I am going to get the parts now.

What I have planned to do so far:
1. Transmission fluid change (just a pan drop)
2. Drain/fill coolant
3. Oil change and oil filter
4. Clean K&N Air Filter
5. Check Battery fluid levels
6. Check brake fluid / power steering fluid
7. Check CV joints

I will try to get this all done in a day... the weather is nice and I don't mind spending a few hours doing this.

Serendipity

So - I tried to do most of the tuneup today but it got dark so I'll finish it up tomorrow.

What I've done so far:
1. Changed oil and oil filter
2. Cleaned K&N Air Filter
3. Top off brake fluid (just needed a little)
4. Added power steering fluid (again, just needed a little)
5. In-Cabin Microfilter
6. Check battery fluid (needed a little)
7. Check CV joints
8. Added Coolant

The next thing I have to do is the transmission fluid change. However, as I suspected, the bolts were rusted quite badly and I didn't want to mess up anything. So would it be easier to just use the drain plug/bolt? I believe there is one but I don't have the tool to loosen it.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

only126db

Vr3MxStyler2k3 wrote: »

Just wanted to report back --

I took it to the dealer

Out of my list --

) Cabin air filter - Truck dosnt have it
2) Transfer case fluid - Replaced
3) Brake fluid replaced - Inspected
4) Power steering fluid replaced - Replaced
5) Front and rear differential fluid replaced - Replaced
6) Spark plugs and wires - SP were replaced, wires are not replaced on my truck because it uses coil packs
7) Transmission fluid changed - Pan drop
8) Radiator/coolant system drained - Replaced
9) Fuel filter - Replaced
10) Timing belt changed/inspected - Truck uses a timing chain, no need
11) Brakes inspected - Inspected
12) PCV Valve - replaced
13) Cooling and Vaccume Hoses - Inspected
14) Inspect CV Joints - Inspected

For all of that, and prompt service, and what looks to be a solid job -- 880 bucks. I am happy.

Wow, there is no way in my life I would ever pay that much for that amount of service.

I'm betting they didnt replace your trans filter either.

If you would have done it yourself you would have saved about $500.

Serendipity

only126db wrote: »

Wow, there is no way in my life I would ever pay that much for that amount of service.

I'm betting they didnt replace your trans filter either.

If you would have done it yourself you would have saved about $500.

I did it myself and figured that I saved a few hundred dollars.

The transmission fluid change made a HUGE difference - the old fluid was dark red vs. the new which was light pink. Most importantly, the shifts are smoother and you don't feel anything (literally) going from R -> D or vice versa. There is still a slight "click" shifting into/out of Park, I think that is normal though...

only126db

appadv wrote: »

I did it myself and figured that I saved a few hundred dollars.

The transmission fluid change made a HUGE difference - the old fluid was dark red vs. the new which was light pink. Most importantly, the shifts are smoother and you don't feel anything (literally) going from R -> D or vice versa. There is still a slight "click" shifting into/out of Park, I think that is normal though...

Did you replace the filter?

Whenever I do a trans fluid change I change the filter, or clean it depending on the vehicle, also it never hurts to have a small quarter size magnet stuck to your pan to collect shavings that pass the filter.

Serendipity

only126db wrote: »

Did you replace the filter?

Whenever I do a trans fluid change I change the filter, or clean it depending on the vehicle, also it never hurts to have a small quarter size magnet stuck to your pan to collect shavings that pass the filter.

Nope, just cleaned the filter. It wasn't that dirty, since it was done by the dealer approximately 30,000 miles ago and again by a local mechanic 15,000 miles ago.

I think I will stick with the fluid changes every 15k since it seems to have improved the shift quality. There's no more "bump" when shifting gears - you can't really tell it's in reverse or w/e.

only126db

appadv wrote: »

Nope, just cleaned the filter. It wasn't that dirty, since it was done by the dealer approximately 30,000 miles ago and again by a local mechanic 15,000 miles ago.

I think I will stick with the fluid changes every 15k since it seems to have improved the shift quality. There's no more "bump" when shifting gears - you can't really tell it's in reverse or w/e.

Thats always a good thing(trans working right)

Serendipity

only126db wrote: »

Thats always a good thing(trans working right)

Yup, it's much smoother and a better ride. In hilly areas, the trans going in/out of overdrive used to have annoying, pronounced shifts. Now, to a large extent, you don't even feel it!