Transmission fluid change?

[shadetreemechanic]

You might drain the trans fluid in the above mentioned way until the fluid level in the trans is low if you want to get as much dirty fluid out as you can,but I wouldnt like to let it run until its completely empty, as its probably not good for the transmission to be ran dry of fluid...Its best to just drop the trans pan and drain the fluid.And if the auto fluid is fairly dirty,then change the filter and fluid again for a second time in a few weeks first up, then again once every couple of months until its clean.
I change my auto trans filter and fluid every 4th engine oil change or every 20,000 k's in my VSV6. I drive it fairly hard,I shift it like a manual a lot etc, so I like to keep it serviced regularly. Its done 180,000 km so far being driven like this, and it still runs and shifts etc as good as the day I got the car. A lot of people will bag these autos and say that they are rubbish etc etc, but so far Ive found that they arent too bad under fairly hard use, as long as they are serviced regularly, and as long as a good auxilliary transmission fluid cooler is used to keep temperature out of the trans fluid when its under hard use.
Another thing is how many people have no idea how to let an auto upshift under full power/full throttle without having it slipping unnecessarily on the upshifts, which just kills autos in no time when driven in this way. Its always best to let the transmission get the shift over and done with as quick as possible, even if that means backing off the power for a split second to help the auto complete the shift properly before the trans is put back under full load again in the next gear.If driven properly and looked after service wise,these can be a fairly reliable transmssion.
One last thing I will mention is making sure the auto transmission is fully up at operating temperature before running it under full power or high speed etc.This should go without saying anyway to most wise people on here,as most people who drive their car hard without first having the engine/trans up at operating temp, usually have no idea what they are doing or the engine/transmission wear etc they cause by doing this.Its best to idle the car along slowly and just cruise until its fully warmed up,then get into it if you want.Your cars engine and trans will usually last a lot longer if treated this way..

Wise words ^^^
One thing I'd add relating to letting the trans do an upshift when flogging...I've heard that backing off throttle during a shift isn't really a great idea due to the tranny computer getting confused about the throttle position. Imagine when you're pedal to the metal, the tranny knows it's being flogged so it tightens the shift and makes it both quicker and harder which is actually better in fact. Could be wrong but...?

 

[Vzniko]

I'm interested in doing a complete oil change as the car has now done over 150k with only the specified 105k service change and filter so far, so some of the oil is getting very old. Using this method, how much oil do you think you removed - almost the full 7.9 litres?

And how long did you leave the engine running once the oil started to splutter out the pipe? I'm concerned at the risk of transmission damage without any oil, even if it is in neutral.

I left the engine running for about 15sec max. I did it in 5sec increments. So start: 5sec: then stop x3. You do not need much more than that. IF you are worried about not leaving the transmission operating without any fluid, while you have it draining, you can put a funnel and keep topping it up from the top. That way fluid will always circulate and it will also give a more thorough flush (you can stop filling until you see the new fluid coming out of the cooling pipe). That way is better, (which I should have done btw) but you will need at least an extra 2-3L of fluid for the flushing.

Give or take I must have flushed out about 7L of transmission fluid. That is NOT including about ~0.5L in the oil pan and probably a bit more in the old filter (was pretty heavy compared to the new one). So yeah adding all that up I would say I was pretty close to the full 7.9L.
5L will not be enough for a full fill. Make sure you get 2 bottles just in case.

I bought the car on the 50,000K mark and it has done 150,000K so far and I have never changed trans oil. The difference is noticeable. Make sure you check the oil pan after a few days for any leaks etc...

 

[Vzniko]

I asked a Holden mechanic about this and they said if the seal is still in good nick just leave it in there.
If not, you can get it out by tapping a small flat blade screw driver with a hammer (gentle as you can) to get between the metal of the seal and the tranny (I repeat gentle because the tranny is soft aluminium) then pry the insert so it crushes inwards. Then just grab it with a set of plyers and pull it out gently.

You may need to tap in the new seal with a soft face hammer too.


Again, ONLY replace the little O-ring seal it if it needs it!

yeah after using any way known to man finger, knives, pliers, screwdrivers, hooks I then took a very very thin flat screwdriver and I gently tapped it with a hammer until it got lodged and bended the O ring. I then (as you describe above) pulled it out with pointy pliers.

The problem is the new O ring is also hard to put in! - What I did for that: I found a lock nut that was exactly the same diameter as the O ring, and I then put it up against the O ring and gently banged it into place. That ensures even load of force is distributed around the O ring. IF you start banging it from one side it will bend. The slightest bend and then you need a new one.

Just out of curiosity - IF you have asked your mechanic - what is the best way of inserting the new O ring?

 

[Calaber]

 

[Brett_jjj]

I probably should have also mentioned that when removing the old filter seal,I just (very carefully and very gently,) crush or collapse the metal part of the seal inwards with a long screwdriver, then grab it with pliers to remove it. It is usually jammed up in there fairly tight and can be pretty hard to remove.(You can use the new seal as a guide to see what part of the old seal you need to collapse in.)
I wouldnt recommend leaving the old seal in there and reusing it over and over too much, as the seal will eventually go hard and could start to leak air which would cause slipping etc.
To refit the new seal. I firstly soak the new seal fully in clean new auto trans fluid for a minute, then I fit the new seal onto the new filter, pushing it on fairly firmly by hand, then I push the new filter and the new seal both together up into the hole in the transmission, keeping the filter straight and square. You can feel the filter seal push home and seat fully into the transmission, it does take a fair bit of pressure to push it in though,which is why they are hard to remove again!.. I also give the filter a gentle tug to make sure its seated firmly and cant fall back out. It shouldnt move back out at all when tugged gently.

 

[madcapmagician]

Might be worth mentioning too that another way to get most of the oil out - in addition to the already posted instructions ie removing the hose, running the engine and letting the pump do the work until it spits, what we do at work after that is hook up an external hand pump to the filler tube and leaving the return line off, pump new fluid in until the fluid coming out the return line is clear and red, then let it drain a bit, seal it up, check the level, top it off etc etc as normal. On average we use about 9 litres with this method and I reckon we probably waste 1 maybe 2 litres but it is quite amazing how much extra gunge comes out by flushing it through.

 

[Brenah]

The 2 hoses that need to be detached from the left of the rad for the transmission. Are they the 2 hoses that have the white plastic clips on them???
Going to do a transmission fluid change this weekend.
I had a quick look under the car today and followed the transmission lines from the tranny to the rad and they seem to me to be the correct lines.

Cheers
Brendan

 

[Eastsyd]

Just a heads up! Take out the fans makes life a lot easier,
and when your undoing the tranny lines sometimes the coupler in the
radiator comes loose as well make sure you hold it/them with another spanner.
Enjoy!

 

[SuperXU6]

Hi all just a quick question I have a s/c 6 which has 2 oil coolers built into the rad does anyone know which is the return line to the trans? Left or right as far as I can tell the bottom entries are linked with a metal pipe from 1 side to the other so the supply and return come into the top entries is this correct I want to flush the coolers too.

 

[Geoffroze]

Hey guys, so much great info on here, makes a guy like me that knows bugger all about cars but has heaps of common sense feel comfortable about taking on jobs like this...I live in a town centred around mining and have zero faith in any of the local mechanics so doing things myself is the only way to know the job has been done thoroughly. Thanks heaps, quite happily going to change my fluid today and say seeya to my slipping gear changes...