Changing Tranny Fluid

[Eric H]

My car really needs the tranny fluid changed. I don't know if the fluid has ever been changed. The car has almost 90k miles on it, and the fluid practically looks like oil.

I'm planning on just doing a flush by disconnecting the line to the radiator on the passenger side of the vehicle and pouring new fluid in. Does anyone know which direction the fluid flows there? In or out of the radiator?

Also, do you think it'd be worth it to drop the pan and change the filter? I'm shying away from this procedure since I can't do it in my garage without making a giant mess.

What type of fluid do y'all recommend? Is there a good high-temp kind for when I'm beating the crap out of the tranny? ;)

-Eric H

[BillyCobin]

With 90k miles I would definatly suggest changing that filter. It's not hard to do while keeping your garage clean.

Get an oil drain pan, about a 4 gallon or so (they usually have a large enough circumfrance to catch the spills). Run the car up onto ramps, or lift it and put it on jack stands. Crawl way under there and place the drain pan under the transmition. Loosen the farthest back bolts of the transmition oil pan first. Then slowly loosen the bolts on the sides and front. Because the car is up at an angle, and the rear bolts will be looser than the front ones, the oil will flow right out the back of the oil pan, into your drain pan.

It also helps to keep a few rags under there with you. If you do spill a bit, spray a little brake or carb cleaner on the oil spot while it is still wet, then wipe it up with a rag.

As far as ATF goes, I use Valvoline Durablend ATF.
It is a synthetic blend, seems not to burn as fast as the regular stuff. If you really beat on the poor thing, and have the extra money, something like the Mobile 1 full synthetic ATF might suite you better.