Changing the ATF in an auto box.
Having just had my Mondeo II auto gearbox rebuilt/repaired I have taken a greater interest in having the ATF changed at an appropriate time in the future.
RTFM etc and it would appear that undoing the drain plug and replacing what flows only achieves changing half the ATF as the othe half stays in the clever bits.
Two option for changing all the ATF appear to be
1. Disconnect the correct pipe, run the engine while continuously topping up as the old ATF is pumped into a sump tray.
Looks simple on Youtube .... but not for me
2. Have it connect it up to a some sort of kit that collects the duff stuff and replaces it with good stuff. I have not explored this method but I do like HJs description into todays DT " a dialysis process"
Has anyone had experience of 2. and if so any observations?
Cost of this ? The ATF price alone for mine seems to be £50+
If the box is not "sealed for life" do dealers usually do a half change?
My manual says change every 30K.
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ive just changed the fluid on a k11 auto micra
thankfully theres a drain plug on it though
i trawled the internet and got very changeable advice as to whether normal atf fluid would do as nissan special stuff i was told cost upwards of €50 a galleon
turns out i got the special nissan cvt stuff for €30 delivered
happy at that
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I'm lucky - my W124 has a drain plug on the torque convertor, so, I can drain very nearly all the ATF.
However, if I didn't have this, I would consider instigating a rolling programme of chaning half the fluid every half of the interval, changing the filter every other half interval.
So for a 30k interval
15,000 - change half of the oil
30,000 - change half the oil and renew the filter
45,000 - change half the oil
60,000 - change half the oil, and renew the filter
etc, etc,
That you don't get ALL of the old oil out is at least partially balanced by having SOME new oil in there at half the interval.
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NC
I agree that your half change at half the period is this simplest precautionary approach.
The guy who did my box said that it is not always possible to get at the filter and that is with him partially dismantling my box.
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I wouldn't want anyone to act on what I am about to state, its just that footie is on, I listened to the 1st half on Radio 5 dead and our goalie has just gorn and put the kybosh on our chances, so I'm just here to pass the time ...
I've owned over 40 cars and about 35 have been automatics,
I've never changed or even considered changing the ATF,
I don't even check the fluid level all that often,
when I do check it, if I notice a change in its colour, I would then change the fluid, and out the car,
Come on England!
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My old MB E Class (2001) had no provision for ATF change.
My new(er) E Class (2008) recommends that the ATF is changed as part of routine servicing every 37,500? miles.
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>> My old MB E Class (2001) had no provision for ATF change.
>>
BMW went through a similar phase advocating sealed for life auto's, the short box life due to this soon had things back to normal.
Specialist indie's of both makes advised against this short sighted regime, ironically those that have main dealer history will have a timb bomb ticking away under their backsides, whilst indie maintained will likely have had the all important fluid changes.
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Returning to the subject. I am looking to give my X type the best treatment for long life.
I have looked into it again and have found a make of kit ( apparently imported from the USA ) that does this dialysis - Mega Flush.
A good video about it. No glossy PR speak but a hands on guy describing the process.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxFW0J4UsK4
This a company North of Cambridge specialising in Land Rover.
A company near me with the kit.
dartford-transmissions.co.uk/fluid-flushing.
Costs seem to be from £180 plus VAT. The ATF is not cheap:-(
The process is non invasive and from what I read the filter NOT being changed is no big concern as the flow of ATF is not reversed and in any case the filter is more like a strainer.
Has anyone tried this service or has any more info.
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A few years ago I went to King Automatics at Epsom the have the gearbox on my MB E class 320CDI overhauled.
I was pleased with the job. Whether it's the same people running it nowadays, I don't know. They recommended regular ATF changes.
Link to the dark side:-
tinyurl.com/afvj9sr
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>>A few years ago I went to King Automatics at Epsom
That was where my Mondeo box was sorted.
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My Saab has a similar problem, in that draining the ATF from the box only changes half the fluid. The recommended procedure for the Saab is as follows:
1. warm the box up with a 30 minute drive
2. drain the box and refill with the same quantity of new fluid. 50% of the ATF is new, as the other 50% is in the convertor
3. run the engine & drive the car a short distance
4. Repeat step 2. 75% of the ATF is now new.
5. Repeat step 3.
6. Repeat step 4. 87.5% of the fluid is now new.
You can do steps 3 and 4 any number of times. I stop after 6, 87.5% is good enough for me, the box is still good after 190,000 miles of 420Nm :-)
Last edited by: Mike H on Wed 30 Jan 13 at 20:47
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Auto box- ATF dialysis ? - Bellboy
