So I am looking to change my transmission fluid and fliter tomorrow afternoon after i get outta work, my question is, is it a really big task to do? Everything I have seen seems to make it fairly simple to do and not that big of a job. My dad is hesitant for us to do it ourselves and seems to want a shop to do it, but being me wanting to work on the car myself, and not wanting them to suck all the fluid out at a jiffy lube, I wanna try to do it. But anyways, is it that hard of a job? What transmission fluid would you suggest? Any special additives you would suggest? Also, my dad suggested I change it a couple of times, that way I get all of the old fluid out completely. Would this be a good idea? THank you guys so much for the help it is very appreciated especially for a car novice like myself.

 

Make sure to get the transmission nice and hot before you change it, then park it put it on jackstands and shift through all your gears while the car isn't on

Be super careful with the bolts around the bottom before you take the pan off I cannot stress this enough! I broke 3 on my first change , spray them with pb breaker a day in advance and right before, after you have emptied out the fluid and the pan is removed put some fluid in the top where you would add fluid, idk if everyone does this bit I do it to wash out old fluid, changing the filter is pretty straightforward and bolt everything back up and add the correct amount , anyone add anything I forgot, also its a pretty easy job have fun!

 

So get it hot before changing it? I will only be working under jack stands and the book i have on the car recommends changing when the engine is fully cooled down. I know to change differential it said to warm it up.

 

Oh maybe it is cold, always trust book lol, make sure to run it through the gears though before, I always get mixed up on fluids cause there's so many, and be careful not to overfil of btw, good luck!

 

thanks lol. Hoping all goes well :P but thanks to youtube, haynes, and the good people on here i think i can handle the task lol

 

just so you know, the tranny holds about 12 quarts of fluid. When you drain via the pan you will maybe get about 4-5 quarts. Yes, that's better than nothing. if your fluid is brownish then it would be best to flush the transmission and get rid of all 12 quarts.

 

Barely warm is better. Operating temp, you are going to fry your hands with the temp of the fluid. Trust me on this one, lol.

Take it for a quick cruise, then put it on ramps/stands, and wait till you can set your hand on the pan, so you know it is cool enough to deal with. It will drain faster slightly warm, you just have to be careful, or else you will burn your self.

Phalen is right though, flush a pint or so down it, to get rid of any excess old crap.

 

In your searches, did you find the trick where you remove all the bolts except for the ones on one side of the pan, then loosen those bolts some, then pry the pan down to let it drop at an angle, then loosen the bolts more to angle the pan more to drain the fluid? Or did you find the trick where you remove all the bolts, pry the pan off, and get a face full of fluid?

 

lol i found the trick where u pry most off the pan and drain most of it into a catch pan below. I thought of having a flush and like people has said before its so controversial. And idk if a quick change place be good for that. Im pretty sure i dont he all the tools for that lol.

 

I was told by a transmission rebuilder, that pan drops are best for high mileage cars. You want to slowly acclimate the transmission to fresh fluid, instead of shocking it. I didn't really get the logic behind it, but he was suggesting the cheaper option, so I went with it.