Transmission Fluid Flush- Dealership, Aamco or Local Shop

So it is getting close to that time when I need to have the fluid in my automatic transmission flushed. Where should I take it?

Local Jeep Dealership- Altavista Motors
Aamco- the website talks about a cool full fluid flush system and filter changes
Local Napa Shop- none really specialize in doing repairs on Jeeps

I would change the fluid myself but at 100k miles the manual states to do a full flush and filter change.

Opinions?

Dealer or non chain transmission shop.

Does it say "flush" or "full fluid exchange"? Because there is a difference. Some people are not comfortable with the idea of a "flush" because it often introduces additional pressure, cleaning chemicals, or both into the system to clean it out... whereas a full fluid exchange makes sure all fluid is pumped out and new is installed - which a simple pan drop doesn't do.

I'm more inclined to have a full fluid exchange done- not sure I want BG or whatever-brand's cleaning chemicals ran through my systems.

You are right JasonJ, it is a full fluid change and not a flush. Now that you mention it, I would rather not have a bunch of cleaning fluids pumped through the system either.

I will have to see if anyone has used some of the local non-chain transmission shops in town.

BillyG said:

You are right JasonJ, it is a full fluid change and not a flush. Now that you mention it, I would rather not have a bunch of cleaning fluids pumped through the system either.

I will have to see if anyone has used some of the local non-chain transmission shops in town.

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around here (NYC) you dont want to trust anybody but the Dealer to do the job right!

I've read here, that after a filter change replace the missing Mopar trans fluid with Mopar trans fluid. drain just the trains fluid again at a later time. if you keep doing this procedure you would have replaced almost all the fluid in a safe way.
if you do it yourself you'll save a lot of money.

also - there is a special Transmission pan Sealer -that wont desolve in trans fluid like the others. Not even Mopar uses this stuff.

Changing out the transmission pan to one with a drain plug would make draining the fluid easier. $87 for a new pan, filter with gasket and 5 liters of Mopar ATF+4 fluid from Amazon. I should get free shipping too. That would be a lot cheaper than the $250 plus that a dealer would charge me to get the job done.

I watched a couple of videos and it looks messy getting the pan off but oh well, that is what shop towels are for.

BillyG said:

Changing out the transmission pan to one with a drain plug would make draining the fluid easier. $87 for a new pan, filter with gasket and 5 liters of Mopar ATF+4 fluid from Amazon. I should get free shipping too. That would be a lot cheaper than the $250 plus that a dealer would charge me to get the job done.

I watched a couple of videos and it looks messy getting the pan off but oh well, that is what shop towels are for.

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You're right, it'll be a lot cheaper to do it yourself. Most expensive thing is the fluid itself. Then having the drain plug in the pan is a game changer, just cycle in new fluid. Changing the transmission fluid out in intervals is probably just as good as a full fluid change.

I'm a novice garage mechanic, at best, and I was able to do this project pretty easily. The biggest difficulty I ran into was my original pan being dented and scratched beyond repair, which is why the seal was leaking, and secondly, removing the o-ring that seats onto the front filter neck. Took a lot of muscle to get that sucker out. Thats for the 45RFE though, may be different for you.

Call me curious, but how often do you change your transmission fluid that a drain plug is useful? In 11 years I've changed the ATF twice at 60K intervals, each time replacing the filter, and each time it really wanted a quick learn flash for it to behave. The ATF+4 fluid is advertised as being good for the life of the car, so I figured that was plenty diligent.

Just dropping the pan and filter is only part of the transmission fluid in your system. The rest is floating around inside the transmission itself and in the torque converter.

I was also going to make it more of a routine maintenance thing and drain out the fluid every other oil change a few times. That should keep any large deposits (if I have any) from breaking lose and clogging passages.

Is the learn flash just removing the battery terminals for 30 min or is there something else to it?

BillyG said:

Just dropping the pan and filter is only part of the transmission fluid in your system. The rest is floating around inside the transmission itself and in the torque converter.

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Well, this is true, but using a drain bolt isn't going to remove any more fluid than dropping the pan, and doing a flush then dropping the pan and changing the filter is going to do a lot more of a complete job then draining the pan. I think I end up putting about 3.5 quarts back in out of an 8.8 quart fill, let's call it a 40% ATF change if you just swap out what's in the pan.

So humor me for a minute, and I'll explain why I don't see that as practical. Your first pan drain and fill you've changed 40% of the ATF, leaving 60% of the old ATF. Do it twice, and you've taken out the now mixed together 60% old ATF and 40% new ATF for an overall 64% change. Three times is a 78% change. You're always mixing old and new fluid, so you're always going to have the old stuff floating around. The good news is by the 10th change you'll have diluted the original fluid to below 1%, which if you're on the 3k mile oil change schedule is right about the same time I'll be doing another flush and filter change. :gr_grin:

Plus, you've never changed the filter. Plus, while I'm don't know whether or not you'll be able to get away without needing a quick learn for each change, I'm not sure I'd bet my transmission on it. I smashed the transmission pan and swapped it out at less than 20k miles and topped off the ATF, and it was not happy until I took it in for a quick learn.

BillyG said:

Is the learn flash just removing the battery terminals for 30 min or is there something else to it?

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Nope, you'll need to take it to the dealer (or someone who has a Starscan unit) and get it done. I think the dealer changed me $85 to get it done.

RE; trans drain plug. We bought a 95 S10 Blazer some years back with 65,000 miles. First oil change I installed a drain plug (4L60E trans). This transmission was never known for long life. Changed out the trans fluid every oil change(non synthetic Dex II). When my step-son finally parked the vehicle it had 360,000 on all original motor and trans. May not have helped, but it damn sure didn't hurt.

I'm a ****** drain plug fan too. Have one on our 2008 Sienna. Flushed once at about 75k (we bought it new) and I've drained and replaced about 4 quarts of ATF every 30-40k since. We've got 236k on all original drivetrain parts and so far so good.

Is there a way to disconnect a return line and pump out and replace the fluid. That’s how I changed the fluid for the F150.


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DIY fluid exchange through the dipstick tube.

Renedave, I had not quite thought about it like that but you are right about how long it would take to replace all the fluid. I just replaced both differentials and transfer case fluid and figured I would move onto the next item.

I also had not thought about the relearn flash. The dealer is starting to sound like the best option for me given the age and miles on my Jeep. I might as well get the coolant system flushed while I am there.

This is why I asked the question. You all have given me quite a bit to think about before I just dive in.