i want to replace the fluid in my auto tranny but i went to the dealer(firestone) next to my work and they say a machine needs to be used to pump and flush all fluid out and replace with same oil...which is what i want but they dont have a machine that uses amsoil oil and of course im a dealer so i want to supply my own...any ideas?
Last edited on Thu Nov 11th, 2004 04:01 am by uniquezx3
____________________ 2k3 zx3 auto power premium, red reflective tint, custom red accents, iceman, borla, and more.
We've got a thread going in the TFNE section about this.
Get ahold of stormstrikes(he's done it himself) also. You can change the fluid yourself with the hand of a buddy. Or if you have not many miles and to problems with your tranny you can just change out the majority of the fluid by droping the pan.
You can do a tranny flush by yourself, it will be somewhat time consuming, but it can be done by one person. It would be better and go much quicker with two.
I want to note something here that I think many, MANY, people overlook when they get their transmissions flushed. Most transmission filters today are made of a felt type filter material, not the screen type material they once were made of. A transmission flush with a screen type filter works really well because the filter can be 'backflushed'. A felt type filter CANNOT be backflushed. The downside to backflushing is, that while it clears any debris that is trapped on the screen type filters, what it does knock off is usually right back into the pan and will most likely be picked up by the screen filter again anyway.
That being said, the focus transmission filter is of the felt type material. While you can still have your transmission flushed, you still have a dirty filter in the pan. So even if I took it to a shop to have it flushed I would still have them remove the pan and change the filter. So if you are going to do it yourself, I HIGHLY recommend that you go ahead and drop the pan, drain the fluid there and change the filter. You're going to have to do it anyway wheter you flush the transmission yourself or have someone else to do it.
Now, to flush a transmission is relatively simple. Its just a cumbersome job. As mentioned above, drop the pan, drain the fluid there and change the filter. Reseal the pan with the proper sealant and reinstall.
Refill the transmission fluid in the pan (approx. 3.5 - 4.0 qts).
Remove the transmission fluid line that returns fluid FROM the transmission fluid cooler back to the transmission. Some remove the line that sends fluid TO the cooler, but I personally like to remove the one that returns fluid FROM the cooler to the transmission. The reason is that this allows me to make sure that the cooler itself is flowing fluid properly and has no blockage.
You will then need to attach a hose of the proper size to the transmission cooler to replace the hose that you just disconnected. Secure the hose to the cooler with a clamp or simaliar device. The other end of the hose (you will need only about three feet or so to give you plenty to work with) you will need to put in a gallon milk jug or an used oil drain pan or something similar that will hold about 6 - 7qts of fluid. If you are working by yourself you will need some way to secure the hose the the device you are going drain the fluid into. The fluid will flow out at a quite fast rate and will spray fluid all over the place if not secured to the container the fluid is draining into. If you are working with someone then they can just hold the hose in the container to prevent any mess or spills.
Once that is done, simply start the car and let it run for a couple of seconds at a time. I would say no more than three at a time. Turn the car off, and then pour in more new fluid into the tranny the usual way via the dipstick tube and refill until it shows at the proper level on the dipstick. The focus automatic transmission only holds like 7 - 8 quarts if I remember correctly. So what I did was just buy enough Amsoil ATF to do a total fill; pan, torque converter, the works. I repeated the above process until I had used all the fluid, reserving about half a quart or maybe a little more for topping off.
Reconnec the transmission fluid line back to the transmission fluid cooler, start the vehicle, run through all the gears holding each gear for about 3 - 5 seconds from park to first and then back again. Continue to let the motor run and then check for any leaks. If you see no leaks then check the fluid level and refill if necessary to the correct level on the dipstick, running through the gears each time before you check the fluid level.
Then you are done. I would recommend after a day or so to check the fluid level again after you have drove around just to make sure everything remains good and recheck for any leaks again. If all is well at this point you should be good to go.
There are step by step directions on Amsoils website somewhere on how to flush the transmission if you want a hard copy.
Now, let me add this. If you just drop the pan, drain the fluid and change the filter and then just refill to replace what was in the pan, in most cases you are only replacing about 40% of the fluid. So if you are switching to Amsoil, you just took a very high quality, long lasting fluid and diluted it with whatever was already in ther, at which point Amsoil will not guarantee it nor will it be able to go the extended drain interval. It is ALWAYS best, if you can, to flush the transmission. Otherwise you are just taking clean, new fluid and mixing it with used fluid which was left over in the torque converter.
Hope this helps out. If you have any questions please feel free to ask.
____________________ My car is a synner! It uses Amsoil Synthetic Lubricants.
2001 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP
It whines a lot, but I like it
Manual tranny uses ATF as well. I holds approx. 3 qts. RPIJG (a.k.a. Joe) could tell you more about that, I have yet had to change out fluid on a manual tranny focus. If I remember from Joe correctly the drain and fill plug are the same. I would highly recommend getting the hand pump from Amsoil though. It costs about $10 and will make getting the fluid INTO the tranny a much much easier job.
____________________ My car is a synner! It uses Amsoil Synthetic Lubricants.
2001 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP
It whines a lot, but I like it
