[A/S] Re: Transmission

["nickcrowhurst" <NickandSandra@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hunter, further to my previous post, the manufacturers usually 
recommend shorter intervals for changing tranny fluid if you tow 
trailers, perhaps at 20,000 miles, but as I said, this may not be 
enough. I monitor the state of the fluid not just by color and smell, 
but also by how contaminated the fluid is by particles of clutch 
material, which show if the internal clutches are wearing rapidly. 
When you check the tranny fluid level, pull out the dipstick, and let 
a drop of the fluid fall onto a piece of absorbent tissue paper 
(handerchief or similar). Leave this for a few minutes. Good fluid 
will just leave a pale red stain. Contaminated fluid will have a 
small grey/brown area in the middle of the pale red stain, and you 
know it's time to change the fluid. You may even be able to feel 
grittiness in that central grey area. Last week my daughter 
complained that her car's auto transmission was slipping on long 
grades. I checked the fluid and found grey particles on the tissue. I 
changed the fluid, and the problem was solved. I prefer not to use a 
power flush on an old tranny, for fear of dislodging oxidised 
particles, so I change the fluid by draining, which gets out perhaps 
half the fluid, driving the vehicle a few miles, and changing the 
fluid again. I hope you have similar luck. Nick.