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The posts I've read about flushing are on the clubluxus forum and in recent years. Maybe I used the word "power" incorrectly. Perhaps flush vs drain are the correct terms. Then there's the issue of partial drain where the pan isn't completely removed and a drain where the pan is removed and the filter changed. Lot's of permutations. Maybe on LS forum if not on the ES forum.
The posts I've read about flushing are on the clubluxus forum and in recent years. Maybe I used the word "power" incorrectly. Perhaps flush vs drain are the correct terms. Then there's the issue of partial drain where the pan isn't completely removed and a drain where the pan is removed and the filter changed. Lot's of permutations. Maybe on LS forum if not on the ES forum.
there are stories of transmissions failing after/drain flush, but it’s important to know: was transmission having issues before, how many miles/years since the last service, what fluid and procedure was used, and competency of the mechanic.
The procedure for setting correct fluid level is not easy and requires certain training/experience, Sealed transmissions are very sensitive to correct fluid level (which is set at specific temperature and requires use of thermometer or diagnostic port and special equipment).
most people don’t think about their transmissions because they are so called “life time”, one day it starts shifting funny or harsh... so they decide to drain/flush them to fix the situation, and that’s when they fail, so of course they will blame the flush. That’s why after certain mileage the recommendation is not to do anything if you never did anything.
there are stories of transmissions failing after/drain flush, but it’s important to know: was transmission having issues before, how many miles/years since the last service, what fluid and procedure was used, and competency of the mechanic.
The procedure for setting correct fluid level is not easy and requires certain training/experience, Sealed transmissions are very sensitive to correct fluid level (which is set at specific temperature and requires use of thermometer or diagnostic port and special equipment).
most people don’t think about their transmissions because they are so called “life time”, one day it starts shifting funny or harsh... so they decide to drain/flush them to fix the situation, and that’s when they fail, so of course they will blame the flush. That’s why after certain mileage the recommendation is not to do anything if you never did anything.
You have some good points. However, there are accounts of difficulties after fluid service, whatever the reason. The best advice for anyone is to do searches and read the threads, then decide for yourself as there is no "one right answer" for every car.
We got off topic here folks. TS wants to know about ATF coolers in a vehicle. He thinks the ATF cooler in his car may be causing the slow shifts when cold. I suggested getting a Tru Cool transmission cooler which are designed around this issue. Since he already has a cooler, a better solution may be installing a bypass temperature control valve. See Derale 13011 or Tru Cool 708-4739P6. Mishimoto also makes a well regarded valve but at almost three times the cost. Tru Cool includes it in some of their coolers. Derale might also but I didn't look at their product line.
It's a waste of money. The op added one and it didn't fix his initial complaint. He didn't mention taking it to a trans professional for diagnosis. That's what needs to be done. The transmission system is adequately engineered for the intended uses this car should encounter. A vehicle that tows or carries large weights is a different situation.
Over cooling can be bad. The trans does need to warm to full temperature to remove moisture (lol - of all things). Remove moisture/troll and life gets better. Toyota trucks use a smart thermostat on the trans to go from the engine warming the trans and maintaining it to a point of if the trans goes over temp, the fluid is diverted to an external cooler up front. An air to oil heat exchanger.
Secondly....
Fluids before the 80's varnished! Fluids from the last 20 years do not varnish like they did then. Changing your fluid to new fresh high detergent fluids does not increase the odds of failure. It does reduce contaminants, restores the fluid properties and generally speaking, preserve the transmissions life.
As for ***** nilly replacing the solenoids to improve shift quality, BS! If it's not broke, this won't fix it.
Follow the BS to the next vehicle mr precipitation gives advice too, a hip shooter who reads and tries to apply advice he doesn't really understand right or wrong from.
PM me if you want input...
Mods, just stating the obvious.
Last edited by DaveGS4; 02-06-20 at 05:27 PM.
Reason: personal comments not needed and pruned, especially bumping a weeks old thread
O.P here! well that was uncalled for . . . I am in my 20s, and I do extensive work on cars.
back to the topic . . .
Last week I was at my local transmission guru's shop, and he said that they add transmission coolers to normal cars all the time. They often do it on the craptastic nissan CVTs, and it helps the CVT belt to last longer (its a metal belt). Yes this car, like most cars, has a transmission cooler from the factory. The transmission cooler I bought was meant to be installed in-line with the stock cooler.
On topic. Have you monitored the transmission temperature? Was the fluid damaged? If no to either, chances are are it is not needed as others have stated.
I'd suggest you monitor the temps. The 2IS A760E trans (a different beast) doesn't seem to go over 225°F and spends most of its days at 180/190 which is good for the life of the trans.
And what I was saying about the trucks, those with a tow package run an external cooler but they also recirculate until up to temperature so the engine heats the fluid to bring the trans up to temperature sooner.
Do as you wish... but you wouldn't want your engine at 120°f and run the crap out of it. Would you?
Grab the OBD Fusion App, the Toyota Lexus Scion PID pack for your year (through the app) and an Elm327 OBD Bluetooth device. All for about $45. You can monitor your temps on the fly! Like so...
FWIW I'm in my 50s, been wrenching since I was 14, and have done at least a dozen complete trans flushes and have never, ever, ever, ever had a single issue with a transmission.
For those of y'all who claim there's a reason to not flush it, please provide evidence as to why you say so.
FWIW I'm in my 50s, been wrenching since I was 14, and have done at least a dozen complete trans flushes and have never, ever, ever, ever had a single issue with a transmission.
For those of y'all who claim there's a reason to not flush it, please provide evidence as to why you say so.
Just for some clarity (and not to add to the argument one way or the other), could you define 'flush' as "push oil at pressure through the transmission", or "drain 2, fill 2, run for a bit, drain 2 more, fill 2 more, etc", or "drain, drop pan, wipe clean, change filter and gasket, refill"? It seems that there are different "definitions" floating around as to what the word "flush" is defined as by various posters (and indeed, even service shops) on this subject. I am interested as I'm coming up to 80,000 miles and thinking a traditional "drain completely, drop pan inspect and clean, change filter etc" might be in order at my next seasonal tire change/oil and filter service in about 3 months. I've only ever had one "power flush" done on a tranny in all the years I've been driving (although I have had "drain and refill", and I've got about 55 years of driving with no transmission issues...my normal mileage before I change vehicles is around 150,000 miles).
I do like the idea of monitoring the temperature.
When you fill the fluid, you have to make sure the temperature is between 104 and 113°F (40 and 45°C). So I guess that 104 and 113°F (40 and 45°C) is what would be considered "up to temp". I could just drive around when its cold outside, and make sure the trans stays above like 100 degrees F.
I wish that my blue-driver could read the trans temp, but I don't think it can. Time to buy yet ANOTHER scan tool!
Sidenote: The consensus among almost all mechanics (My UTI instructor, ETCG, scotty K., my transmission guru) is that flushes can damage transmissions, but mainly for high mileage cars. In this case, my car only had 80k. People who say that flushes have never damaged one of their cars probably are either lucky, or not constantly working on high mileage cars.
I have been thinking about the true-cool transmission cooler that someone mentioned earlier, but one it is quite expensive, and two, it works off fluid viscosity, and WS fluid is a lot thinner than normal atf, so I'm probably not going to do that. Viscosity of the WS fluid is 23 cSt (23 mm2/sec) at 40 °C. Viscosity of some random DEXIII fluid that I looked up was 44.0 cSt @ 40°C, and amsoil ATF is 38.5 cSt @ 40°C.
01-16-20, 08:04 PM
