flush vs. drain and fill

[redcoats1976]

getting ready to take my 6 cylinder automatic in for trans service at 75,000 miles.i have heard horror stories back in the day about trans flushes,but my local dealer (stingray chevy) recommenda the flush over the drain and fill and tells me thats how theyve done it for 15 years now without problems.does the dealer have special equipment that makes the flush a better option or am i right to be concerned?BTW this is a well thought of dealer that sells a lot of camaros and vettes and thus far has not steered me wrong.would a drain and fill leave a bunch of fluid in the converter as it would in an old turbo 400?

[joekono]

Originally Posted by redcoats1976

getting ready to take my 6 cylinder automatic in for trans service at 75,000 miles.i have heard horror stories back in the day about trans flushes,but my local dealer (stingray chevy) recommenda the flush over the drain and fill and tells me thats how theyve done it for 15 years now without problems.does the dealer have special equipment that makes the flush a better option or am i right to be concerned?BTW this is a well thought of dealer that sells a lot of camaros and vettes and thus far has not steered me wrong.would a drain and fill leave a bunch of fluid in the converter as it would in an old turbo 400?

redcoats1976, I'm at 53600 but that trans fluid change is in the back of my head too. I have a v6 auto like yours and I remember the stories about how the fluid used "hold together" the transmission. One thing I would worry about is WHO is doing the work but it sounds like you have that covered. Sorry I couldn't help only to let you know I share in your fears.

[redcoats1976]

yeah,i could get it done cheaper elsewhere but im confident that stingray will use the right fluid,not so sure what another place would use.car goes in tomorrow,so i should know soon enough...

[Aqua Blue RS/SS]

The back flush from days past was the killer. Now most of the time it seems they pull the cooler return line to the transmission off and flush it in the normal path the fluid travels until the fluid comes out clean from the cooler line. The fluid used now days is much much better than dexron 3 and down. It runs cooler and doesn’t break down near as much as the old stuff.

[ariZona28]

Well, call me cynical but I vote for the ol' school way of drain, drop pan, replace filter, install pan then fill to proper level. I think the "flush" is really the dealerships way of "flushing" extra cash from your wallet.

[joekono]

Originally Posted by ariZona28

Well, call me cynical but I vote for the ol' school way of drain, drop pan, replace filter, install pan then fill to proper level. I think the "flush" is really the dealerships way of "flushing" extra cash from your wallet.

True ariZona28 flushing makes me think of the radiator and that's funny about the dealership comment.

[joekono]

Originally Posted by Aqua Blue RS/SS

The back flush from days past was the killer. Now most of the time it seems they pull the cooler return line to the transmission off and flush it in the normal path the fluid travels until the fluid comes out clean from the cooler line. The fluid used now days is much much better than dexron 3 and down. It runs cooler and doesn’t break down near as much as the old stuff.

Good to know Aqua Blue RS/SS, had the back flush done already and it's gonna be a while for the coolant flush for me(I'm only at 53600); The trans is next so thanks for the fluid info. I'm still in love with the ABM.

[1JEWLDSSRS]

I have had mine "flushed" twice in the 125k miles I have on her now with not an issue as of yet. My Chevy guy works on Vettes and Camaros only, and he has worked on my Camaro since day one!! And I trust him, and have seen what's involved with the flush procedure.

[NOT A 45]

Originally Posted by redcoats1976

getting ready to take my 6 cylinder automatic in for trans service at 75,000 miles.i have heard horror stories back in the day about trans flushes,but my local dealer (stingray chevy) recommenda the flush over the drain and fill and tells me thats how theyve done it for 15 years now without problems.does the dealer have special equipment that makes the flush a better option or am i right to be concerned?BTW this is a well thought of dealer that sells a lot of camaros and vettes and thus far has not steered me wrong.would a drain and fill leave a bunch of fluid in the converter as it would in an old turbo 400?

Ideally you want to do both! Think about it this way, you don't change your engine oil and leave the old filter on it right? That's exactly what your doing by flushing and not dropping the pan and replacing the filter! A restricted filter can cause cavitation in the pump and that's certain death for a 6L80! I am also the Corvette technician for my dealer, and I would recommend flushing with 14-15 qts, then dropping the pan and replace the filter. And for the guy who referred to it as a wallet flush, I service a fleet account that has over 300 trucks. They routinely flush all the fluids every 50k miles. They average around 400k miles on their trucks before they replace them, and even then those trucks are in really good shape.

[1JEWLDSSRS]

Originally Posted by NOT A 45

Ideally you want to do both! Think about it this way, you don't change your engine oil and leave the old filter on it right? That's exactly what your doing by flushing and not dropping the pan and replacing the filter! A restricted filter can cause cavitation in the pump and that's certain death for a 6L80! I am also the Corvette technician for my dealer, and I would recommend flushing with 14-15 qts, then dropping the pan and replace the filter. And for the guy who referred to it as a wallet flush, I service a fleet account that has over 300 trucks. They routinely flush all the fluids every 50k miles. They average around 400k miles on their trucks before they replace them, and even then those trucks are in really good shape.

Thank you 45 for all the wealth of knowledge you share!! Is much appreciated sir!!

[Royal Tiger]

Originally Posted by 1JEWLDSSRS

Thank you 45 for all the wealth of knowledge you share!! Is much appreciated sir!!

Agreed!!!

[redcoats1976]

yep,good to know we have GM techs on this site.