Transmission Fluid
 

Hey car guys, I want your guys' opinion.

I have a 2006 Pontiac G6. It has a sealed transmission. The car has 72K on it. The service schedule in the manual states that the transmission fluid should be changed at 75K.
I'm a little nervous about getting it flushed. First it's going to cost about a bazillion dollars (roughly). But the transmission has been functioning well, and I'm concerned that disturbing the seals and gaskets to get it flushed may increase the probability of a leak. If there is no real risk of transmission damage by not getting it flushed, it obviously won't be worth it. What are your guys' thoughts? FWIW my dad is an old farmer that knows a lot about motors and he suggested I leave it alone until the fluid begins to change colors.


A few other facts:
1. Transmission shifts fine and on-time.
2. Gears still feel tight when putting the car in drive.
3. Upon inspection, no transmission fluid leaks.
4. The fluid in the reservior still has very very good color. Nice and pink, not dingy at all.
5. Engine/transmission has not been worked hard at all exempting when I got stuck in a snow drift.
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i had mine change for a 100 bucks or so. then was told I was taken to the cleaners, but that was along time ago no problems since

Who needs transmission fluid. Drain it out so you don't have to worry about it.

Then fill it with antifreeze?

I've never seen a vehicle with a transmission fluid reservoir. What you're looking at is likely the coolant.

Either way, if it says 75k, I'd get it changed around then. That's the best way to protect from damage. Just cause it looks good doesn't mean anything about the chemical properties of the fluid.

It should cost somewhere around $100, and that's cheap insurance, IMO.

It is sealed. There is no dipstick. I'm pretty sure it was trans fluid. I'll check again when I get hime, but I'm pretty sure it was trans fluid.
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Hmm, even the "sealed" units (i.e. no droppable pan) that I've seen have a dipstick to check fluid levels. I'd like to get a look at that thing.

Either way, my advice is to get it flushed. Most horror stories about flushings are from people who haven't taken care of their vehicle, then they finally get it flushed way past recommended intervals, and surprisingly enough, after years of abuse, the tranny develops problems. Then they blame it on the flush.

nope some have a plug that you pull on the passenger side next to the CV shaft. also has a fill plug usually right under the exhaust crossover pipe. the fluid he is looking at is most likely the power steering fluid. if you have a pan and drop it to refill you pull the plug on the side and fill with trans fluid through the hole under the XOVER pipe until it dribbles out of the hole on the side by the CV shaft.

Could be. I could have went full reerun for a moment in what I was looking at. So what's your advice, jason?
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Wait. Is this a manual or automatic?

Remember, the extended life coolant is usually red. Much like automatic trans fluid.

I've never seen a manual with a dipstick.

i see dipsticks driving manuels all the time

nyuk nyuk nyuk

I don't flush my transmissions, however, I do change the oil in them. It's pretty simple, just drain, and then fill through the dipstick hole.

Now keep in mind, drain and fill won't get all of the fluid out, but, it will cut it into about half on most cars. So, the next time you change it, it will change half of that, etc., etc.

After having tranny problems (yes, it was after flushing - but as the person said in the other thread above, it hadn't seen regular maint.), now I'm a big fan of just doing a tranny filter and oil change.

My 2 cents.

A lot of the newer vehicles don't have an actual dipstick. We work on a ton of them that are a "drain and refill". You have a plug in the bottom you remove, and if fluid comes out it's full, if not you add from the top till it comes out the bottom, pretty simple. Most of these transmissions filters are a change only when the transmission is dissasembled. Now some of them like the saturns will have an external spin on filter you can change when you drain the fluid though. My 08 Charger has a transmission dipstick with a cap that says dealer use only, but you can actually make a dipstick to a certain measurement to check the fluid level, we have fashioned a few of these to use.