Trans service advise

[chrisa70]

I bought my truck 2 years ago with 190xxx miles on it and it now has 203xxx, no service records on truck and i have no idea if anything has been done to the trans as far as service. My question is if i do a trans fluid and filter change will i risk damaging anything? i have herd the detergents in new fluid may do more harm than good if not serviced regularly. There are no issues with shifting, and i would like to keep it that way.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Those are some odd rumors. The fluid (ATF +4) you use is the same thing it came with so there's no difference in "detergents" or anything else. By not ever servicing it you will shorten its life for sure.
I would certainly change the fluid and make sure the bands are adjusted.
That's the best way to ensure the longest life.

 

[chrisa70]

I am all about service, some might call it an obsession lol. I just didnt wanna cause any damage, I remember reading a thread on another site about the new fluid "washing" the fibers and causing the trans to slip, i thought it was crap but I'm no trans tech and wanted to be sure before i changed it.

 

[JR]

You might be confusing servicing with flushing which can possibly be detrimental to high mileage vehicles with a poor service history. In my experiences, flushing does no harm but then again all my vehicles have been regularly maintained.

Dropping the pan to change the filter and adjust bands will only help prolong your transmission.

 

[AllianceDiesel]

I would stay away from flushing if it hasnt been done. I have seen to many trans go bad after a flush. Drop fluid, adjust bands, change filter/ governor pressure sensor and governor pressure solenoid with a borg warner version. I also add a bottle of lucas trans fix to help coat everything.

You will be surprised on how clean your trans is as long as there isnt too much band material in there