Printable View
I want to change the transmission fluid in my VX.
I takled to a couple of shops and they want to do a back flush of the transmission. This is where the run the transmission fluid in reverse and run it through a filter. They do not change the filter or fluid.
I am from old school where I believe it is better to remove the transmission pan, clean, replace filter and add new fluid.
What are the comments from my fellow VXer's
i dont have much experience with transmission service.. but shops seemed to run from the vx when i was trying to have my fluid flushed.. 3 different shops i went to said ok.. then called back within an hour or two to tell me they cant do anything with it
some great minds here have put together a lot of useful info on doing the transmission flush yourself for the cost of the fluid, some tubing, the gasket and the filter.
i would try doing it yourself or finding a friend who is mechanically inclined to do it/help you, that way you know its done right and you get all new parts
The VX transmission is from GM, so it's nothing special. a back flush is a very good way to replace the fluid. they push new fluid through the trany cooler line, it goes through the entire trany and the old fluid gets pushed out. I've never heard of it being done with the old fluid. I've done a lot of flushes the old way and never seen a filter that was clogged, but if your fluid is almost black, then yes I'd change it. and not taking the pans off means no chance of leaks.
I did a back flush at jiffylube and my trani leaked because of it. I had to get it seviced again which fixed whatever issue there was and JiffyLube did refund me the money, but I say spend the extra few bucks to get it done right by isuzu..
Find a friend, buy him a 12 pack, and change your fluid and filter yourself. Its really not that hard, so long as you properly prepare for it, and start early on a Saturday. I've done mine twice now, and I would not hesitate to do it again. The process has been broken down here on the forum many times, but I would be glad to help spell it out again if you need me too.
I personally believe that it is crucial to the longevity of your trans. And I also believe, that because of the relative pain in the butt that changing the fluid and filter is, that shops will tend to cut corners when doing it for us, and charge you an arm and a leg to boot. So save yourself some money, and get yourself some piece of mind, knowing that you did it and did it right.
Bart