transmission fluid change

[sickem]

i was just wondering if any one has a good how to for changing trans fluid on a 99 ga se v6 automatic. also the tourqe specs maybe the amount of fluid required and what about that lucas non slip additive?
any help appreciated. i did search but came up with nothing.so if i missed a thread that already answers i apoligize. (lol bashing myself ahead of time as a "SAFETY"):D thanks

[daman]

This is similar to how i do it, get a buddy to help ya, two of
ya's will work fine.


do this and all the old fluid should be gone;

i start out by first taking the bottom line off and and start
the car and pumping all the old fluid out,then take off the
pan,lot less mess.

also i think it's the bottom line been awile sence i
did it last..lol



change the fluid in the transmission fluid pan and replace the seal and the pan. Once the pan has been replaced, you must refill it with fresh ATF. Pour in as much ATF fluid as your transmission holds - that's typically the number listed in your owner's manual. Once you've topped off the system with new ATF, you're ready to flush the torque converter.

There are going to be two lines which run from your transmission to a cooling system of some sort at the front of your vehicle. This will either be a special section on the bottom of your radiator or a separate transmission fluid cooler. It shouldn't be that difficult to find.

(on a Grand Am i think it's the bottom line)

Disconnect one of those two lines. If this line is flexible, then disconnect the end that attaches to your transmission (making sure to clean any dirt off the end of the hose and the area around the connection first). You'll use this disconnected end to drain fluid from. Don't disconnect the other end.

If it is not flexible, you'll probably need to have some extra temporary, flexible hose on hand to use. In this case you'll disconnect the same line, but disconnect it where it comes out of the cooling system, NOT where it attaches to the transmission (again making sure to clean the area around the connection first). Then connect one end of the flexible line (brake line should work - ask your local auto parts store) to the fluid cooler (where you removed the other line) and leave the other end unconnected to drain into a pan.

No matter which way you have to do this, keep in mind that although there might be a small amount of drainage when you first disconnect the hose, it should be minimal and should stop quickly (far less than a half quart). The hose will not drain again until you start the vehicle. If you're not sure you're following, don't worry. It will all become clear.

Now, this is the part where having two people will come in handy. You want to have one person in the vehicle turning it on and off. The other person will be at the front of the vehicle taking care of the draining and filling of the fluid. First comes a little draining.

Have the person up front hold an empty ATF quart bottle with the fluid drain hose in the mouth of the bottle. It will be easiest if the ATF bottle is clear, but it doesn't have to be. As long as you have some way of seeing the fluid level as it rises (you don't want to overfill the bottle and have fluid run all over your hands).

Once someone is in place with the "drain hose" pointed into the "drain bottle", start the vehicle. When the bottle is about full, the person holding the bottle needs to yell to the person in the driver's seat to shut off the vehicle. Once the vehicle is shut off, the hose will stop draining.

Now, you know that one quart of old ATF has been drained. So, have the person at the front of the vehicle, pour one quart of new ATF into the transmission fluid fill tube. Then, you're going to repeat the process. Put an empty quart bottle under the drain tube, have the other person start the car and run it until you fill the bottle again. Once the bottle is full of old ATF, shut off the vehicle and pour in another quart of new ATF.

This process is going to continue until you see a definite color change in the fluid draining from the hose. In other words, what you're looking for is the drain fluid should eventually look exactly the same color as the new ATF you're putting in. When it does, that means you've got the entire system flushed. At that point, you can stop, reconnect the hose and take the vehicle off the ramps. Then, you simply need to check and make sure that you're ATF fluid level is up where it needs to be (and it should be pretty close).

A note about the color change. I suggest that you use the following method to establish when the system has been completely flushed. It MAY be difficult to watch the fluid being drained from the hose and see the color change if the old fluid isn't really that old. So, to make sure you know when it's been flushed, get yourself two clear shallow containers, like tupperware or the bottoms off a couple of milk jugs or something.

Each time you fill a bottle with old ATF from the drain hose, pour just a bit of it in the bottom of one of those containers. In the bottom of the other container have a small amount of the new ATF. Compare the two. If the colors do not match exactly, your system has not been completely flushed. Dump the old ATF out of the one "comparison container" back into your drain pan and try again. When the colors match exactly, you know that you're done.

[daman]

And no lucas it's crap, use LubeGard, 1 whole bottle it is good
stuff.

http://www.lubegard.com/automotive/trans_atf.html

[crash6x86]

the tranny line for the '99 that you want to take off is the top one. i just did a diy tranny flush myself. it took awhile but i meant to take a while... anyways, i used a part of a garden hose to drain the fluid into a bucket so i didnt have to screw around with moving the line and stuff.... i dont know... this is what i did, i have 2000 grand am.

DIY tranny flush (http://www.gaownersclub.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=74472)

[daman]

Thanks crash like i said been awile couldn't remember..LOL

[sickem]

just for kicks why does everyone on this site hate fram? lol whats the reason the air filters are ok

[daman]

Originally posted by sickem
just for kicks why does everyone on this site hate fram? lol whats the reason the air filters are ok
There air filters are top notch stuff, i use thos, just there
oil filters suck, if you ever would cut one open and compare
with say a AC,WIX,PureONE,NAPA Gold, just to name a few
you will see they are made with crap material and crafts-
manship,there's more to it but you get the idea..

[ChevelleSSLS6]

In the Javelin... 360v8. Good oil pressure to zero INSTANTLY. I have no tools to get it cut open to see what happened but since I've used Hastings, Baldwin, or Wix filters. Hastings and baldwin is more popular in the heavy equipment industry so you might have to ask around a bit but they do make them for cars.