Transmission Fluid Change

[kwren]

Originally Posted by Gamesy

transmissions either have an internal or external, if you have both, thats just weird. my old 03 impreza had an external and it was just like changing the oil

Not really that weird!

Keith

[JACOBBOCAJ]

none of these are actually a fluid change. I would consider these a drain and fill which is only changing out half the fluid. The only way to actually replace all the fluid is with a flush machine at a shop. Although I saw a guy with an 850t volvo pull the inlet cooler line off and placed it in the bucket started the car and drained the old cut it off after like 10 sec. then added the new through the dipstick hole. And did this until he saw clean fluid comming out the line. Kinda sketchy to me but it worked great for him. anyone ever try this on an svx?

[NiftySVX]

First, there was and never will be a recall on any SVX. There was a TSB that encouraged the installation of the filter on the early transmissions with the old style radiators and torque converters, this was a FIELD FIX for in service units only. The radiator was changed to not include the easily clogged heat dissapating screen.

A filter is not necessary on a vehicle that has had a new torque converter and a new radiator installed. It is a possible restricton and should not be installed. There is simply no need for it. The worst possible thing you can do for this trans is restrict the cooler flow. This is what a filter does. So basically you have a restriction for no reason.

Also, draining the pan will let out about 4 qts of fluid. A completely dry system holds more than 15 qts.

[benebob]

4 quarts huh? I've gotten a good 6+ out of mine at a time each time I changed it. Just need to let it drain all night with the front wheels on ramps.

I wouldn't put any car on a flush machine as I've heard too many horror stories of trannies failing shortly after. Granted I chalk much of this up to idiots at Jiffy Lube operating the machine, idiot owners who get a flush after not changing their fluid on a regular basis and just plain cars with trannies who were about to fail anyways. I simply changed my fluid annually or when my temp. gauge told me I was above 200 degrees for more than a few minutes. If I buy a Subie with an auto I simply drain and fill, drive for a day then drain and fill again once or twice.

[1986nate]

I had my pan off and also got about 7 qts out of it. Also I believe the complete system is a little over 10 qts, or at least thats what I remember the factory specs being

[Trevor]

Originally Posted by NiftySVX

A filter is not necessary on a vehicle that has had a new torque converter and a new radiator installed. It is a possible restricton and should not be installed. There is simply no need for it. The worst possible thing you can do for this trans is restrict the cooler flow. This is what a filter does. So basically you have a restriction for no reason.

I agree and as previously stated, I do not have a filter installed for this very good reason.

[longassname]

There is no reason to drop the trans pan unless the gasket is leaking or you are wisely sending me your valve budy to upgrade. The "filter" inside the transmission is nothing but a brass screen. There is no filter element in it whatsoever. It is simply a brass screen to stop the pump from sucking up chunks of debris. There isn't debris in your transmission unless it is damaged and needs to be rebuilt. I replace the "filters" when I rebuild a transmission but the truth is most transmission shops don't even bother to replace them then; they just rinse them out.

People who drop the pan themselves but don't even own a torque wrench over tighten the bolts, bending the pan and doing more harm than good. Don't be that guy.

The factory phase 1 4eat and power steering fluid is a very good fluid and can be ordered conveniently and inexpensively in a case of 12 from the dealership. Add 1 bottle of lubegard atf protectant (lubegard not some other brand) and you are good to go. Be very careful not to put too much fluid in. Too much fluid is the #1 reason for overheating of 4eats. There is a large range between add and full on the dipstick; error to the low side of this range and your transmission will run cooler.

[NiftySVX]

Originally Posted by longassname

There is no reason to drop the trans pan unless the gasket is leaking or you are wisely sending me your valve budy to upgrade. The "filter" inside the transmission is nothing but a brass screen. There is no filter element in it whatsoever. It is simply a brass screen to stop the pump from sucking up chunks of debris. There isn't debris in your transmission unless it is damaged and needs to be rebuilt. I replace the "filters" when I rebuild a transmission but the truth is most transmission shops don't even bother to replace them then; they just rinse them out.

People who drop the pan themselves but don't even own a torque wrench over tighten the bolts, bending the pan and doing more harm than good. Don't be that guy.

The factory phase 1 4eat and power steering fluid is a very good fluid and can be ordered conveniently and inexpensively in a case of 12 from the dealership. Add 1 bottle of lubegard atf protectant (lubegard not some other brand) and you are good to go. Be very careful not to put too much fluid in. Too much fluid is the #1 reason for overheating of 4eats. There is a large range between add and full on the dipstick; error to the low side of this range and your transmission will run cooler.

Are you talking about the ATF HP that is backwards compatible or is the old fluid still available?

[SoCal LS-L]

Wait a sec, so if your 92 had the campaign filter installed, did they or did they not install a radiator with the screen removed?

[NiftySVX]

The screen is inside the radiator. It was a production change. The point of the filter is to catch the debris from the defective torque converter clutch material that was coming off so that it wouldn't clog the screen. They changed the radiator to eliminate the screen and they changed the torque converter so it didn't come apart for the cars that they hadn't built yet. They put the filters on the ones in service as a field fix. None of the SVXs left the factory with a filter, because they changed the converter and the radiator and thus there is no need for it. This is also true of any SVX that has had a reman trans AND a new radiator OR one that has a new style converter and does not use the transmission cooler in the radiator.

In summary, there is no point in putting a filter on a 1994 or newer SVX. If you have anything floating in the fluid that the filter would catch, it's because the transmission has failed anyway, so again, there would be no point.

[SoCal LS-L]

So my Mfg 06/91 w/ Campaign filter still has OE radiator and screen... awesome!

[longassname]

The old fluid is still available.

Originally Posted by NiftySVX

Are you talking about the ATF HP that is backwards compatible or is the old fluid still available?

[processengr]

To simply drain the fluid from the pan and replace, leaves about 1/2 of the old fluid still in the lines, cooler, and torque converter, so to get it all (or as close as possible) drained out in one shot, as opposed to the drain and fill, wait two weeks, drain and fill, wait two more weeks, drain and...

here's what I do, cut and pasted from a old Yahoo group post, that was a cut and paste from an alt.subaru post...

Supplies
Case/12 quarts of ATF fluid
5 gal.translucent, graduated paint pail-Walmart, Home Cheapo, Lowes etc.
5 feet of 3/8 inch fuel line
1 crush washer for the drain plug.
1 hose clamp to fit 3/8 inch hose.
1 "transmission funnel" These are the "long" funnels (about 18 inches in my case)that you can put into the hole for the dipstick.

Instructions:

1. Take 5 gallon bucket, added 11 quarts of water to it to get a "reference point" and marked the bucket. Empty water out and dry the bucket. I used 3 gallons of ATF fluid (12 quarts) to make sure everything was fully flushed out, the point of mostly changed/purged fluid is about 10 quarts.

2. I drove the car a few miles to warm everything up, parked it, and removed the drain plug from the transmission pan and drained it into the bucket I marked earlier. If the transmission was properly filled previously, you should have drained 5 qt. +/-1 qt.

4. The idea is to disconnect the transmission hose coming from the cooler (in the radiator) and let the transmission pump the new fluid through the transmission, torque converter and cooler, pumping the old fluid into the bucket, and the new (maybe $ynthetic) fluid throughout the transmission... If you have a 92 with the original radiator (very rare) it is a good time to reverse flush the screen in the transmission cooler with compressed air. To do this you need to figure out which of the two hoses goes to the cooler, and which one comes *from* the cooler...The lines are on driver's side of the vehicle, along the fender area, about 12 inches or so back from the battery... There is a metal bracket with two metal lines attached. The metal lines make a 90 degree turn towards the engine where they have two hoses attached to them. The lines are arranged so one is on top of the other. The bottom line is just *slightly* farther back (maybe 1/2 inch) allowing you to get to the hose clamp. Loosen the hose clamp, slide it back over the hose, and remove the hose from the metal line. Push the 5 foot section of 3/8 inch gas line over the metal line, and run the line over the fender and into the 5 gallon bucket that already has the mark, and the fluid you drained from the pan.


5. Put the drain plug back into the transmission.

6. Add about 9 or 11 quarts of transmission fluid through the funnel into the transmission.

7. Start the car, with parking brake firmly engaged. The fluid will begin to pour out of the "gas line" you have in the bucket, rapidly filling the bucket.

8. While the fluid is pumping through the system, shift to reverse for a few seconds, then drive for a few seconds, back to reverse for a few seconds, etc, so that all the different passages through the transmission get flushed with the new fluid.

9. When the fluid gets to the 11 quart level on the bucket, turn the engine off.

10. At this point, I let everything settle for a minute, to see exactly where the fluid was in relationship to the 11 quart mark on the bucket. At this point, all the old fluid should be flushed, and the last quart or so of fluid that came out should be your fresh fluid. I started the engine for a few more seconds to empty out just slightly more than mark, leaving the transmission just slightly low by about 1/4 quart. (This was so that I could take the car out, drive it to warm up the transmission and then "top it off" with the remaining quart of ATF fluid that I had so I could get the level perfectly full without having to worry about "over filling".)

11. remove the 3/8" drain line

12. Reattach the transmission line that you removed, and re-tighten the hose clamp.

13. Check for leaks while letting the car idle for a few minutes.

14. Take it out for a test drive, and to get the fluid warmed up to operating temperature.

15. Park on a level surface. Check the fluid level (should be just slightly low) and add the appropriate amount of fluid to bring the transmission back to the full mark.


Thats it! No wonder the drain and wait routine is so popular! Seriously, this works too, but requires considerable time and precision on the part of the DIY'er. I normally drain and refill about 5 qt. EVERY engine oil change (M1 4k)

Have been using Amsoil Syn in my daughters 92, Mobil in the 97, and Shell Dino in the Silver 92, without issues...

[dromano]

Auto shops in my area do an "exchange" with up to 15 qts for $90-$100. It's the same as the above post except I just watch, they get dirty.