TRANSMISSION FLUSHER, JUNK OR NOT
 

has anybody used or own this from harbor freight, is it crap? http://www.harborfreight.com/transmi...shoppingdotcom

That looks like a good deal. It would pay for itself after 6 or 8 jobs.
I have always wondered if it's better to change the fluid like this or replace the filter.

looks like a waste of money for two reasons:

#1 its at harbor freight

#2 If your tranny needs to be flushed, it needs to be fixed.

IMO kinda like changing your oil without EVER changing your oil filter. :roll:

Never heard of a engine oil flusher! Good point

It also says changes fluid. It's pretty common to use a filter buggy on heavy equipment hyd system. Of course in some cases your talking about over 80 gallons of fluid so it is cheaper to use the filter buggy, change the filters a few times before you completly replace the fluid.

I don't agree that if it needs to be flushed it needs to be replaced. If their is something wrong and you think you can flush it to fix it then it's too late, but to just have it serviced is another thing.
I just had my allison trans fluid and filter change at the GMC place. $225 :shock: My trans does not have an internal serviceable filter. It's an external spin on.

I agree with changing the filter every time, the way I would be using it is droping the pan changing the filter refilling the pan & using the machine to run clean fluid through the trans & converter to remove all old fluid from trans. And yes changing the filters every 50 min will extend trans life. I deal with a lot of high mile vans & pickup trucks that get an excess of 250k on trans in city use. maintenance is everything!

No knowledge on this subject, but how can a flushing machine flush out the converter? i thought you had to fire up the engine to get the fluid out of the converter, or as some converters have a drain plug. I hate talking about transmissions, my 1993 duelly with 4L80E with shift kit (tow vehicle) has 197,000 miles and the planaters have been whinning for the last 50,000 miles.

Zip.

with the flusher you do start the engine , as fuild comes out one line it feeds new back in . oil exchange. had 94 van that whined , it went about 260k van was junked & trans was still hanging in there.

quote;
Had 94 van that whined , it went about 260k van was junked & trans was still hanging in there.

That's good to hear, at my age and not knowing how much longer i'm going to be racing i really don't want to buy another tow vehicle. :)

Zip.

Hey Rabbit, just so you know, all the Allison's I've seen in pickups do have an internal filter as well as a spin-on......

Johnny

That's what I thought, but one of the guys at the GMC place told me it didn't have a "serviceable filter" inside the trans, just a spin on. They also quoted me ($180 or $190. less than $200 I remember him saying) to completly service the trans. When I paid it was $272.51. There was a part # PK3106 ( description 310 106 is all the bill says) for $82.49 which I thought may be a filter. Either way I was kinda pissed because he told me less than $200 for everything a few days before.


The reason I took it to be flushed was so all the fluid, ie; cooler, convertor and pan could be changed, but almost $300 is redickulus (sp on purpose).

Transmission flushing is another one of those revenue generating services. All of the invoices I've seen for it have had between 20 and 30 quarts of transmission fluid listed in the parts list with labor in the $90 to $150 range. I've read in several of the automotive repair trade publications where some manufacturers are saying "do not flush" their transmissions. Probably a reason for that.



Roger
582r10

Well... I could see it on heavy equipment such as Rabbit stated for example.
but it IS "Harbor Freight"... not exactly a stellar name...

I may not be an expert here, but I am pretty sure that I could buy a cheap fuel pump, get a few fittings/hoses, & make my own flusher for less than 50.00. Then I would just pour in the new...

Couldn't be too hard....

I hear of people doing this to cool down trans fluid at the strip between rounds...

Actually eaiest thing to do it get a good size funnel,lots of trans fluid,take off the pressure line at the Radiator (Use a piece of rubber 5/16 fuel line and run it to the Milk jug),use a gallon milk jug thats clean,have someone start it and add to it as it emptys into the jug.Just remember to turn off the car inbetween jugs... :wink:

On a side note.Not one transmission shop in my area will FLUSH a transmission.Only places around here arre the quick lubes and walmart stores. :roll:

:D

Thats because they dont want to make ur transmission go out, by taking ur nice thick oil out. Jiffy lube and such dont care, just like when they change ur oil

as oil thickens & filter gets plugged the line presure will drop causing slippage......by..by ...tranny

There are different types of machines. I personally own a T Tech machine and know the people who first developed it and built the first generation. I used it on my 96 Tahoe and it went 204k before i traded it in and the 4l60e was still shifting perfectly. This is considered a fluid exchanger. The fluid is moved by the trans pump so yes the vehicle is running. The benefit of this is that the fluid is forced back in with the same pressure that is normally present and as the old fluid is forced into the machine the new fluid is forced back into the machine so it never is run low. Thats how the valve body and converter are cleaned. A flush machine can be one with a seperate pump that a tech dials in to match the pressure out of the trans which leaves you depending on their diligence. As far as the filter goes, i changed it every 30-40k and i always felt if you kept the fluid clean the filter wouldnt need to be changed as often.

ive done many flushes with that style machine and its a good style and it does flush old fluid out and usually only put in 15 qt but always have extra in hopper