Just bought 4 bottles yesterday and they will be arriving next Monday. I was all fired up to start, both my engine and tranny treatments Monday night after work, but read several posts that said (if your fluid is as bad as I'll explain here) don't change / flush the tranny...if you do it will die!!!
> This past Saturday I bought a 1998 Volvo S70 - Automatic with 200,000 miles (and for whatever reason, I honestly did not check the fluid levels, smell them, taste them, etc). at the dealership before I bought the dang car!!!
I'm an old man and it wasn't my first rodeo, but it WAS the first time I just went blank and gave 'em my money and said thanks???
Sunday night (after Mother day's festivities) I decided to go "play" with my new to me "toy"!
Long story short - capacity on Tranny is 8 qts - car was about 5 qts short....I have seen coffee "thicker" than this fluid and it was as black as coffee too....
I added my 5 qts and have been driving a couple days (and cross my fingers) all is well so far....
In your more experienced opinion (or please any of you folks) who were maybe in my shoes before you used ARX, please be brutally honest - I can take it.
SHOULD I flush or just get as many days (I mean miles) out of it?
Thanks,
Ken
-- Edited by roketa on Thursday 13th of May 2010 04:26:17 PM
-- Edited by roketa on Thursday 13th of May 2010 04:27:11 PM
Not much you can do about what already is. You own the car now. If fluid was down 5 qts, then most likely it has a leak, so be on the lookout for that. Automatics do not use fluid like an engine does, even small amounts.
Here is what I would do. When the Auto-Rx arrives, put in the recommended amount (6 oz, I believe) and drive your 1000-3000 miles, whatever the current instructions are, keeping a close watch on fluid level. Then pull the transmission pan and clean it up. Change the filter and reinstall the pan with a new gasket or silcone sealer, whichever it uses. Then perform a cooler line flush to get all the old fluid out while replacing with new fluid. In your case I would recommend Maxlife ATF from Wal-Mart (best price) because it is a good quality high mileage fluid at a very good price, and will help with any current or future leaks that unit may have, considering it was so low.
If you do not do that type of work, take it to someone you trust, perhaps using the T-tec type machine, which will do the same thing as a simple cooler line flush.
-- Edited by bmwtechguy on Friday 14th of May 2010 05:26:34 AM
Thanks Johnoh, I come from a long line of "never" change transmission fluid. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, thinking....but I'm the black sheep of the family, in that regard.
If you want, try to find an inexpensive fluid to flush with this first time as you are trying to get out the Lucas, since we don't know how the 2 would react together and you want best results from your Auto-Rx. No sense spending a lot for fluid that will only be used for 3000 miles or less.
I found 12 qt cases of Havoline "DM3", which is a quality DexIII/Mercon type fluid, for $1.10/qt at our local Sam's Club. That is not a misprint. Call your Sam's if you or a friend has a membership and see if they have this. This is by far the best deal on a flush fluid or even a final flush/fill fluid I have ever seen.
BTW, the Maxlife ATF is a full synthetic per Valvoline. My local WM's sell it for $3.69 a qt, which makes it a very good deal indeed for a quality synthetic high mileage ATF.
-- Edited by bmwtechguy on Saturday 15th of May 2010 09:11:19 AM
I may be too late but if it were me I would drain as much of the old fluid out of there as possible and change the filter, refill with a cheap ATF that meets the required specs (i.e. Dexron III/Mercon) and add the Auto-Rx. Run that as per the instructions, and then drain and change filter and refill with a quality ATF that meets your vehicle's specs.
If it's black but there are no signs of transmission problems, it should not give you issues.
Just be sure to RESET YOUR PCM!!! Most modern automatic transmissions, and likely the one in your Volvo, are computer controlled and determine how much pressure to apply for a certain amount of clutch-slip. If you drain out old fluid and put in fresh fluid with the full force of the fresh friction modifier, the computer will apply too much force and will cause hard shifts.
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2000 Mercury Grand Marquis LS [ pictures | videos ] Dual Flowmaster Delta 40s / J-Mod / PI Intake Manifold / Marauder Air Box / 80mm MAF CVPI Zip Tube / Ported & Polished Plenum / BBK 70mm / 93 Octane Tune / Steeda Underdrive Pulleys
-Rich, I pulled a couple fuses and waited 10 mins...not sure if it worked, but will go out tonight and pull and wait about 30mins and see!
- Added to my Oil...5-21-10 (12 oz ARX to 6 qt oil change) - Flushed my Tranny (at home, not a machine flush) and added 6 oz...have driven since the flush about48 miles on the "oil" and 25 miles on the "tranny"...
Already liking what I am feeling (actually - what I am NOT feeling now)?!?!
- Psychological / Placebo effect??? - or - - Real Deal Holyfield???
Can't wait to go drive some more and find out!!!!
Thanks again for everyones assistance and help with Auto-RX!
I'm sure what you're feeling is real. Just let it run its course in the oil and ATF. Remember, Auto-Rx works best when the oil/ATF are at operating temps, so highway miles are best, but if you only get around in the city, try to keep the temps in the normal range as much as possible.
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2000 Mercury Grand Marquis LS [ pictures | videos ] Dual Flowmaster Delta 40s / J-Mod / PI Intake Manifold / Marauder Air Box / 80mm MAF CVPI Zip Tube / Ported & Polished Plenum / BBK 70mm / 93 Octane Tune / Steeda Underdrive Pulleys
and find out!!!!
