Hi

I have a bone-stock 2004 Crossfire automatic with 84K miles on it. According to page 199 of my manual, it says, "The fluid in the automatic transmission should be changed at 80,000 miles (129,000KM), along with the transmission fluid filter. After that, the transmission fluid is filled for life.
I bought the car with 82 000 miles and have no idea if the trans filter and fluid were done.


I've called 5 dealers about this change.
Two told me NOT to change the filter as it isn't necessary unless there are transmission issues. They told me to just backflush the system. Prices are $146 and $186.
Two dealers said they would drop the pan, change the filter and pan gasket and top up the transmission (usually around 5 quarts). Prices are $200-ish.

The other dealer just said, "$367.87 and that includes a brand new filter."
Cripe, I hope so!

I can do a pan drop & fluid change here at home - that's no big deal for me but obviously that doesn't do squat for the remaining fluid in the transmission and torque converter.


What should I do?


Thanks in advance for any constructive advice anyone can give me on this,

Dave

 

Sorry, I mistyped there.

I should have typed :
I can do a pan drop and FILTER change here at home then top up the trans with fluid but obviously that doesn't do squat for the remaining fluid in the trans and torque converter.

Sorry for any confusion.
Dave

 

Your getting most of it all, if it has a magnet be sure to wipe-clean that too. No one else drains the torque converter and you can start it in neutral to purge the pump a bit more IN NEUTRAL. Woody

IF there is no magnet, I always add one to the pan for good measure.....

 

I would vote for the transmission flush. Typically they will back flush fluid through the tranny that will essentially "clean" the filter in the process, so no filter change is required. And the prices you list for that process seem very reasonable to me. My SRT had 86K on it when I bought it this past April. In less than 1000 miles, my tranny started slipping when I would drive it "spiritedly". The dealer found a code that said "improper gear ratio", so instead of doing a back flush, I had to have them drop the pan to see if there were signs of abnormal wear in the transmission. Luckily, none were found and I had them do a back flush as well once they put the pan back on to ensure all the old fluid was out of the convertor. Since then, it has never slipped again, so I think it was worth it.

On a side note, had tranny problems with my '99 Dakota at 70K. Had a back flush done on the tranny and she just turned over 147K and is still running strong.

RL

 

Drop the pan and replace the filter and fluid yourself. Their is a drain plug in the pan so it makes it much easier. It is very important to change the filter at least once from when trans was new and breaking in. I have heard too many horror stories about pressure flushes, not for me.

Here is what I plan to do very soon to my very own since I just turned 50k:

First drain fluid with drain plug. Capture the fluid in a bucket and measure the amount of fluid you get form just the drain plug. Make note of the amount.

Next drop pan and change out filter. Install pan and refill to proper level.

Then in 100 miles or so, drain just the pan and refill with same amount.

James

 

And how do you refill? Break the cap off at the fill location and reseal it with what? Remember, there is no dipstick.

 

Just because you break the seal, doesn't mean the cap won't fit back on. The cap will fit back on fine. I think it has a lock on it so the dealer knows if someone has been into it. Actually its not a seal, its a lock tab you must break to release the cap off the tube.

The dipstick issue has been hashed over a million times here on the forum.

James

 

Thanks everybody for your advice and help with this. At this point I'm leaning towards having the dealer do a transmission service ($200) - they told me that includes a new filter, pan gasket and fluid top up.

The dealers have told me that If I do it myself I need to count on 5 + quarts so :

If I need to buy 6 quarts of fluid @ $22.50/quart,
Pan gasket at $20-ish (Advance Auto price)
Filter at $32,
Totaling $190 ( + tax)
I gotta be nuts not to have the dealer do it for me for $10 more!

I'll post back here with the results.
Thanks again very much for everyone's help,


Dave

 

Two things to think about.

First thing is your pricing. I bought my items from a reputable and recommended store here on line. OEM Filter $15.75, OEM Gasket $8.15, Drain plug gasket $1.53. Plus a small shipping charge. I bought my fluid for less than $10/shipped (1 quart) to my house. Bought 9 to be on the safe side.

Second thing is that if you do it yourself, you know it was done and correctly.

Just my opinion why I plan to do it myself.

James

 

Hi

Right or wrong, I went with the filter change and topping up of the fluid. The dealer put in 5 quarts & changed the filter and the out-the-door price was $203.
I didn't have any issues with the transmission before and it works just as well now. Hopefully there won't be any problems with the transmission in the future.
Thank you everyone for your advice and help with this!

Dave