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For the past 25 years now I have been rebuilding automatic transmissions, both as a GM dealership trans tech and now with my own shop. I experiment with automatics. I do crazy stuff like building a super heavy duty transmission and running it on nothing but pure hydraulic fluid, or pure motor oil just to see what it would do and how it would stand up. Between customers work, I build my own, install it and beat it to death just to see how those HD frictions or hard parts would hold up. This information helps greatly when I am building racing applications. My wife says I have too much time on my hands and I'm too destructive. LOL What I want to try to help people understand is properly servicing their automatic transmission on their own vehicles so they dont end up having to come through my door. Dont get me wrong, I always like making new friends and I definately like the money I make. NO, I DONT HAVE A BOAT PAYMENT... but over the years, I commonly see transmissions coming across my bench which shouldnt be there. I'd say approximately 90% of the work which crosses my bench on a weekly basis is there due to improper or lack of servicing. Most transmission techs, me included, push for transmission servicing every 25-30k miles. I, personally recommend a pan drop (for vehicles so equipped) filter change, check and note any debris in the pan, clean pan, reinstall and refill using ONLY manufacturer recommended fluid. I, personally would stay clear of those fast lube places and their famous flushes. I would only flush an automatic if the fluid is contaminated and even then, I would have the flush done by a certified transmission shop. These fast lube places have a tendancy to hire kids off the street with absolutely no experience in transmissions to operate a flush machine. One of the main gripes I have with shops with flush machines is that they find it unnecessary to first drop the pan and change the filter before they flush the transmission. The reason why, well, it takes up too much time. "I buy a flush machine to make transmission servicing faster, NAH, theres no need to change the filter, the flush machine will clean it" I can tell you that this statement is a load of, well, you know what. Some manufacturers claim that their automatics have lifetime fluid and they never require servicing. I can tell you that this statement is a load of, well, you know what. Manufacturers use this to sell more vehicles. If someone tells you that your maintenance costs can be cut dramatically by buying their vehicle, would you buy it? You bet. With the prices of transmissions these days, you are much better off spending $100 or $150 every 25-30k. Thats cheaper than changing your oil every 3k miles. When choosing a shop, first go by word of mouth, maybe a friend or co-worker had a good experience with a certain shop. I would stay away from big chain shops, they are volume, volume,volume. Get em in get em out, get their money. Stay with a small independant, mom and pop shop. If you have any questions about something I might not have covered, feel free to ask. transman
transman GM MASTER TECHNICIAN SR. TRANSMISSION BUILDER   
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Rank: Old Wrench Junior Member
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Transman, what a wealth of knowledge you must have on transmissions that I only wish I had. I'm curious if you've had many or any BMW transmissions apart, and if so, what was your opinion on the design and construction? Are they significantly more difficult to rebuild than something from Ford or Chevrolet? Also, which manufacturer do you feel builds the sturdiest and weakest transmissions, or perhaps rather the most tolerant of abuse? My area of expertise is engines and general repair, so my automatic transmission knowledge is sorely lacking.
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An outstanding post Transman! Hopefully some car owners will read it and save themselves a lot of grief, and money, by following your advice.
The same thing can be applied to other areas also. Change the fuel filter and save the pump, change the plugs fairly often, check the valve lash on a solid lifter engine and possibly prevent some cylinder head work or replacement, etc.
It's a shame that many people will ignore maintenance and when some expensive problem occurs they want to point the finger at the car maker, dealer, mechanic, the mechanic's dog, etc. Anyone but themselves.
As to your 90% figure I have to agree wholeheartedly with that, and not just on tranmissions either. Probably 90% of the head gaskets, engine overhauls/replacements, etc. that I've done was caused by owner neglect or abuse.
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ok4450 wrote:An outstanding post Transman! Hopefully some car owners will read it and save themselves a lot of grief, and money, by following your advice.
The same thing can be applied to other areas also. Change the fuel filter and save the pump, change the plugs fairly often, check the valve lash on a solid lifter engine and possibly prevent some cylinder head work or replacement, etc.
It's a shame that many people will ignore maintenance and when some expensive problem occurs they want to point the finger at the car maker, dealer, mechanic, the mechanic's dog, etc. Anyone but themselves.
As to your 90% figure I have to agree wholeheartedly with that, and not just on tranmissions either. Probably 90% of the head gaskets, engine overhauls/replacements, etc. that I've done was caused by owner neglect or abuse. Yeh, Great post Transman. When I saw it I thought "I better go get a new cup of tea, this looks like a long read". Not being able to get a past maintenance record on my '02 Tahoe (126k miles) when I bought it, I had 'my' tech replace the fuel filter the other day. The old fuel filter was clean as a whistle. At least now I have a record to follow.
The trouble with doing nothing is not knowing when you're finished.
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Dave G. wrote:Transman, what a wealth of knowledge you must have on transmissions that I only wish I had. I'm curious if you've had many or any BMW transmissions apart, and if so, what was your opinion on the design and construction? Are they significantly more difficult to rebuild than something from Ford or Chevrolet? Also, which manufacturer do you feel builds the sturdiest and weakest transmissions, or perhaps rather the most tolerant of abuse? My area of expertise is engines and general repair, so my automatic transmission knowledge is sorely lacking. Hey Dave, Yes, worked on many ZF transmissions. They are pretty stout, they have their own little quirks but all in all, a decent transmission. I havn't been able to beat on one yet, but I might one of these days. My wife just shakes her head every time I build a beater. She WILL NOT let me drive her 06 Trailblazer, she says she needs it to get the baby around and doesnt need me destroying it, so I dont think I should let her see me beating on a Beemer just yet. Its kind of funny, every time we go somewhere shes always driving. They all build good and bad, Ford 4R70W which are in Crown Vic's used by police are very stout. I build many of those for my county and city contracts. Police are rough on their transmissions. I tweak them a little bit for the officers. They will come by the shop on duty and have me check out their patrol cars. I keep them happy, so they bring me their personal cars for transmission work. My big brother has ambulance company contracts to service ambulances in his shop, and of course, I take care of their transmission work. The 4R100 in the Ford ambulances are a monster. That is a big transmission. Very heavy duty and stout. They used to have bad lube problems in the tail section which was tearing up tail housings. The ones I think I abuse the most is the GM 700R4/4L60E and the TH350 I build a lot of racing 350's and 700R4's as well as HD units for camper towing. Chrysler RWD units went through bad issues of internal leakage, bind up shifting, and electronic failures with the governor circuits. I could go on for days on the different transmissions and their issues but one thing remains the same, They all have their good and bad units. transman
transman GM MASTER TECHNICIAN SR. TRANSMISSION BUILDER
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Thanks for the info Transman-it's very interesting. It sounds like you see pretty much everything through that shop of yours.
How are those Corvette transaxles holding up in the 1997-2002 models? My father has decided to look at some C5 Corvettes, but I'm not sure If I want to point him towards a stick or automatic on these cars. He used to race cars many years ago and even today at age 78 he can still be a bit abusive haha.
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Well, a lot of these threads are old, but I just got here recently.
This was indeed a great post. I don't think you (transman) have too much time on your hands. I think you have a great "hobby" which is all the better because its also your job. How much better does it get than that?
Anyway, if you happen to come thru again transman, I am about to do the pan on a '00 Chevy Venture with a 4t65e (though I'd guess you know that part).
I always get confused by the transmission fluid b/c they keep changing. The trans was built when Dex III was the standard GM fluid. But GM now says to use Dex VI for all Dex III apps. Then I go to an auto parts store and find that I can buy: something labeled Dex VI by a few different manufacturers, or stuff labeled Dex/Merc. Some of the multipurpose Dex/Merc bottles say its good for all Dex specs even up through VI. Others say not to use it where Dex VI is called for but that it meets Dex III.
I'm sure anything that says it meets Dex III is probably "fine" but I'd like to use what is "best." Of course, the Dex VI is more expensive by comparison. I'm happy to pay it tho, if it is the optimum thing to do. What would you do if this was your van?
- Dex VI, only OEM brand
- Dex VI, any label (Castrol, Valvoline...)
- Anything that says its good for Dex III applications?
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Sorry it took me so long to get back here cranky. My sister and myself have been dealing with our mother who we just got out of the hospital.. As for the fluid, just use any label Dex VI. When servicing, it can mix with previous versions of DEX. transman
transman GM MASTER TECHNICIAN SR. TRANSMISSION BUILDER
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transman618 wrote:Sorry it took me so long to get back here cranky. My sister and myself have been dealing with our mother who we just got out of the hospital..
As for the fluid, just use any label Dex VI. When servicing, it can mix with previous versions of DEX.
transman Seriously transman - you really should be sorry - if you're going to be an expert giving out free advice on the internet you really should be more prompt  Really, though. I appreciate it. The world of trans fluids is confusing and it is good to get a straight word on the right thing. I picked up some Coastal Dex VI. The pan looked good - no metal but probably more clutch sludge than I would have liked (at least I assume that's what the black stuff is). But this is the first time the pan was dropped in 70K (the previous owner had it flushed w/out pan/filter with about 35K on it). Hope your mom is ok
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[/quote] Seriously transman - you really should be sorry - if you're going to be an expert giving out free advice on the internet you really should be more prompt [/quote] I know, those paying jobs are for the birds, huh........ 
transman GM MASTER TECHNICIAN SR. TRANSMISSION BUILDER
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Thanks for the insights transman. I did trans pan drop, filter swap, fluid refill about a month ago on a 2001 Pontiac Montana with 60K on it. It was my first tranny service. As promised, it was messy, but I think I have helped the old buggy out. In any case, your encouraged me before I did the job from over on the cartalk website. Thanks again for your help.
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Awesome job. Yea, they're messy but some people just dont know how much good they are doing by this service. If more people did this kind of service every 25-30k my business would be drastically cut (Did I just say that?). I can say that, I dont have a boat payment.
transman GM MASTER TECHNICIAN SR. TRANSMISSION BUILDER
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transman618 wrote:I can say that, I dont have a boat payment. Yeah, but you might need to save for college if that lovely princess next to you wants to go. I'm right in the middle of college with my 3 daughters. I'm glad I saved a lot over the last 25 years for this time.
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The next time the transmission pan is off you might consider either adding a drain plug kit to it or having a bung welded on to allow the use of a drain plug. This would aid a lot in preventing transmission fluid from covering the south 40 acres.
Some foreign cars have used transmission pan drain plugs for many years and it's a huge aid.
The boat payment thing is a bit humorous to me but I'll ask Transman; how many mechanics do you know who even own boats?
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I actually knew 1 tech back in my dealership days who had a boat. Most techs I know are avid hunters. I dont do either. When I am away from the shop, I'm with my daughter and son.
transman GM MASTER TECHNICIAN SR. TRANSMISSION BUILDER
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Maybe it's a regional thing based on geography. A minority of techs I know hunt and fish and even then they would not be considered avid.
Around here the closest decent place to go fishing is about 30 miles away and finding a hunting spot is even more difficult. It's about all farmland and just about every square foot is posted by the owner or by someone who is leasing the land for hunting purposes.
That's a cute little girl you've got there! My kids are all grown, have careers going, and many times I've found myself wishing they were all back to being 5 or 6 years old again so I could return to all of those things I used to do with them; whether it's fishing, going to the arcade or Putt-Putt golf, or taking them to various activities while on vacation.
Can't back up Father Time unfortunately and so my spare time is spent doing what else; tinkering with nuts and bolts on old cars/motorcycles or dinking around with my guitars.
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It's nice to see your face, transman. Here's mine. 
Jeremy
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Yea, its kind of nice to be able to put a face with the posts. Especially with the regulars. My daughter, Hannah is just a daddys girl 100% She's my shadow. She clings to me and has to know where I am at all times.
transman GM MASTER TECHNICIAN SR. TRANSMISSION BUILDER
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Here in Mexico is a paradise for paternal men, like several of us, at least once you establish a reputation as a 'safe' man.
My wife's cousin who built our house has two grand-daughters, age 1+ and 4. I play with them. One game for the older one is Kissing Monster. When she sees me coming, she starts running away, but she is laughing and laughing. I chase after her, making monster breathing noises and shouting, "Kissing Monster" in English. The adults are laughing and laughing. She only runs 100 yards or so, because she does want the kiss. When I catch her, I give her a very loud forehead kiss and still laughing, we walk back where the adults are.
Then, there is my 12 year old grand-daughter. Not related at all, but when she was very small, one day her mom was walking downtown, and had her hands full. So, I picked up the baby and carried her. I don't even remember it, but the women all did. She adored me, and when I'd walk by and not pick her up she'd cry because I wasn't paying any attention.
I had no idea of any of this until she was big enough to walk. One day, I walked by and she toddled across the street and hugged me as high as she could, around my knees, and said, "Grandpa." (In Spanish, of course.)
We have essentially adopted each other as grandpa and grand-daughter. I go on Mondays and help her with her English home-work, which is really basic stuff, required by the government but virtually worthless.
Two years ago, when she was 10, I went to do homework one day, and she invited me in to work on her English. I soon realized her mom wasn't home. We went and sat on the stone bench by the tree in the backyard. When her mom came in, she smiled and told me hello. I was nervous, because in the US such a thing as visiting a ten year old girl when her mom was gone, is unthinkable.
There isn't enough money in the world to get me to do either one of these things in the US.
A week or so ago, I went to visit a cousin's family. He has two young daughters, and I always give them forehead kisses, too.
I did it, and there was a chubby little girl visiting. I know who she is, vaguely, but that's all. I realized she was looking at me expectantly, so I asked if she wanted a kiss, too.
She nodded her head, and I did, and she looked satisfied as if she had received her deserved tribute.
On the other hand, I NEVER call a daughter or anyone else, princess. That is a popular thing to do, but there is a major problem right now with young adult women who believed it. There are not going to be any princes, only ordinary, good men like your wife married.
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