Changing transmission fluid at 170,000 miles?

[Kevin]

My Concorde, as far as I know, has never had the transmission fluid changed but I’m worried it might be too late to change it? I added fluid today and compared the smell to the new fluid and it smells identical 🙂 Fluid has a brown tint (ATF +4 claims this is normal) but like I said fluid does not smell burnt. Thanks for your replies.

Topic

[dan]

i think you will be fine with a simple change and filter change, just don’t do a flush.

[Kevin]

[quote=”13aceofspades13″ post=107456]i think you will be fine with a simple change and filter change, just don’t do a flush.[/quote]

I’ll plan on having it changed a couple weeks from now. I’m going to use full synthetic ATF +4. Why do these owner’s manuals claim you never have to change the fluid?

[dan]

if the owners manual claims you never have too change fluid its probably one of those sealed assembly transmissions that they say only requires a fluid change under normal driving conditions. what year is your vehicle?

[jdub1022]

I really wouldnt take the risk. it COULD be ok but id drain a quart of the fluid out of the cooling line and add lucas transmission oil 1 quart

[Bill]

I would change the fluid as preventive maintenance. If it’s not burnt, black or dark brown I would go ahead and change it.

[dan]

[quote=”jdub1022″ post=107468]I really wouldnt take the risk. it COULD be ok but id drain a quart of the fluid out of the cooling line and add lucas transmission oil 1 quart[/quote]

i would not recommend adding Lucas transmission fix or whatever that stuff is too your transmission fluid in these modern transmissions, even these sealed assembly transmissions recommend changing there fluid if driving conditions are above normal, at least usually…

[Kevin]

[quote=”13aceofspades13″ post=107463]if the owners manual claims you never have too change fluid its probably one of those sealed assembly transmissions that they say only requires a fluid change under normal driving conditions. what year is your vehicle?[/quote]

1998 Chrysler Concorde, it says the transmission should be changed every 60,000 miles under severe conditions.

[Lorrin Barth]

I don’t intend to say transmissions are no better than the used to be. Thirty years ago if you got much past 100K on a THM350 without blowing the front seal you were doing good. But the sealed transmissions are the same transmissions they were selling before with a sticker added. Owners don’t like paying for maintenance so a no maintenance transmission is a good selling point.

If you change the fluid and a month later the transmission fails you will know you never should have done it. If you don’t change the fluid and it fails a month later you will be convinced a fluid change could have saved it. The thing is, at 170K your transmission is no longer young. Whatever you do, down the road it is going to need work.

[dan]

[quote=”TheOtherKevinBeam” post=107532][quote=”13aceofspades13″ post=107463]if the owners manual claims you never have too change fluid its probably one of those sealed assembly transmissions that they say only requires a fluid change under normal driving conditions. what year is your vehicle?[/quote]

1998 Chrysler Concorde, it says the transmission should be changed every 60,000 miles under severe conditions.[/quote]

then i would change the fluid, but BarneyB makes a very good point, 170,000 miles is a trans thats reached a age, and at any time you could start having issues.

[EricTheCarGuy]

I cover this very topic here.

http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-transmission-problems

[Kevin]

[quote=”13aceofspades13″ post=107646][quote=”TheOtherKevinBeam” post=107532][quote=”13aceofspades13″ post=107463]if the owners manual claims you never have too change fluid its probably one of those sealed assembly transmissions that they say only requires a fluid change under normal driving conditions. what year is your vehicle?[/quote]

1998 Chrysler Concorde, it says the transmission should be changed every 60,000 miles under severe conditions.[/quote]

then i would change the fluid, but BarneyB makes a very good point, 170,000 miles is a trans thats reached a age, and at any time you could start having issues.[/quote]

Well I talked to a mechanic friend, who owns a shop, and he claimed that it should be O.K. to change. I’ll plan on changing a couple of weeks from now. The reason I think it will be o.k. is because the fluid still has a pink tint to it (ATF just adds dye that wears off) and it smells like new fluid. The fluid seems slippery if I feel it my hand and compared to the new fresh fluid, can you even check that?

[Author]

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