Can't Flush the Transmission

Dirtbiker · June 3, 2015

Well I had an interesting day. My warranty was up at 60,000 km about four weeks ago. The truck is 16 months old. Two weeks ago I had to pay $170 to fix the air conditioning because of a faulty valve.

This didn't make me happy. Probably the tenth time I have used the air and it is broken.

Yesterday I go in for an oil change and get told my rear end is leaking. At least the power train warranty covers it. Although from past experience I am shocked that it does.

The tranny oil is getting brown so I told them to flush it. First they phone to tell me the transmission is plugged somewhere as they can get the fluid to come out. They tell me if it is the cooler that is plugged it won't be covered by power train warranty. Then call me to tell me they have never flushed one of these new ones and don't know how to.

Really? I asked why after a truck is in its second year of production, does GM not have a procedure to flush the transmission? They can't tell me. They are looking into it

Ha ha. That to me is unbelievable.

So within a month of warranty being up, the rear end leaks, the air conditioning quits and they can't flush a tranny that shouldn't have brown fluid in it yet anyway.

Every couple years for the last 12 I buy a new GM truck. That is five in a row. I hate to say it but every new one gets worse and worse as far as reliability.

I know they all have problems but next year ( or sooner if this keeps up) i think I will be trying Ford. They can't be any worse......

I really liked this truck in the beginning but I am really starting to hate it quick.

That is all for my rant I guess ha ha.

nadrojcote · June 3, 2015

I had a leaking transmission cooler line that I cut off and clamped on a new one instead of installing the entire new gm part. This allows me to remove the clamp and run the truck to pump out all the old fluid. I think they can do the same by removing the transmission cooler line from the side of the transmission and it will drain out the side. I was going to flush mine because it looks pretty brown as well, but I decided not to because the manual says it should last longer, I can't recall how many km it says in the maintenance schedule off the top of my head though. Mine is just about to hit 80,000km.

The GM official way of flushing it is to remove the pan and filter from the transmission and let it drain from there and replace the filter at the same time.

jvanwinkle2 · June 3, 2015

Just a question about fluids for these trans. Can you we use transynd in these? I ran it in my built Allison and I liked it. I've read through the specs and it says it is for hd transmission.

tnchevy · June 3, 2015

Fllushing tranny fluid sometimes causes more harm than good. I have always took the pan off and drained it that way and replaced the filter every 30k miles. I know that only gets out about 1/3 of the fluid but is better than nothing.

newdude · June 3, 2015

Just a question about fluids for these trans. Can you we use transynd in these? I ran it in my built Allison and I liked it. I've read through the specs and it says it is for hd transmission.

Dexron 6. Transynd is a Dexron 3 fluid.

thewhitestallion · June 3, 2015

A wise man once told me; anyone can build a vehicle that can last forever, that is easy. The hard part is building a vehicle good enough to last through the warranty and then fail once the warranty is up.

Obviously there is no concrete evidence but it makes sense and if our vehicles never broke down well, then a lot of mechanics might be flippin' burgers instead of fixing vehicles. (not saying mechanics cant do anything else, just using "flipping burgers" as an expression)

bigsapper · June 3, 2015

There is now a thermostat used in the transmission line. That is probably the source of the blockage.

Stoddard · June 3, 2015

They may not flush correctly due to the thermostat inline. Gm does not endorse flushing, in turn they say replace the fluid.

spectaculous · June 4, 2015

Flushing is a bullish!t shortcut. You need to drop the pan, change the filter and then go back with all new fluid. Pain in the @$$ I know. And most mechanics won't even do it. They just offer the flush.

I did it twice on my last truck (Colorado) and it was a pain, but there is a satisfaction you get knowing your truck is being maintained as it was supposed to be. I don't buy the whole theory that tranny fluid is best left alone. It has a lifespan. And the brown color is pretty normal. If you change it when the severe service interval says to (45k miles), you are good...

spectaculous · June 4, 2015

Invest in a vacuum pump for this job. You can remove most of the tranny fluid in the pan thru the tranny dipstick tube. It will make dropping that pan a lot less messy than if you didn't...

Dirtbiker · June 4, 2015

The only reason I asked them to flush the tranny was because the lube bay at the dealership told me I should. I don't care how it is changed, it just needs to be changed. They didn't even suggest just dropping the pan. If that is what has to happen they should have just told me that.

Now I know what has to happen, I will tell them ha ha.

Thanks

Silverado-Hareek · June 4, 2015

Well I had an interesting day. My warranty was up at 60,000 km about four weeks ago. The truck is 16 months old. Two weeks ago I had to pay $170 to fix the air conditioning because of a faulty valve.

This didn't make me happy. Probably the tenth time I have used the air and it is broken.

Yesterday I go in for an oil change and get told my rear end is leaking. At least the power train warranty covers it. Although from past experience I am shocked that it does.

The tranny oil is getting brown so I told them to flush it. First they phone to tell me the transmission is plugged somewhere as they can get the fluid to come out. They tell me if it is the cooler that is plugged it won't be covered by power train warranty. Then call me to tell me they have never flushed one of these new ones and don't know how to.

Really? I asked why after a truck is in its second year of production, does GM not have a procedure to flush the transmission? They can't tell me. They are looking into it

Ha ha. That to me is unbelievable.

So within a month of warranty being up, the rear end leaks, the air conditioning quits and they can't flush a tranny that shouldn't have brown fluid in it yet anyway.

Every couple years for the last 12 I buy a new GM truck. That is five in a row. I hate to say it but every new one gets worse and worse as far as reliability.

I know they all have problems but next year ( or sooner if this keeps up) i think I will be trying Ford. They can't be any worse......

I really liked this truck in the beginning but I am really starting to hate it quick.

That is all for my rant I guess ha ha.

Skip Ford go with Toyota if you're considering another brand. The reliability of Toyta is un freaking believable. Yes I know all manufacturers have their problems, but we're talking the big picture trends here. My 2007 Silverado was a lemon but if this 2014 proves to be just as un-reliable, I will be going straight to a Toyota dealer and looking at a Tundra TRD Pro.

With that being said, what kind of a dealer hasn't done a transmission fluid flush/change/whatever before on these trucks?!? On my 2007, I had a pleasant experience with the tranny fluid change from my dealer. Even though my transmission ended up having a faulty part that snapped a year later, the side mechanic I went to said the tranny looked pristine and in extremely good shape when he opened it up other than the one part that snapped in half. So that tells me the dealer did a good job, whatever procedure they used for changing the fluid.

nadrojcote · June 4, 2015

The only reason I asked them to flush the tranny was because the lube bay at the dealership told me I should. I don't care how it is changed, it just needs to be changed. They didn't even suggest just dropping the pan. If that is what has to happen they should have just told me that.

Now I know what has to happen, I will tell them ha ha.

Thanks

They dont' HAVE to drop the pan, it can be flushed by removing the transmission cooler line out of the side of the transmission and running the engine. This will activate the pump which will pump out the transmission fluid.

Jordan18 · June 4, 2015

Skip Ford go with Toyota if you're considering another brand. The reliability of Toyta is un freaking believable. Yes I know all manufacturers have their problems, but we're talking the big picture trends here. My 2007 Silverado was a lemon but if this 2014 proves to be just as un-reliable, I will be going straight to a Toyota dealer and looking at a Tundra TRD Pro.

With that being said, what kind of a dealer hasn't done a transmission fluid flush/change/whatever before on these trucks?!? On my 2007, I had a pleasant experience with the tranny fluid change from my dealer. Even though my transmission ended up having a faulty part that snapped a year later, the side mechanic I went to said the tranny looked pristine and in extremely good shape when he opened it up other than the one part that snapped in half. So that tells me the dealer did a good job, whatever procedure they used for changing the fluid.

I would second this. As I've stated before here I have a 2014 F150 as a company vehicle, and there's about 20 at my worksite. They run into some strange VVT issues as well as 100 mile brake parts. Not to mention the 5.0L is more of a pig on gas then I thought, and I wouldn't look at an ecoboost either.

I got my transmission fluid changed twice in the 150K km (90k miles) I have owned my 08 sierrat, never had issues with it.

wandern · June 4, 2015

Skip Ford go with Toyota if you're considering another brand. The reliability of Toyta is un freaking believable. Yes I know all manufacturers have their problems, but we're talking the big picture trends here. My 2007 Silverado was a lemon but if this 2014 proves to be just as un-reliable, I will be going straight to a Toyota dealer and looking at a Tundra TRD Pro.

With that being said, what kind of a dealer hasn't done a transmission fluid flush/change/whatever before on these trucks?!? On my 2007, I had a pleasant experience with the tranny fluid change from my dealer. Even though my transmission ended up having a faulty part that snapped a year later, the side mechanic I went to said the tranny looked pristine and in extremely good shape when he opened it up other than the one part that snapped in half. So that tells me the dealer did a good job, whatever procedure they used for changing the fluid.

Ok, you have me laughing on the floor here. Have you actually OWNED a Tundra? I know several long-time Tundra owners who have moved to Ford or GM vehicles this year because of the problems they've had with their trucks... Another friend just had Toyota warranty the entire frame because of rust. Go read a Toyota forum and you'll see the same whining as you do here. My truck (not a Toyota, FWIW), is flawless.