New Truck, looking for good insight!

[BenJass]

Got a new truck. 96 k1500 z71 350 142k miles. Everything is factory besides your basic alternator, starter, etc.

I've heard that introducing new fluids to the tranny or differential can "shock" the system and cause unintentional issues. Although this doesn't make much sense to me, has anybody heard the same? I'm thinking about doing a differential service on both front and back along with Tranny + filter. Everything is running fine I just know by the receipts the guy gave me that this work was never done before.

LOOKING FOR OPINIONS: If you had a 96 350 with 260k miles. Tranny was replaced before and shifts great, motor is tired obviously and the differentials seem to be on the weaker side too. Many new parts like shocks, u-joints, ball joints, tie rods, etc.

Would you keep it for parts or put it on the land of craigslist?

Happy Halloween!

[arcasey]

 

Got a new truck. 96 k1500 z71 350 142k miles. Everything is factory besides your basic alternator, starter, etc.

I've heard that introducing new fluids to the tranny or differential can "shock" the system and cause unintentional issues. Although this doesn't make much sense to me, has anybody heard the same? I'm thinking about doing a differential service on both front and back along with Tranny + filter. Everything is running fine I just know by the receipts the guy gave me that this work was never done before.

LOOKING FOR OPINIONS: If you had a 96 350 with 260k miles. Tranny was replaced before and shifts great, motor is tired obviously and the differentials seem to be on the weaker side too. Many new parts like shocks, u-joints, ball joints, tie rods, etc.

Would you keep it for parts or put it on the land of craigslist?

Happy Halloween!

 

 

 

I personally have no experience with changing of the fluids causing issues, but I have had two friends with similar trucks that did change the transmission fluid after not having changed it in over 100,000 miles and they were doing tranny rebuilds only a few weeks later. It was probably just a coincidence but if it's still running fine and it hasn't been changed, I probably wouldn't touch it. I've got a buddy who works on transmissions and he along with his shop supervisor have both told me they would not advice changing fluids in the tranny if it hasn't been changed on a regular basis. As far as the differentials go, I don't think that is as much of a problem, way less moving parts and clearance issues than that of a transmission. I would say you're probably okay to change the differential fluids.

 

I am currently buying my 96 K1500 for probably the 3rd time around and it has 230k miles on it. It's just had so many problems in such a short time that I've already dug the hole so deep that 6 more inches isn't going to change much for me but if I had it to do over again I would have sold that truck right after the transmission went out at 200k. So, my advice would be to clean the old one with 260k and set it beside the road and get what you can get. You will be money ahead in the long run but that's just my opinion.

If you know of some parts that are pretty new and in considerably better shape than the same parts on the truck with fewer miles then you might could replace the newer parts to the truck with the lower miles.

[BenJass]

It just worry's me that the tranny fluid may have never been changed. It also worries me because these trucks I feel consistently have their tranny's go out between 150k - 200k. The tranny on the new truck is working out just fine. Just would feel good to have another on the side. But in all honest, it might cost more to take the tranny out of the old one and swap it in with the new one instead of just flat out buying a new one?

 

You're probably right and that's what I'm leaning towards is just selling the truck. I'm probably thinking too deep into this anyways lol.

[barry G]

I was a quick lube man, just swap the fluid.

convertor keeps some, the cooler has dribbles left over too.. shocking is temperature related, but can be confused by sudden viscosity change.

No worse than rattling the rods to a new motor oil.

 

as for keeping or selling, either way it looks like you don't want the truck as a whole.

just look at new and old costs.

Entire companies revolve around rebuilding these thrannies better than ever.

The diffs, the same, you could go to the strongest stuff known to man, bolting it on.

 

 

up to you.

There is flippers of old stuff all the time,. that is how I get good deals, and keep them.

 

you can even break the rails in half and fix it with 110v welding.

 

 

these trucks left off needing to be modernized on some electrical subjects.

the biggest frier of anything is bad juice.

Carbon is good, oil is good, leaks, that is all good..

 

play with modern LED etc. Even the alternators are different than 1996.. bolt new stuff right in. Fuel pump has changed, the ht6 is not the same as back then either.

[Semikrazy]

ATF is a very high detergent oil so yes it can cause transmission problems if you add it to a transmission that hasn't been serviced in awhile. It's best to just leave it alone until it needs replacing.

I worked at aamco from 89-95 FYI

 

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