Confused on how to change transmission fluid for auto tran Sl2

[mlambert77]

My car: 99 SL2 with Auto Tran
I'm getting 'slammed' when in reverse, but after driving for awhile (stop and go traffic going home), I get a hard slam shifting gears.

I'm going to change the transmission fluid/filter tomorrow to try the reverse slam, and had a question about it. On Wolfman's How to on the Slam, he says to use new fluid and an additive. On his how to for changing the fluid, he says to use new and used fluid when re-filling it.

I purchased 3 quarts of Valvoline's Maxlife w/Dexron, and the 24oz bottle of Lucas' transmisson fix (which does anyone have an opinion on Lucas?)

What I'm confused on, is do I use just the clean fluid and the additive to do the slam, then after 10k miles or so, change the fluid, this time using Mobil1 and the new/old fluid exchange? Or do I do the new/old exchange with the additive for the reverse slam fix?

Sorry for being such a noob, I just don't want to mess up my transmission anymore than what it is now. As it is, I can drive to work in the morning with it in "D" just fine, but on the way home, I have to manually shift using "2,3,D."

[eljefino]

That's a good way of doing it, cheaper fluid first, then the best last. You might need another quart of ATF for topoff.

[mlambert77]

And would 10,000 miles be good to change it again with the better stuff, or should I do it sooner?

And it's fine to just pour out the old fluid, and add the new fluid with the Lucas treatment?

[Uzzy]

Originally Posted by mlambert77

(which does anyone have an opinion on Lucas?)

I like it. I've used it before with good results. I haven't had terrible problems, but others that I know have and it helped.

[CND_SC1]

Originally Posted by Uzzy

I like it. I've used it before with good results. I haven't had terrible problems, but others that I know have and it helped.

That Lucas Transmission fix is a huge bottle and it sounds very thick & syrup-like in there. Do you use the whole thing?

It seems alot of the additives are advertised with "stop leak" features which are not really needed on a Saturn, might even be counter productive to the purpose of cleaning out the valve body passage and disolving whatever was in there?

I have finally found a PROLONG product here in Toronto. It' a smalll 1/4 quart white bottle labled Prolong Transmission Treatment, product No. 15002. Is this the one recommended by Wolfman?

[CND_SC1]

I also wondered about that 10K mile turn-around time? Suppose you do flush out some build up - should you drive around with it hoping it disolves and does not redeposit itself in various places over time?

My idea was to do another fluid exchang within 4-6 weeks, hoping to dump the fouled fluid within a few weeks and try to start the winter wit at least 4 or 5 quarts of fresh and better flowing Mobil.

Also, for the Slam Cure, is it a good idea to do 10 miles of brisk highway driving to heat everything up? Or should the Cure be done IMMEDIATELY after the fluid exchange, while the new ATF & additive are still separate from the old leftovers?

[dildog]

I used Seafoam Trans-Tune (1 pint) and my reverse slam problem was cured 100%. Since the seafoam additive was such a small amount in comparison to the 4+ qts of Trans fluid I see no reason to drain the additive out. Seafoam rocks!

[Uzzy]

Originally Posted by CND_SC1

That Lucas Transmission fix is a huge bottle and it sounds very thick & syrup-like in there. Do you use the whole thing?

I did on my S-10. It was real sluggish, and the tranny was just feeling beat, and I thought I felt it slip ever so slightly. It helped a bit, but the new fluid and filter probably did the most benefit.

[Tiger]

I did the reverse slam with Prolong. Then became a member at BITOG. They recommended I not keep it in my system because of the chemical make-up. So I changed fluid it after 3,000 miles with Mobil 1. I did that several times. I do not know about the Lucas product, but I have read where Wolfman said that the additive should be thin, not thick. I just did my 30,000 mile service. I needed 5.5 quarts of Dex III after changing my filter. It may be due to jacking the car up on the drivers side. Maybe more fluid drains out, but I would have at least 5 quarts, 6 to be safe (whatever is cheapest) for the cleaning. I just put the ramps behind my rear wheels and idled in reverse for 30 minutes. It took care of my problem.

[GreenSC2]

You may also want to have your battery/alternator tested.

When the voltage starts going down, the electrically controlled transmission can have shifting problems.

[CND_SC1]

[QUOTE=Tiger]I did the reverse slam with Prolong. Then became a member at BITOG. They recommended I not keep it in my system because of the chemical make-up. So I changed fluid it after 3,000 miles with Mobil 1. I did that several times. I do not know about the Lucas product, but I have read where Wolfman said that the additive should be thin, not thick. QUOTE]

The quick change is waht I had in mind,4-6 weeks (700 -1000 miles).

Judging by the sound in the bottle, the thinest tranny additive appears to be the $6 TransMedic (also just 246ml). Are there any threads at BITOG on it's properties? Do they have a forum for transmission only? I find that board to be a bit of maze.

[Dr B]

I think the TRANSMEDIC is one of the preferred brands .
Make sure the car actually goes into reverse (pulling backwards )
before timing out the 20 -30 min. !
Others have tried this while only being in the reverse position .

[Tiger]

Judging by the sound in the bottle, the thinest tranny additive appears to be the $6 TransMedic (also just 246ml). Are there any threads at BITOG on it's properties? Do they have a forum for transmission only? I find that board to be a bit of maze.

BITOG has two forums that may be appropriate:

Additives, Fuel,Oil, Cleaners
Additives ONLY

Mechanical /Maintenance Problems, Tips, and Tricks
mechanical or Automotive Maintenance tips, Need help with a problem?

What I have done is doing a general search of the entire data base or a particular subsection. If the info I need is not there, I would ask questions. In the additive forum, probably would be the best place to find all the info available of transmission additives.

Here is what a Transmedic search yeilded.

http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/...60-203017-YHU4

Auto-RX seems to be recommended alot for cleaning deposits in the transmission. The first post has some info on the Lucus transmission additive.

[CND_SC1]

Originally Posted by dildog

I used Seafoam Trans-Tune (1 pint) and my reverse slam problem was cured 100%. Since the seafoam additive was such a small amount in comparison to the 4+ qts of Trans fluid I see no reason to drain the additive out. Seafoam rocks!

Curious: I've done some searches on Seafoam Trans-Tune and it seems most people use it just BEFORE changing the fluid. Did you use it this way or after the fluid exchange?

Alot of people are very happy with the Trans-Tune as a cleanser and it doesn't have any "stop leak" additives. Seems to be especially popular with truck owners. Some of them also use small quantities of GM Top Engine Cleaner in the trans.

Others think Seafoam is too harsh and if not flushed out it could damage bushings, seals & gaskets. We don;t have those on S-Series, right?

[dildog]

Originally Posted by CND_SC1

Curious: I've done some searches on Seafoam Trans-Tune and it seems most people use it just BEFORE changing the fluid. Did you use it this way or after the fluid exchange?

Alot of people are very happy with the Trans-Tune as a cleanser and it doesn't have any "stop leak" additives. Seems to be especially popular with truck owners. Some of them also use small quantities of GM Top Engine Cleaner in the trans.

Others think Seafoam is too harsh and if not flushed out it could damage bushings, seals & gaskets. We don;t have those on S-Series, right?

It did the trick for me curing the reverse slam, I just used 1/2 pint, and since there is nearly 5.5 gt of trans fluid their I'm going to worry about changing out the fluid just to get a small amount of Seafoam out by comparison of how much trans fluid is in there. Besides, Seafoam is petroleum based so I am sure it will burn out in time. I believe the instructions say prior to a flush to give it some time to work through the valves, but I do not believe there is any harm to leaving it the transmission until the next service interval.

[OU812]

Can someone explain to me what the hell reverse slam is?

[Tiger]

My experience was I got off of the highway, pulled into the driveway, put the car in reverse...and nothing happened, then all of the sudden..bam! It went into reverse in a very harsh/intense jolting way. Scared the you know what out of me. It reminded me of a truck I had with a bad U-joint that would give a jolt when putting it into gear.