Topic: 97 Acura 1.6EL Automatic Transmission Filter

[yugrus]

Flushing becomes a necessity.

Not really if you change ATF regularly. I mean, in transmissions that you actually can do that. At the current ATF cost, even synthetic, it is not a big deal to drain and fill every other oil change. No flushing would be needed ever.

[articsteve]

Fluid degradation is the main concern when dealing with automatics. Flushing becomes a necessity. Manual tranies on the other hand can be serviced quite easily. I do my own fluid changes on both my cars. Drain and fill.

Manual transmissions only really require the "fluid" to be changed to remove debris/contaminants.

Steve,

How do you service your manual transmissions?? Just looking for some insight.

Cheers

How do you service your manual transmissions?? Just looking for some insight

If it's the first time I've done a drain on a particular car I first make sure that the fill plug can be loosened.  I do this because once I drained a manual tranny and then found that the fill plug was seized.   Other than that I just drain it out and use a hand pump cylinder device to inject the new fluid back in the side (where the fill plug usually is).

[articsteve]

Not really if you change ATF regularly. I mean, in transmissions that you actually can do that. At the current ATF cost, even synthetic, it is not a big deal to drain and fill every other oil change. No flushing would be needed ever.

No flushing would be needed ever.

I'm not so sure about that.  Like you say it depends  on how far the car has gone and how much fluid it holds.  In my Saab I do what you describe.  But I had a fairly new Volvo S70 and at 48K when I got it home I flushed it which took 16 litres.   Pretty messy. 

[yugrus]

Oh, of course I meant if you drive and fill regularly from new. I see what you mean.

[barrie1]

The Saab may be a GM owned produc tbut the tranny design is not the normal tranny setup that they use. I would suspect they use the GM trannys in the majority of their products which does have a filter setup built into it. 

[articsteve]

They use Opel trannies.

Between the two types:  filter and no drain plug and no filter but with drain plug,  a tranny without the filter but with the drain plug is the more practical design.

Fortunately, GM has no mechanical involvement with Saab or obviously they would be hardly running.   However, GM management has messed around with it's "being" and Saab is much the worse off because of it.  Removing the hatch from the 9-3 because Americans don't like hatches is the prime example.