Auto Tranny Maintenance

[SteelBlueGT]

At 30,000 miles I should probably replace the fluid in my auto tranny. But what should I do??[:I] I have noticed the pan gasket is a little damp with fluid so I think I should service the pan and gasketl. Pep Boys and a few others will flush all my fluids out and replace the oil for around $100 or I can have the pan removed and replace the tranny filter for around $40. My Mechanic which does not have the flush machine says replace the gasket and filter this time and flush at 60,000 to 75,000. He reasons that I need to replace the filter cause of metal shavings that sometimes are present in newer cars. Any advise??

[quicksilverdon]

MY OPINION. Chrysler autos aren't a strong point, and fluid change prolongs their eventual death.
At 30,000 miles you should be fine, so skipping the flush, just dropping pan & filter, is more than enough. Flush next time.
Use ATF+5 - it supercedes ATF+4. If you go the Pep Boys route - watch what fluid gets used - would be more harm than good if wrong fluid used.

[Cal Cruzer]

I really don't know the fluid line setup on the PT, but on my volvo turbo I would put it up on 4 jack stands, go under and disconnect the fluid return line from the cooler and add a clear tube to a drain pan. I would then, with the help of an assitant to move the trans to PRND21, run the car keeping fresh fluid going into the fill tube until clear came out. Then I would drop the pan and change the filter, put it all back together and was good to go. This way I was able to get all the old fluid out of the torque converter, or at least most of it.

[mich_132003]

quote:Originally posted by SteelBlueGT

At 30,000 miles I should probably replace the fluid in my auto tranny. But what should I do??[:I] I have noticed the pan gasket is a little damp with fluid so I think I should service the pan and gasketl. Pep Boys and a few others will flush all my fluids out and replace the oil for around $100 or I can have the pan removed and replace the tranny filter for around $40. My Mechanic which does not have the flush machine says replace the gasket and filter this time and flush at 60,000 to 75,000. He reasons that I need to replace the filter cause of metal shavings that sometimes are present in newer cars. Any advise??

Don't assume pan gasket is the problem. I had a persistent leak and they finally found it was the tranny oil pump gasket that needed replacing.