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Hey guys,
Thanks for the replies. Sorry I wasn't able to get back here sooner. To all the folks who've said their ATF looks fine after 10k mi (or longer), I'd like to find out how you're evaluating that. Are you looking at it on the stick? 'Cuz mine still looked (& smelled, & felt) good on the stick. It wasn't until I could see it backlit, dumping out of the drain hole, that I could tell if it was really dirty or not. (If there's some other/easier method of telling, please fill me in on it!)
How many of us cringe at going the recommended 10k mi distance on the recommended semi-syn engine oil? I know the tranny doesn't see the same heat, shearing & combustion the engine does, but I think it's prudent to apply the same time ratio to the same type of ATF formulation. So, under "normal" driving conditions, engine oil changes are listed at 10k mi & ATF changes are listed at 60k mi. If you'll only go 3k mi on dino engine oil (1/3 the recommended "normal" distance), don't go any longer than 20k mi on dino ATF. And if you'll only go 5k mi on full syn engine oil (1/2 the recommended "normal" distance), don't go any longer than 30k mi on full syn ATF. (Assuming your tranny's filled with full syn to start with.)
I don't expect my ATF to be completely clean & clear each time I change it. That would mean I'm wasting fluid & my time. But until I can get it reasonably clean by draining the old dino (& refilling with syn) every 10k mi, I'm not comfortable extending out beyond that. Once I'm there, I think a drain & fill (1/2 the fluid) using full syn every 20k or 30k mi should be adequate.
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RagTop Tiger,
Yeah, I tried to get a full flush at the dealer at 30k mi. Long story short, they scammed me & ended up doing NOTHING to the tranny (not even a drain & fill), so my path was determined by their deceit. Actually, I think I prefer it this way, since I never would've known what it really looked like if they'd done their job honestly.
Thanks for the kind words! I'm always glad when my "linear" personality (as my wife calls it) helps someone else out!
Y'know, I haven't been too impressed with Redline's UOAs (or their marketing info), so I've never been motivated to giv'em a try. If it were me, I'd definitely run a UOA at 5k or 6k mi, just to see what's going on. Give Saab-guy Denis Adiletti a call over at H.O.Penn Machinery & ask for his special "Saab owners discount" on their UOAs. 860-666-8401
Dick in Falls Church,
I thought about doing exactly that: a "manual flush" with dino ATF & then doing it again with syn. But I have a problem running that much fluid thru the car (20 to 30 qts - yikes!), so I'm simply skipping the dino portion & extending the syn portion to 8k-10k mi intervals. (Or shortening the 60k mi intervals to 8k-10k mi, depending on how you look at it.) I also figgerd that since my wife doesn't like to hang onto cars too long, 10k mi syn ATF changes would probably keep it in better shape than 99% of cars out there, & we may not keep it long enough for the tranny to ever become an issue anyway.
Mark,
Nah, not on this car. Besides the questionable ownership term (see above), doing something like that would only leave me open to more "you ruined my car!" hysteria. And I already get enough of that.
Anders,
Actually, I remembered your comments from over a year ago (over two years ago?) about how you used to run one of the flush machines & how un-impressed you were with their performance. I guess they're great if you've actually got to flush out black, burned fluid & your only other option is a "manual flush". But if you're keeping on top of it, it sounds like they're overkill. And like you say, no need to keep the fluid in there for too long anyway. I just wish Saab's fluid spec was syn to begin with!
Gforce,
Sorry, but there's no way I'm ever going to be comfortable giving this a try. Even with help from a competent neighbor, I'd be way too nervous about doing this to my wife's car.
Bill,
Did they do a flush or a drain & fill? Dino or syn? Our tranny has also been flawless, & my original plan was to do a simple drain & fill every 30k mi. But seeing the fluid has made me realize how abused it gets. Since having the plug makes it so easy to change compared to dropping the pan (& my local dealers are so unreliable), I just figger why not do it a little more frequently myself?
Still lovin' the new bike?
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Thanks again guys! I always appreciate the input.
posted by 146.82.1...
Original "Change that ATF!" thread
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