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Flush or drain? Which one I should choose?

4K views 69 replies 20 participants last post by  walexelect 
#1 ·
Hi guys! I have a 2013 mustang V6 37k mileage. Now dealer let me do the transmission fluid flush and ask for $230. I just heard that flushing may hurt the transmission, and I know few about this. I am wondering should I choose flush or drain, and is the price reasonable? THANKS GUYS! :lol:
 
#5 ·
8 minutes at 1 AM :facepalm:
:hide:
I drain and fill change filter every other time and drain fill change filter then flush on the other time.
On a vehicle that pulls around a load I flush it every time. My F150 could flush itself which made it easy to do at home.
 
#3 ·
Drain and refill is something you could do yourself and only cost you the fluid. Depending on your fluid preference, price will vary.

As for flush or drain and fill I don't know but I usually just hear people talking about drain and fill.

Might be an auto vs manual thing too though.
 
#4 · (Edited by Moderator)
Drain & refill should be fine, IMO.
(Of course, they will want to charge you the most the can,)

99% of the life of your car, just a drain & refill will really be just fine.

The only real reason you would need a flush is if your radiator/system is contaminated.

Or, if your vehicle is around 20 years old, & there is more scale or sediment; then you would need more flushings.

You can do a drain & refill yourself, & safe yourself some $, but if you do, you have to make sure you do it the right way.
(same as changing your own oil.)
 
#6 · (Edited)
$230 is a good price. Make sure they drop the pan and change the filter then flush the transmission. My Ford dealer did mine a couple years ago for $200. They use low speed (pressure) fill so you don't have to worry about metal getting pushed around. :)

My Ford dealer told me the next time they will only need to flush the transmission and wouldn't have to change the filter.
 
#10 ·
Do you have a manual or automatic transmission? I believe the requirements differ per type.
 
#13 ·
:lol: :thumb:
 
#15 ·
Pull the trans dipstick, wipe the stick between your thumb and index finger and assess the condition of transmission fluid. If it's still nice and pink and feels smooth in texture probably a drain, filter, and refill will be fine at 37K. If it's brown and smells like burnt sugar from miles of smoky burnouts I would have the dealer analyze it carefully and look for metal or clutch pieces in the filter or pan when they drop it to see if further maintenance and a thorough flush is needed.
 
#20 ·
I was not aware of that-my hot rods have all been manuals for quite a few years. From what I gather loosening the torx screw in the middle of the drain plug may give a drop or two of fluid to check it's condition. The overall process to change the fluid sure a lot more complicated then when I was turning wrenches back in the day!
 
#30 ·
If I was you I would drop the pan, change the filter and add whatever it takes to top it off, probably around 3 quarts. Each year after that I would drain the pan and add an additional 3 quarts. After about 3 years of that put another new filter in it and repeat the process. (This assumes that the fluid in there now looks ok.) I'm not a big fan of flushing as I'm not sure how much of the old fluid it really gets out. Think about it, once they drop the pan and change the filter they will put in enough to fill it back up again, lets assume 3-quarts. They then hook the machine up to the cooler lines that go into and out of your radiator; at least that's what they did when I had this service on one of my cars. Not sure how many quarts your transmission holds but let's assume 9; that means there are 6-quarts of dirty fluid in the trans. I just don't believe that the new fluid they pump in pushes nothing but old fluid out. It would seem to me that new fluid would mix with old in the torque converter, at the very least, and push a mixture of old and new out leaving some old stuff still in the trans. I guess if you pump enough though you could eventually get most of it out but how much new stuff do they have the machine put in when they flush it, I for one don't know; you should probably ask this question. When I had mine flushed my car had a chatter in the trans and the flush fixed this problem. I had to do it as I waited too long before changing the fluid, probably around 90K miles. I think with your mileage taking off the pan and changing the filter, and cleaning all the metal particles out of the pan, is all you need. If your pan does not have a drain plug you can buy a pump with a small hose to snake down the filler pipe to drain the pan each year after than. So it comes down to this. Are you handy enough to drop the pan and change the filter yourself or do you want to spend $230 to have someone else do it. You can probably save around $200 if you do it yourself but it is a messy job. As I remember when I had mine flushed they didn't even drop the pan and change the filter; if you get the flush make sure they do that.
 
#35 ·
Our automatic Mustangs come from the factory with The Motorcraft fluid which is synthetic.
 
#39 ·
I 'think' this 'transmission flush is bad' started because of these quickie lube places. You know the ones that do a pan drop, filter change and fluid flush in 4 1/2 minutes :(
 
#40 ·
If your not track racing your pony weekly there is no need to have the transmission fluids flushed or drained at 37k miles. Waste of money that's all. I had a transmission flush, pan dropped and new filter it in at around 53k. I had a transmission shop AAMCO do the work. It was like 240 dollars. A transmission flush is the best way to go

Sent from a non car enthusiast V6 mustang owner's cell phone.
 
#41 ·
Flushes are bad on high mileage transmissions that have not been regularly serviced, i.e. had flushes or routine maintenance done at recommended intervals. It's probably fine on low mileage transmissions, especially if the dealer does it. As stated, I wouldn't trust a jiffy lube like place to do it. I guess I should have clarified. On another note, does the owners manual maintenance schedule even require flushes? If not, the dealer is just trying to upsell services not required by the vehicle manufacturer.
 
#53 ·
Dog has a point.....I'll throw in that I would consider this a dealer item. You want to make sure the machine always does the Ford fluid...not what Chevy uses.

Note: I don't really know how the machines work but BELIEVE that it will make cross contamination harder.

I hope my car lasts as long as Keith Richards :)
 
#57 · (Edited by Moderator)
(My brothers a mechanic)
Bottom line: if you have a new vehicle, & get regular flushes, it's fine;
But, if you have an older vehicle (20-years old, or so,)
flushes can loosen gunk, & actually cause damage.


Sent from my iPhone 7+ using Mustang Evolution. ?
(& my dad just had a blood clot, & went though 18 bags of saline just to irrigate his bladder lol) ...same difference...
 
#59 ·
It's not a matter of age, but rather how often you do the flushes. My 2003 truck has had transmission flushes every 30K, as I tow heavy trailers with it.
 
#61 ·
Modern day synthetic fluids are so well made, I wouldn't even worry about it this early in your cars' life. Drive it another 37kk miles, then think about it
 
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