my 01 scab has about 130,000mi on the clock and ive been thinking about doing a trans fluid change because i dont know if its ever been done. the fluid is still the correct color/smell. still shifts good. all i plan to do is drop the pan, drain the converter, new filter. anyone got any thoughts on this?

 

Alls good except the converter likely has no drain plug.
You need to have a machine flush or try to run 'most' of it out through the line going 'to' the radiator while the engine is idleing.
Total specified volume minus Pan amount is what's left in the converter, lines and radiator cooler.
You may not get it all out especially the radiator.
The machine flush accounts for it all by total volume and flow through the whole system.
Then if you want to drop the pan, save the new fluid and replace the filter, your all good to go.
The correct level on the dip stick is in a fully hot idle condition.
Good luck.

 

Try looking in the "Transmission" section of the forum....

 

my 2001 has a converter drain plug. the 2002 does not... If it has a plug, you can get another 8 quarts out of the converter. THE pan will have 5 quarts.. I would vote against a POWER flush that can loosen up all kinds or crud and pump it into the valve body. Drain what you can and move on.

 

i would never do a "power flush"... that can really mess things up. ill tackle it and go from there

 

Clean the magnet too

 

Agreed. Avoid the power flush, drain what's possible (with or without a converter plug) and call it good.

 

I dropped the pan on my 2004 heritage at 30k and could not beleive how much metal "slime" there was. You know, that metal ultra fine sluge. Wiped it all out, replaced the filter, and topped it back off. Mine does not have the drain plug on the t/c, and I didn't like the idea of running the tranny dry to try and get the rest out. If the fluid looks good I wouldn't worry about getting it all out. I would drop the pan though and clean it.

I did it again at 60k and there was nearly no sluge in the bottom this time. I guess it's just a break in issue. Than again, my forward planetary gear set shattered at 130k, so maybe it was crap to begin with.

Also, don't be freaked out if you find a yellow plug with an o-ring in the bottom of the pan. I thought it was a valve piston. It's the plug for the dip stick tube. Once the tranny and engine are joint and in the truck, they just stab the hole with the filler tube and push the plug into the pan. Trying to figure out where the little b@st@rd came from was an hour wasted under the truck.

 

My 2001 had a drain plug also Bluegrass is mistaken.

 

what are the chances of things getting messed up afterwards? like i said, shifts great, fluid is correct color/smell...

 

Change the fluid.
The fluid in my truck was never changed before I bought it at 133k miles. I put in about half a can of the seafoam trans cleaner in the transmission and drove about 50 miles. Changed the fluid. Shuddering went away and no problems since. Drove it 20k in the past year and I tow a boat in the summer.