I'm thinking of having Pep Boys do my tranny service. I just need the fluids changed out. Should I trust them with this?

 

I would trust Ammoco...

 

I personally would not, at least not where I am. I've used Pep boys for different things. I buy my tires there. In the past I have used them for several different things. Simple things, ok. I once had a small motor home - '72 Ford 1 ton. Had the transmission fluid changed among other things. When I got it back it didn't shift right. I'm not a mechanic, but I've owned Ford trucks for years. All trucks from 1/2 ton pickups F-350's to F-600 dump trucks. I know when something is wrong. The guy left out some simple part. After dealing with the *** they called the manager, telling me that because it was an older truck, changing the fluid was the cause, they found the part laying on the concrete. Put it back in and shifted fine. I would do it yourself or find an independent who has a good reputation.

 

If your Pep Boys is anything like mine here I would not take my truck to them. I had a friend that had them change a water pump and when they did the job they did not put a radiator hose on right and a day later it came off and lost all the antifreeze and blew the head gaskets and they did not want to take care of the damages but were willing to charge $800.00 to fix it. Yeah right. Just my opinion take it for what it is worth.

 

You can do it. You can do it. You can do it. You can do it. Try it yourself. You will know it is done right and you can get great directions off this site and others.

 

I was told by a mechanic at Aamco that tranny flushes can sometimes do more harm than good. The way he explained it to me is that the way it is done can blow slivers of metal up into your gears and mess things up bad. If you get it done make sure they pull your pan off first.

 

The Aamco mechanic either doesn't know how the flush works or is trying to sell his own service.

During the flush the fluid flows the same as when the transmission is operating, except new fluid is replacing the old. The new fluid enters the same way that the old fluid did, so nothing changes. It won't blow slivers of metal anywhere they didn't go before.

 

Let me know is this is right:

1. Drain the initial fluid by removing the drain screw (7-8 quarts).
1a. Fill 7-8 quarts up tranny fluid? *
2. Connect a clear tube to the tranny cooler return hose.
3. Start the engine and let it drain out of this tube (7 quarts?)
4. Once I see air bubble, stop the engine and fill it up with tranny fluid
5. Start the engine again and wait for the air/bubble
6. Add another 7-8 quarts?

IS that is?

 

That's basically it, except that you want to do this when the tranny is warm, to guarantee that the bypass valve is putting the fluid out to the cooler, not just back over to the open hole in the side of your transmission. (The fluid comes out just fine either way, but life is much nicer when it's in the bucket the clear tube is in, not all over your frame and garage floor!)

Oh, and I would add to the start-engine-and-pump steps "With your foot on the brake, slowly run the trans lever through all the gear positions, to make sure the fluid is pumped through all the possible passages in the trans."

Duncan

 

I will NEVER give Pep boys any business. About a year ago or so they had a class action suit against them for firing several employees because the employees were activated for military duty. I also would not trust Aamco either. Ask around for recommendations to a local mom and pop trans shop. They have more to loose if they get a bad reputation. Since you said you have a drain plug I will assume you have the 4R100 or Torqshift, either of these should have a torque converter drain plug as well.

 

I also say to not trust Amoco. Our local mom-n-pop transmission places rely on repeat business and word of mouth advertising only and they seem to do pretty well. The one I'm thinking about is very good and seems to concentrate 1st on doing a good job and 2nd on taking your money. All experience that I've had with chain shops says they concentrate 1st on taking your money!

 

I wouldn't let Pep-Boys vacuum the carpets in any vehicle I own much less do a tranny job. I never went to AAMCO so I do not have an opinion on them, though I have not heard many good opinions on AAMCO.
I have little - correction - NO use for Midas, I've not taken my car to them for service but I was standing in the lobby to ask about having a muffler put on a previous vehicle. I overheard the service adviser (male of course) telling a youngish female that her car was "too dangerous to drive" and it needed over $1000 in repairs "right away" and if she wanted to take it elsewhere they would only let her take it away if a tow truck came to take the car, after of course she drove it there. Scare tactics. I said something out loud to the effect of if you can drive it in, you can drive it out and left.

 

This is OT, but I'll continue:

When I was a poor college student I took my VW Van into Midas for a $60 front brake job. The next thing I knew it was on the rack, all four wheels off, they were pointing at the buildup of crud inside the rear brake drum (normal dust) and said they had to do everything or nothing at all - totalled over $600! I said put the wheels back on and I'm outta here. Never went back even for a free safety inspection. I don't know how they stay in business.

 

I called AAMCO this morning and inquired about the transmission service. I told them about my truck and said that it takes 18 quarts. He said that by the time they are done, it will probably be around 20 quarts. I was kinda pleasantly surprised because he seems to know what he was talking about. BUT then he mentioned "Mercon V".
It send chills down by veins.

 

You never said what kind of truck you have so if you have the torqshift trans then Mercon V is ok. But if you have the 4R100 then no. If you do not mind, fill in your profile with pertinent info like truck make, model, mods, and your general location. Maybe someone here knows of a good trans shop in your area they can recommend. Plus it will help in the future in case you have other problems.