MarknMD

Hi all, great GM forums! On my 4th Chevy van now. I just did a trans fluid and filter change on my 2017 and only put in the 4qts i drained out and the unit i believe holds 12.5 qts with the converter. So the old fluid gets 4 fresh qts added to the mix. I use a fluid extractor straight through the fill tube so no dropping the pan unless you change the filter. I am looking for opinions about doing a just a fluid change every 15,000 mi so most of the old fluid is eventually exchanged with fresh fluids and then a flilter change at 50,000 mi? I am not a fan of the transmission flush system.

pros/cons

Appreciate your constructive comments.

kevinkpk

15K mile change is , IMO overkill. I don't do the reverse fluid change either. I would, change mine around 60K with screen. I do pull a small travel trailer without a cooler. Just my opinion.

MarknMD

I thought so too at first. But half the milage on this vehicle is pulling a 4,000 lb travel trailer. I actually do it on our 2016 CRV. Several posters on the Honda website do it also and have quite a discussion about the honda tranaxle fluid change procedure. It costs me $40 a fill and the filter is $50. I like the idea because at the very least part of the 12 qts is getting cycled regularly. instead of just 4 qts every 50,000 mi.

thanks for the thoughts!

mountainmanjoe

I think it's ok to do it that way a few times.

I would still drop the pan once in a while. The magnet gets full of particles and needs to be cleaned off. Also, the filter might get dirty eventually. It's also good to get an eyeball in there to make sure everything looks OK.

MarknMD

The filter would be changed every third fill (45,000 mi).

mountainmanjoe

hm so 2 partial replacements and 1 pan service in 45,000mi. That does sound a little bit overkill. Even for towing.

The newer Dexron VI fluid is synthetic so it should last quite a while. GM's "severe" change interval is once every 45,000 mi.

StanVan

I'd have to side with the overkill crowd on this. But the transmission is probably the most neglected part of most vehicles, so good on ya for not neglecting it.

mountainmanjoe

I'm going to say the cooling system is most neglected. If it's not oily then people don't seem to think it needs changing.

Beau Oszman

Maybe they just think of it as "putting it aside" instead of neglect. Neglect is such an ugly word.

MarknMD

It probably is overkill but i like the idea of getting fresh fluid at regular intervals instead of just 4 qts out of 12.5 qts every 50,000.

StanVan, nice work on your van. I really like the running boards you got. Can you tell me about them?