[jhanson08]

As the subject states, I am curious about opinions on replacing trans fluid. I have a 2016 1.5l turbo with a 172k miles on it. I've been religions about oil changes but the dealer always quoted astronomically high prices for trans works. I have younger friends new to DIY mechanic work and I have older ASE certified friends who have been doing this stuff for over 40 years. One says go for it and the other says doing it now will do more harm than good.
The fluid has never been replaced. I've not had any problems with shifting either but feel like the fluid should probably be exchanged.

Thoughts and reasons?

 

[DrivenDaily]

Drain and fill only. Do not flush. New fluid, even if only 50%, is better than old fluid.

 

[campb292]

The great news is you are providing a nice case study in the supposed "lifetime" fluid. You are at 172k and write you have no problems with shifting.

Selfishly I'd like to know how far it goes on "lifetime" fluid so would love to see letting it ride. The two conflicted ASE techs both have valid points. One school - change it before the fluid wears out at 200k so you can go beyond instead of breakdown. The other school of thought says it is running so well don't risk upsetting the learned clutch adaptives. If I had to decide, I'd probably leave it alone at this point. If you do change, odds are it'll be fine and hopefully extend theoretical life of the transmission. Like DD wrote, drain and fill only.

Let us know what you decide and how it comes out.

 

[repairman54]

Lots of ''urban legend'' myths out there. Changing the fluid, which is only a partial drop and fill anyway, will not hurt a healthy trans. at all.
If trans. acts up after a fluid change it was shot anyway. Most ''late term'' overdue fluid changes are done as a symptom was starting to appear and it was the only quick, cheap attempted fix hence ''it ran before I changed the fluid''.

 

[jhanson08]

I am going to give the trans fluid swap a shot. For the 2016 1.5l 4cyl turbo, what would be the proper fluid? I did see a tutorial here on the forums but when I went to my local dealer to grab the fluid, they said it was the wrong stuff.

 

[campb292]

I am going to give the trans fluid swap a shot. For the 2016 1.5l 4cyl turbo, what would be the proper fluid? I did see a tutorial here on the forums but when I went to my local dealer to grab the fluid, they said it was the wrong stuff.

You want Dexron-VI fluid. ACDelco DEXRON-VI is what is originally in the unit from the factory. Part numbers can vary - the original ACDelco fluid is ACDelco part 10-9394/GM 88865601. That was is a synthetic blend that is DEXRON-VI. There is also ACDelco part 10-9243/GM 88865549 which is full synthetic. Both are DEXRON-VI and fine to use.

 

[jhanson08]

You want Dexron-VI fluid. ACDelco DEXRON-VI is what is originally in the unit from the factory. Part numbers can vary - the original ACDelco fluid is ACDelco part 10-9394/GM 88865601. That was is a synthetic blend that is DEXRON-VI. There is also ACDelco part 10-9243/GM 88865549 which is full synthetic. Both are DEXRON-VI and fine to use.

Now they do make a full Synthetic as well I believe. Would there be any benefit into going that route?

 

[campb292]

Now they do make a full Synthetic as well I believe. Would there be any benefit into going that route?

My dealer gives me the full synthetic stuff when I visit the counter. Other times I just get it from Amazon or Rock Auto. Theoretically the full synthetic would be better than a blend - it may hold viscosity at a wider range of temps. But both are Dexron-VI and what you need according to the manual.

Hey when you went to the dealer to get the fluid and they said it was the wrong stuff, what were they trying to give you? They didn't move on to a new DEXRON-VII or anything? Canola oil?

 

[Laura D]

I'm on the fence on the transmission empty and fill.
2017 Malibu LT 1.5/6 speed going on 80,000 miles. All required vehicle maintenance is done on schedule, so this is coming up. Car runs tip top and want to keep it that way.
What is your advice. I've never done this on any of my cars and they lasted up to 140,000 miles.
TIA,
Laura

 

[1966tbird]

If I could I would drain the torque converter for the ~10qt of fluid it in and pull the pans off and replace the screen/ filter and the 2-3qts of fluid there. Then fill with the 12-13 qts of fluid. Then you have a fluid change.
Next Best, for me would be the fluid flush. In this process they disconnect a line from the transmission cooler line at the radiator and flush through the transmissing 12-25qts of fresh fluid through the transmission. Draining old fluid out as they pump in fresh fluid. If one also replaces the transmission filter/screen..so much the better.
Better than nothing is just remove the pan and replace the filter/screen and a few quarts of fluid.

now this is old school. But remember, there are some 12-13quarts of fluid in the transmission. It all gets dirty, burt, and breaks down with heat and age.

it’s too bad most torque converters no longer have a drain plug behind the flex plate one could get to.
If there was any excuse to remove the transmission, draining the torque converter and a torque converter flush is on top of the list before the transmissing goes back in.

 

[DrivenDaily]

I'm on the fence on the transmission empty and fill.
2017 Malibu LT 1.5/6 speed going on 80,000 miles. All required vehicle maintenance is done on schedule, so this is coming up. Car runs tip top and want to keep it that way.
What is your advice. I've never done this on any of my cars and they lasted up to 140,000 miles.
TIA,
Laura

If I could I would drain the torque converter for the ~10qt of fluid it in and pull the pans off and replace the screen/ filter and the 2-3qts of fluid there. Then fill with the 12-13 qts of fluid. Then you have a fluid change.
Next Best, for me would be the fluid flush. In this process they disconnect a line from the transmission cooler line at the radiator and flush through the transmissing 12-25qts of fresh fluid through the transmission. Draining old fluid out as they pump in fresh fluid. If one also replaces the transmission filter/screen..so much the better.
Better than nothing is just remove the pan and replace the filter/screen and a few quarts of fluid.

now this is old school. But remember, there are some 12-13quarts of fluid in the transmission. It all gets dirty, burt, and breaks down with heat and age.

it’s too bad most torque converters no longer have a drain plug behind the flex plate one could get to.
If there was any excuse to remove the transmission, draining the torque converter and a torque converter flush is on top of the list before the transmissing goes back in.

@Laura D
Have the transmission drained of all that can be removed, then filled to the correct level. This will change about 50% of the fluid, which is the best that can be done with modern transmissions that have no pan and no means to drain the torque converter (TC). What some have done, including me, is to drive it until the next engine oil change, then drain and fill the trans again. This will (mathematically) yield 75% new fluid in the trans. Doing it again would be 87.5%, etc.

By all means, do NOT flush the transmission! What @1966tbird brings up seems to be a good idea, that of flushing as much fluid as possible by means of pumping it out while replacing it with new. However, GM advises against any form of flushing, whether by using an external machine that has a pump and the new fluid, or by starting the engine and letting the transmission pump do the work while someone adds new fluid. GM says that either method can lead to damage and they will not warrant a transmission that has been flushed by either method.

That leaves you with the safest course of action to be a drain-and-fill. Sadly, the TC does not get drained, so to get more of the old fluid replaced, you'd have to drain-and-fill multiple times to get a higher average ratio of new fluid to old fluid.

Starting with the 2008 models with the 6-speed transmissions, there is no user serviceable filter, either! The screen is permanently trapped between the 2 halves of the case. To replace it requires a full tear-down of the transmission.

Imagine if changing the oil on the engine no longer included a new filter!

For over 10 years, owners have lamented this stupid design because it takes away the ability of those who are conscientious about maintenance and forces them to deal with what amounts to an appliance that is tossed when it's old rather than having a machine that can be maintained and serviced.

 

[repairman54]

Is it good to run any pump dry or low? NO in my book as to pumping out via the trans. cooler lines and starving pumps and seals of fluid.
Just do the drop and fill. Measure how much came out and refill with the same amount of any Dexron VI approved fluid with maybe a couple oz. extra.
Really dirty or neglected fluid then run it 100 miles and do it again.
You never will fully drain any automatic trans. unless you removed it and totally disassembled it. Even if it had a pan on the bottom.

 

[jeffman66]

i would be curious what all you have done to the vehicle in all the years ? , at 170,000 thats some milage, i had a 16 and was a great runner , flushed tranny fluid myself at 58,000, with dex 6, no issues , but the original fluid came out black , some say it was additives in original factory fill

 

[jhanson08]

CampB292,
Thank you for the trans fluid tutorial. Coming from a guy that has not even completed an oil change on his own, this was straight forward.
I pulled out exact 4.5qt of trans fluid and I am super glad I did this. The drain plug was no where near 110in/lbs tight. It was a tight squeeze to get my hand into the location to remove the fill plug and hold onto it.
The fluid itself was indeed BLACK. I took a good look with a flashlight and saw only a couple metallic specs on the surface. It was an easy process overall and round 2 will happen after I put about 200 more miles on it.

Jeffman66,
I have been pretty religious about oil changes every 7500 miles. I had to replace brake pads and rotors at 160k. I have an ongoing problem with the gas pedal assembly. Seem like every couple years the computer throws an error code "I don't remember the code". It points to a throttle position sensor. I take it to the dealer and they say they have to replace the assembly. This has happened twice now. It it occurs a third time, I may start getting frustrated.
I was also one of the lucky individuals that had engine issues in the first 15k miles. Something about the ECM and piston firing. The dealer had to rebuild the motor with new pistons since one was cracked. I think this is when GM changed the requirement to full Syn engine oil on the 1.5 turbos
Outside of all that, the car has been great. I am getting a thump in the rear at low speeds and everything I have researched and this points to a bad rear hub ball joint. The hub will need to be replaced. Not sure if this is something I can tackle myself or will need a dealer for.

 

[campb292]

I'm glad the process worked out and the guide helped or at least provided reassurance. It is nice of them to allow access to the fill cap without battery or other part removal but it is indeed tight. According to the golf glove world I am a medium-large hand size. I have to my pointer and middle finger to put the cap back on and guide it out. One time I dropped the cap and it fell down just in front of the fill hole but out of reach. It took time, cussing, sweat, and finally an old wire clothes hanger to poke it all the way down so I could reach under and grab it.

As for the thump in the rear end, there have been many causes and several different fixes. Probably the most common has been the knuckle so make sure that is checked.

 

[Laura D]

@Laura D
Have the transmission drained of all that can be removed, then filled to the correct level. This will change about 50% of the fluid, which is the best that can be done with modern transmissions that have no pan and no means to drain the torque converter (TC). What some have done, including me, is to drive it until the next engine oil change, then drain and fill the trans again. This will (mathematically) yield 75% new fluid in the trans. Doing it again would be 87.5%, etc.

By all means, do NOT flush the transmission! What @1966tbird brings up seems to be a good idea, that of flushing as much fluid as possible by means of pumping it out while replacing it with new. However, GM advises against any form of flushing, whether by using an external machine that has a pump and the new fluid, or by starting the engine and letting the transmission pump do the work while someone adds new fluid. GM says that either method can lead to damage and they will not warrant a transmission that has been flushed by either method.

That leaves you with the safest course of action to be a drain-and-fill. Sadly, the TC does not get drained, so to get more of the old fluid replaced, you'd have to drain-and-fill multiple times to get a higher average ratio of new fluid to old fluid.

Starting with the 2008 models with the 6-speed transmissions, there is no user serviceable filter, either! The screen is permanently trapped between the 2 halves of the case. To replace it requires a full tear-down of the transmission.

Imagine if changing the oil on the engine no longer included a new filter!

For over 10 years, owners have lamented this stupid design because it takes away the ability of those who are conscientious about maintenance and forces them to deal with what amounts to an appliance that is tossed when it's old rather than having a machine that can be maintained and serviced.

Thank you so much, make sense🌺