05 Escalade just hit 100k miles, ok to change tranny fluid?
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Scottydoggs
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has it ever been changed before? if not and the fluid is dark and has a burnt smell. sniff the dip stick. might be better off not changing it.
if it passes sniff and color tests, just do a pan drop and new filter.
a flush might just kill it if the fluid is burnt up.
if it passes sniff and color tests, just do a pan drop and new filter.
a flush might just kill it if the fluid is burnt up.
Scottydoggs
Full Access Member
id still just do a pan drop and filter change.
thats looking pretty good for the miles.
thats looking pretty good for the miles.
Alex_M
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Agreed, you should be good to drop the pan, change filter, refill with fresh.
Logan5
Member
Be careful when refilling, the tranny fluid takes much longer to heat up than the engine coolant does. You can easily drive your car to operating temp but your tranny fluid will still be cold, causing you to overfill the tranny, which later when it actually heats up and expands is overfilled and can aerate and burn your tranny.
SnowDrifter
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Wipe the dip stick off very, very, very well
Then pull a sample
Note the smell, put it on a white surface and look at it under light (air filter box sticker)
Exclusion criteria:
- Floating particles
- Burnt smell
- Dark enough to be confused with engine oil
- Milky in appearance
If none of those exist, you're good to change it!
Ideally, drop the pan. Filter change isn't strictly needed. The filter/pickup tube isn't a filter, so to speak. It's a screen - a rock-catcher, if you will, to grab any larger particles before they ruin the oil pump. But it doesn't really do much in the way of filtering the way we think of it. Not a bad idea, while you're in there, but it's not really a pat-on-the-back item.
Biggest thing you want to do is clean the magnets off in the bottom of the pan, get rid of all the metallic schmoo that exists.
While you're in there, get another pan magnet and stick it on as per TSB here: https://ls1tech.com/forums/attachme...350568544-new-turbo-gxp-service-bulletin-.pdf
Once you're at a known good starting point, you can do future changes through the dipstick tube with a fluid extractor. I do mine that way once a year.
Expect to add 3 to 4 quarts of fluid after dropping the pan. Don't overfill - too much is just as bad as too little!
Then pull a sample
Note the smell, put it on a white surface and look at it under light (air filter box sticker)
Exclusion criteria:
- Floating particles
- Burnt smell
- Dark enough to be confused with engine oil
- Milky in appearance
If none of those exist, you're good to change it!
Ideally, drop the pan. Filter change isn't strictly needed. The filter/pickup tube isn't a filter, so to speak. It's a screen - a rock-catcher, if you will, to grab any larger particles before they ruin the oil pump. But it doesn't really do much in the way of filtering the way we think of it. Not a bad idea, while you're in there, but it's not really a pat-on-the-back item.
Biggest thing you want to do is clean the magnets off in the bottom of the pan, get rid of all the metallic schmoo that exists.
While you're in there, get another pan magnet and stick it on as per TSB here: https://ls1tech.com/forums/attachme...350568544-new-turbo-gxp-service-bulletin-.pdf
Once you're at a known good starting point, you can do future changes through the dipstick tube with a fluid extractor. I do mine that way once a year.
Expect to add 3 to 4 quarts of fluid after dropping the pan. Don't overfill - too much is just as bad as too little!
Drop the pan, change the filter. IMO that is an actual filter, never heard it described any different. My trans builder (Performabuilt) states to change it or the warranty is voided so I figure it’s important enough. The process of dropping the pan will be a mess unless your pan has a drain plug that is removable. The factory at one point started using a thread lock that makes removing the plugs impossible to get off, if the plug is there at all. If the head starts rounding off when you try, it won’t come out. There’s very few Dorman items I recommend- their 4l60 pan with drain plug is one of them. It will make this easier in the future. I also recommend the LubeLocker pan gasket. It’s reusable and won’t leak. As far as the fluid level, it’s actually safe on a 4l60/65 to overfill a quart or even 2 but 2 quarts low will destroy it. If it’s way too full, the extra will go out the overflow tube. There is a process to fill it properly- look that up and follow it. There’s a cold mark on the dipstick just like on the engine oil dipstick. The hot check procedure involves holding the brakes and moving it through each gear including park and reverse, letting it sit in each position for a few seconds, then put it in park, leave the engine running and check the level. Google “overfilled 4l60e” and read up if you question the part about being too full, it’s pretty much impossible to damage it from that unlike an engine.
rockola1971
Full Access Member
I dont recommend ever flushing a tranny. Drop the pan and filter change, clean magnet. Refill with new fluid and good to go. Leave the fluid in the torque converter alone. Dont even think about running that tranny while low on fluid. You will destroy it, just like the others have said. Id rather you be 2qts over than 2qts under. Ive seen newbies burn a tranny up literally an hour or so after it came off the bench after being freshly rebuilt. No builder is ever very happy with that outcome.
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