Flush Transmission and Radiator?

[LostInOz]

Hey All,

I have a 2006 Chateau Sport (Class C) Chevy Express RV with about 60,000 miles on it. The previous owner took pretty good care of it, and I picked it up with about 38,000 miles on it. It's always been stored in a storage unit and is in really nice condition inside and out. It's my first RV and I've loved owning it.

Previous owner always ran Mobil 1 synthetic motor oil and had it serviced regularly.

I have a check engine light on (probably o2 sensor), and am going to get it serviced soon before spring arrives.

I got to wondering about the transmission and I seem to recall the manual says to change transmission fluid at 100,000 miles. BUT I'm gonna have the mechanic go through everything and replace anything that looks suspect (belts whatever) as it's getting some age on it since it's a 2006.

If you didn't know when the transmission and radiator were flushed last, would it be a good idea to go ahead and have these taken care of "just for the hell of it"? Or am I being overly cautious??

Anything else that's normally overlooked that I should have my mechanic take a look at while he's got it??

Thanks in advance for your knowledge and advice.

[CharlesinGA]

New hoses and new belts. Use OEM stuff. The auto parts store stuff is no where near as good. It will have some heater hoses with special quick disconnect ends on them. You can buy the ends at auto parts stores and then buy good red or blue jacket heater hose which will last forever. For the large radiator hoses I tend to go to the dealer, after that, Gates. All of the rubber parts on the vehicle are getting old. Power steering return hoses are probably rock hard, replace them and refill. The new fluid would be good for it. Pressure hoses hold up alot better. Brake fluid, bleed the fluid thru the system till fresh fluid is coming out. If you can find someone with the proper test box, they can exercise the anti lock brake pump to flush fluid thru it, then bleed again till fresh again. barring that, find a rural dirt road with loose dirt or gravel on it and lock up the brakes a few times to exercise the pump, then bleed again. The antilock never gets cycled so the fluid just sits in them. Brake fluid absorbs moisture, so it needs periodic replacement, otherwise the water in the fluid will boil when the brakes get hot and this causes lots of problems with brake operation and effectiveness just when you need them.

Charles

[Booner]

I think the big destroyer of a transmission is heat, not age or mileage. At 60,000 mile and driving a heavy vehicle up and down hills and/or towing a vehicle, your tranny has gone through some heat cycles, so yes, I would change the fluid. And if you want to get real anal about your tranny, add a aftermarket tranny cooler after the radiator to help keep the tranny temps down. When I'm stopped at a long traffic light I put my tranny in neutral to help keep it from getting hot.

Your 'check engine light' might be something as simple as a loose fitting gas cap; either you didn't get it on securely or perhaps the rubber seal around the cap has a crack in it. It will take about a 1/2 dozen on/off cycles of your engine for the check engine light to switch off after you cap the gas tank tightly.

I like Mobile 1 oil.

[Chum_lee]

LostInOz wrote:
Hey All,

I have a 2006 Chateau Sport (Class C) Chevy Express RV with about 60,000 miles on it. The previous owner took pretty good care of it, and I picked it up with about 38,000 miles on it. It's always been stored in a storage unit and is in really nice condition inside and out. It's my first RV and I've loved owning it.

Thanks in advance for your knowledge and advice.

Sounds like you got a great deal. Read the factory owners manual. Find the service schedule. Do what it says. Use the factory specified fluids. It's that simple.

Chum lee

[klutchdust]

What gave me the shivers is ....." the quick oil change place said "...

From what I have seen they tend to be entry level jobs to start your resume. My extended family uses them and I have told them that I will change your air filter for

a third of the cost and "when it's needed". No sooner does your car go on the rack and you are visited by the "mechanic" holding your air filter. Yes, I understand

they are working as directed and may be commission based BUT the older and uninformed get taken advantage of and that burns my butt. Don't ask me my opinion

concerning extended warranties. There newest one is brake fluid replacement on a car used around town, come on.....

Are you towing, driving a heavier vehicle, don't know the proper way to descend hills with your trailer or motorhome I could see that being necessary....going for

groceries and tooling around town....absolutely not.

[Gjac]

time2roll wrote:

BFL13 wrote:
I don't know if the quick oil change place's "machine" gets it all in one go, so it would be cheaper to get it done there if your trans oil is as horrible as that.

Thanks for the reminder. One more reason I may keep my truck forever. The torque converter has a drain plug. Drain the pan and TC and I get all but about 2 quarts out of the trans before I refill. I think 2001 or 2002 was the last year for this feature on Fords. Easy DIY.

Having the drain plug in the TC and pan are nice features, but the main advantage to dropping the pan is to see what shavings are inside the pan and wiping the sludge build up out. Also the magnet inside the pan needs to be cleaned because it can only hold so many magnetic particles. As I said in my first reply the remainder of the fluid can be pumped out using the transmission pump by just disconnecting the trans line to radiator as running the engine until the fluid comes out clean while you add new fluid. I would defiantly drop the pan for at least the first fluid change and the second depending on what it looks like inside.

[time2roll]

BFL13 wrote:
I don't know if the quick oil change place's "machine" gets it all in one go, so it would be cheaper to get it done there if your trans oil is as horrible as that.

Thanks for the reminder. One more reason I may keep my truck forever. The torque converter has a drain plug. Drain the pan and TC and I get all but about 2 quarts out of the trans before I refill. I think 2001 or 2002 was the last year for this feature on Fords. Easy DIY.

[BFL13]

As mentioned, the quick oil change place said I needed a trans oil flush, and I checked with my garage who freaked out at the idea of "flushing" to scatter any shavings etc around in the transmission.

After reading this thread, I checked with the oil change place to see what they actually do. He said they have a machine that takes the hose from the tranny pump and matches the same pressure the tranny pump uses for your vehicle, and just does an oil exchange at that pressure.

I asked about the mud in the pan and shavings. He said the stuff in the pan gets there, and any other gets caught in the filter (at your pump's pressure--same as their's) They change the filter.

So no harm done. Might be better not to call that a "flush" as was suggested.

I didn't ask my garage how they do it, but they don't "flush" it. You do get a new filter out of it with them apparently. 🙂 In the case of my Chev Sonic, the garage said the trans oil (6 yrs old) was so horrible, I would need a second run at servicing, since their one service does not get all the old oil changed out.

I don't know if the quick oil change place's "machine" gets it all in one go, so it would be cheaper to get it done there if your trans oil is as horrible as that.

It is all a mystery for we civilians not in the business! Just have your Visa at the ready. 🙂

[theoldwizard1]

Another drop the pan, change the filter and replace what came out. I recommend using the OEM transmission fluid.

I like Pristine Radiator Flush. I do a double rinse so I know there is no old antifreeze left. Because you can never really drain a cooling system I always use full strength coolant. Always check the level and strength after driving for at least 30 minutes and letting the engine COMPLETELY cool down.

[Grit_dog]

60k miles and 14 years old and new to you?
Yup, change ALL the fluids and start fresh.

[IAMICHABOD]

I have a 2006 Class C on an Express Chassis also.All the information so far has been good. I have a complete service record on my RV,it was a Former Rental. and the service you have in mind is a good one. My transmission fluid was changed at the 100000 mile service per the service manual.

I will add that 2 other things should be added to that list.If it has not been done you should change out your brake fluid. This was done on mine and also replaced rubber brake lines,front and rear.After 15 years they may deteriorate,mine were found to be in failing shape,they looked good on the outside but were bad inside,besides that are not expensive and a brake failure could be very expensive.

If you have a very good mechanic I would go over all these things with him,I did with mine at the 100000 mile service and I also changed out all the belts.

As for that pesky check engine light,my service records show that one 02 sensor was changed at 55000 miles and shortly after my 100000 mile service at about 103000 it happened again.

Good luck with all the services.

[LostInOz]

You guys have all been awesome. Lots and lots of good info in this thread. Sounds like we are pretty much in agreement that 60k is not too early to change my transmission fluid and coolant.

I appreciate all of the comments and your time.

[LostInOz]

time2roll wrote:
Flush is a bad word. Just think fluid exchange or fluid replacement. No added chemicals or procedures to "flush".

As for the cooling system I recommend just a rinse with distilled water and refill with coolant based on the volume specification to get to 50% concentration. Top off with distilled water.

yeah, I shouldn't have used the word "flush", I was just thinking of changing the fluid/filter....

[time2roll]

Flush is a bad word. Just think fluid exchange or fluid replacement. No added chemicals or procedures to "flush".

As for the cooling system I recommend just a rinse with distilled water and refill with coolant based on the volume specification to get to 50% concentration. Top off with distilled water.

[klutchdust]

joshuajim wrote:

klutchdust wrote:
My friend Jerry owned Jerry's transmissions for 35 years. He told me once" Do Not " flush your transmission. Change the fluid and filters regularly. On my Allison tranny

on my pickup there is an external spin on filter, it gets changed every oil change. When you check your fluid if it looks off color or smells burnt change it, even if it is not due by the mileage

suggestion.

I owned a transmission shop and would NEVER recommend a flush. Just drop the pan, inspect and replace fluid. If there is a lot of “mud” in the bottom of the pan, plan a rebuild soon. Probably sooner than you want as new fluid has detergents that will loosen up a lot of things that were glued together by old fluid.

It’s not the tranny shop that caused failure after a fluid change, it’s just a worn out transmission.

Comments he made were that parts weren't wore out but debris where it shouldn't have been. What exactly do the "flushers" say are the benefits? Why would you want your tranny flushed? $$$$ is my first guess.