http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Ermm.gifI'm considering changing my tranny fluid to synthetic, but am unsure how to go about it. Does it have to be pumped some way to make sure all of the old fluid is out? Won't simply draining the transmission leave a portion of the old fluid in? And what about the torque converter? Thanks.

See the following topic for more info on Allison fluid changes ...

Allison Deep Pan/Transynd Fluid Change Procedure (http://dieselplace.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1130&PN=1)


http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Geek.gif

Does it have to be pumped some way to make sure all of the old fluid is out?
Yes.

Won't simply draining the transmission leave a portion of the old fluid in?
Yes.

And what about the torque converter?
Pumping it out using the linked information provided above by jpblock should handle this isuue.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*--*

Not long ago I changed my trans fluid. There are several threads on this board that describe how to drain & flush the tranny. Each thread has some unique info in addition to restating info. I needed the information from several threads before I felt comfortable doing this job myself. Information posted by Hoot was very helpful to me.

I decided upon Amsoil Torque-Drive as my replacement fluid. It is supposed to be identical to the more expensive and higher-performing Castrol/Allison Syntech. Amsoil Torque-Drive is very close in price to their regular fully-synthetic universal transmission fluid, so the choice was easy.

The worst-case scenario: Using Torque-Drive, you'll be using a full-synthetic fluid that is Dextron-III compliant at a few dollars more than their regular synthetic fluid.

The best-case scenario: You get all the benefits of the high-performing Transynd at a few dollars more than Amsoil's regular synthetic fluid, and a lot less than using the Castol/Allison Transynd.

If you have already decided on a fully synthetic fluid, then a few more bucks spent on Torque-Drive sounds like a low-risk bet.

I use Transynd. I still dont trust Amsoil. But thats just my .02, also, yes flushing your system will get all the old fluid out. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Approve.gif

When switching over to synthetic, is it necessary to get out all the old fluid first? I changed mine to synthetic. I just drained the pan, and added. Will change again in the fall. Any problems?

When switching over to synthetic, is it necessary to get out all the old fluid first? I changed mine to synthetic. I just drained the pan, and added. Will change again in the fall. Any problems?

It's an expensive way of doing it but eventually with a couple more changes you will be fully changed over to synthetic. If you are going to change the fluid again anyways I'd spend the extra $$$ up front do a full flush and be done with it. Dex111 (dino) is compatible with Transynd.

Oops! I posted in haste without searching for any previous relevant threads first, but found them later. I'm leaning to just taking it to a shop and have them do the flush, filters, and refill with Transynd .... this time, just to be sure. What's a reasonable change interval for fluid next time? 50K? Filters? Thanks.

BlackMax, be careful which shop you take it to for the flush. Depending upon the type of machine they use there is potential for valve damage, not covered by warranty. One of the local Allison shops has a machine that will do it, any GM dealer should be able to do it as well. If they mess up they're on the hook, not you.


As for which fluid to use I fall on the side of transynd for 2 reasons: (1) it is Allison approved therefore no warranty issues; and (2) there has been no reported incidents of slippage using transynd. Do a search on this site and you'll see where several have had slippage from other fluids. Best to make an educated decision.


JJ http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif

The Flush is very simple, takes 1/2 hour or less with two people.


Required parts are:


a small hook to remove the cooler line jiffy clip
Drain pan or plastic pail
a 5 foot long piece of clear 1/2" or 5/8" ID hose for the cooler return line
a single hose clamp for the clear line
fluid drain bucket
filter strap wrench.


The key is to follow the easy instructions posted.


I like the clear hose because you can literally see the old fluid change over to the new fluid with a clear hose.


The fluid does not come out under high pressure from the cooler return line.


You need 4 gallons at least...a 5 gallon pail will get the Transfer case at the same time as well.





Good Luck,





It really is easy..........





Thttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Clown.gifNY


Edited by: GMC-2002-Dmax

HEADS UP! http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Pinch.gif


I just got back from my Chevy dealership. I went to have the tranny fluid dropped and replaced with transynd. Just happens there was a regional GM rep there. I was told that if I change to anything but Dexron III it will void my warranty. I told them the transynd exceeded the Dexron III specs, didn't matter.


I'm going to send GM an e-mail and get an official response from them. I'll post once I get their response. Until then I'll continue to run the Dexron III. If you are over 36/36 warranty period go for it.


JJ http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif

Mobil 1 is my fluid of choice, bar none. So far, the tests that I have seen for all the fluids has been in a cooking pot and a thermometer. The raves I hear for TranSynd from certain people are all recited from a book. ( wonder who wrote it ). Written technical data in the automotive business is good for about 3 months and then a lot of it can be thrown away because the engineers changed their minds. People that are reading what they think is the holy grail from over a year ago in some of these outdated manuals need to buy new ones.


mike

TC Dmax; thanx for the reply.

HEADS UP! http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Pinch.gif


I just got back from my Chevy dealership. I went to have the tranny fluid dropped and replaced with transynd. Just happens there was a regional GM rep there. I was told that if I change to anything but Dexron III it will void my warranty. I told them the transynd exceeded the Dexron III specs, didn't matter.


I'm going to send GM an e-mail and get an official response from them. I'll post once I get their response. Until then I'll continue to run the Dexron III. If you are over 36/36 warranty period go for it.


JJ http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif








Yanno, i'd find that hard to believe since Transynd is ALLISON's reccomended fluid. Something tells me that your GM rep just wants you to keep bringing it back to the dealer for your servicing needs.


Also, correct me if im wrong, but isnt the only place to purchase Transynd is FROM the Allison dealer??????


I was just quoted a price from an Allison dealer here in Atlanta of $29.84/gallon for the Transyn. Is that a bit much?

Now you are using common sense, GM? http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Confused.gif Suffice to say I was flabergasted(?)! When the service advisor told me there was a regional GM rep there who confirmed this I was about to take a chance with that dealership and my warranty.http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Ermm.gif


Transynd is made by Allison but normally used in their medium duty transmissions. We can use it in our 1000's, the benefits being extended life intervals as well as better protection for those of us that tow heavy. There are a couple of other synthetic atf's out there that sound good as well. Transynd meets Dexron III specs and should not void our Allison warranties.


I purchased mine from the local Allison dealer. There are other places you can get it but the pricing seems pretty consistent. To my surprise the local dealer price on fluid, filters, and pan were as good as any I found on the internet.


I'm going to change the fluid myself this weekend. I did send an e-mail to GM telling them about my experience at one of their stealerships. JJ's out! http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif

I was talking with my son-in-law yesterday about this thread. He works at Allison Indianapolis plant and just went through Allisons tech school on the 1000/2000 trans. They learn everything about them and even take them apart and put them back together and run them on a dyno. He said the pushed Transyd hard. I think the dealer is trying to pull a fast one one anyone that will bite.

Greg

Update: A Chevy rep called my house today and spoke with my wife. He advised her that if we use anything other than Dexron III it would void the warranty on the Allison for any fluid related failure. Boy was I pissed, especially since I asked them to provide me their answer to me in writing. I fired another e-mail to them immediately.


This evening I sat down with the owners manual and it states that "GM recommends using Dexron III", not requires. Since transynd exceeds the Dexron III specs there should be no problem. I'll advise once I get a written response from Chevrolet. JJ

Any Dexron III trans fluid will meet warranty requirements and in any litigation brought by an owner challenging the denial of warranty coverage for using a synthetic Dexron III the language of the manual will be construed against the factory and in favor of the owner.

TC

Isn't that just great...........


GM owns Allison,


Allison recommends Transynd as a direct replacement for Dextron III,


Gm and Allison can't agree on what to use.........


Like the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing.





Just for some info..........


I beat the H E L L out of my tranny for 28K miles before the rebuild......all 28K with Transynd in it..........


The fluid still looked new when I dumped it out.........


Drive the truck and I would not worry...........send them the label from the Transynd gallon or 5 gallon pail.





Thttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Confused.gifNY

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Stern Smile.gif JJ GREW SOME BALLS OVERNIGHT AND DID IT! I went into the Chevy dealership this morning and had the tranny fluid and transaxle fluid changed to Transynd, as well as installed the deeper pan. The guys in the shop were great, they even followed the fluid change method posted on this site versus using the flushing machine. I figured I would have GM's own people do it so if there are ever any issues it can only be about the fluid. Since transynd meets Dexron III specs I should be on good ground. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Rock On.gif


The only thing that concerned me http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Ermm.gifwas the guy used a spray-on brake cleaner (non-chlorine) to clean the new pan and rinse out the container he used to put the fluid in the transaxle. I questioned this and he stated it cleaned the best, didn't leave a residue, and dried very quickly. Made sense to me. Just in case I annotated my receipt that brake cleaner was used to cover my a$$. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/HiHi.gif


FYI, the old pan still had a good quart or more in it after it was drained. There were some small metal particles in it. The magnet on the spin on filter had quite a bit of very small particulate residue on it. Good to go.


JJ http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif

I use brake cleaner myself to clean off things,


Always blow it dry with a air gun and wipe it out with a clean shop rag.......


Thttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gifNYEdited by: GMC-2002-Dmax

GMC-2002-DMAX, he cleaned the new pan with it then wiped it dry, no problem there IMHO. Any residual would be very minute given the quantity of transynd in the allison. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Ermm.gif


He had to use a container with a hose on it for the transaxle, so he sprayed that out with the brake cleaner, but there was no way to wipe it out. He said the stuff evaporates really fast. Hopefully if there was any in there it won't dilute or adversely affect the transynd. Just in case I annotated the dealer copy of the work order that brake cleaner was used. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Ermm.gif


Thanks for the reassurance. This is an awfully expensive vehicle so I watch anyone that does repairs to it. JJ http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif

Nothing in a bottle will save you if your trans is not set up correctly. I have not seen an Ally set up correctly yet by the factory. So far I am not impressed at all by TranSynd. This is only my opinion. I have formulated my opinion from what I see. You guys have read my stuff and know how I feel; well I feel even stronger about it the more I see this fluids performance.


mike

UPDATE: I received an e-mail from the guy at Chevrolet that spoke with my wife. He instructed me to read the owners manual, page 5-26 I believe, in which it states that using any fluid other than Dexron III voids my warranty.


I started to reply, then thought better to not waste my time. The owners manual states GM "recommends", not "requires", the use of Dexron III ATF in their automatic transmissions. As most of you already know Transynd not only meets Dexron III specs, it exceeds them.


If I have any issues with the tranny down the road it could get interesting. JJ http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif

Just take it to a different dealer later if it messes up preferably a small one. The chances that they will test the fluid are slim to none.-JMO

This is interesting:



<TABLE width="100%">
<T>
<TR>
<TD colSpan=2><A name=98></A>Q. Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) - What type of Transmission fluid can I use? </A></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD width="5%"></TD>
<TD width="95%">A. Transmission fluids licensed by General Motors to use the trademark DEXRON III are required in the Allison 1000 Series™ transmission. </TD></TR></T></TABLE>


It does say required, but....



<TABLE width="100%">
<T>
<TR>
<TD colSpan=2><A name=96></A>Q. Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) - Can I use synthetic fluid? </A></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD width="5%"></TD>
<TD width="95%">A. Any fluid that meets DEXRON III requirements is suitable for use in the Allison 1000 Series™. Always verify that the container reads DEXRON III, regardless of whether it is mineral-based or synthetic.</TD></TR></T></TABLE>


Gets more interesting!



<TABLE width="100%">
<T>
<TR>
<TD colSpan=2><A name=97></A>Q. Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) - Can I use TranSynd fluid? </A></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD width="5%"></TD>
<TD width="95%">A. TranSynd is a fully synthetic transmission fluid available from Allison Distributors/Dealers or at GM dealers. TranSynd is a licensed DEXRON III product and has been extensively tested by Allison Engineering in a broad range of Allison products. While TranSynd was developed mainly to meet the harsh operating conditions of heavy-duty transmissions in severe operating conditions like transit buses, its benefits translate to the pickup truck market. </TD></TR></T></TABLE>


So if DEXRON III is required and your dealer says anything other than that will void your warranty, then he should except TranSynd. It is an officially licensed DEXRON III product. I don't think he can argue that. He wants DEXRON III, then give him DEXRON III licensed TranSynd.http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/HiHi.gif

...and wipe it out with a clean shop rag.......





Tony, Tony, Tony


Transmissions don't like red rag debris... I'd stop after the blow nozzle.http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Clown.gif


Allison says it's OK to just drain the pan, and refill with TranSynd, but you have to follow Schedule A(or C)- 25,000 mile interval until the second time you change the fluid with TranSynd. After that one you can go with Schedule B- 50,000 miles.http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Geek.gif


BTW- What dealership has the ability to analyze your stinky, burnt, discolored fluid after a trans failure, and determine that it is synthetic, not petrol? Mine certainly doesn't.


EdEdited by: Autoed

Finally took the D/A on an extended run with the 5ver behind it. GCW was 25,400lbs. Yeah a bit over GCWR but the truck handled it with ease. Shifts are crisp, and tranny temps ran around 190. JJ