doing own fluid flush and shift kit on auto

polonez · 01-12-2006, 04:40 PM

ok i have decided to tackle the shift kit this weekend myself while doing the Evo 16g install! i have full 3 days off whichi plan to spend in the garage.
Now my question is after i do the shift kit, i wil lput a new filter in aswell. Now I would liek to flush the fluid with some synthetic. I spoke to a shop and said that the machine for flushing is not uised on the newer autmatics as it causes problems and can blow seals. So He told me that basically all he will do to flush it is run 2 buckets
one for the dirty fluid and one for the clean fluid and unplug the cooler and have it suck in by itself. anyone can comment on this procedure? does it actually work or does it have to go on the machine.. because if i do a filter change and shift kit i will have to top up the tranny with 6-7 quarts of fluid to be able to drive it to the shop to run another 12 quarts through it for the flush... now that sounds expensive to me... i was just gonna have the shop do the shift kit since it had to go on the machine and might aswell get everything done at the same time without wasting fluid but if i can do it myself then i will. THanks

gotlag · 01-12-2006, 07:36 PM

If you are familiar with working on transmissions, the tranny is a breeze(I am assuming a turbo car). If you have not been in many auto tranny's, then I can tell you ahead of time, that the valve body in these cars is extensive. A 3 piece affair that can put the chills in a person that knows his way around an auto tranny.

That said; if the shop you went to told you that about the flushing machine, then don't go to that shop. A good machine will do an awesome job of controlling the pressure and flush the system out correctly. Or, yes you can "old school" it and flush it out via the cooling line.
My biggest question is ....why? The converter in these cars is not that big, and synthetic will be fine with what is left in the converter. If you are really scared of it, get 5-6 extra quarts and do just as he said at the beginning of you fill-up. Just be sure to blow out the cooler and lines ahead of time. That is where allot of the grit will be found.

Most of all, any time you have the pan off your transmission, change the filter. No ?'s, just change it. How often would you drop your oil pan, put fresh oil in, and not change the oil filter. Same idea, just a different part of the drive train, right???

Jump in and have fun
.

polonez · 01-12-2006, 08:41 PM

Thanks for the info. I think im going to try to do this myself. I dont think it will be to bad. Ill pull the valve body out and take my sweet ass time with it!

I tihnk im better off using that money i would spend at the shop to flush it to get a new and bigger tranny cooler! Now when it comes to doing it the "oldschool" way how exactly do i do this so i dont screw it up. I get the gyst of it. One side takes it in and one takes it out. anyone idea which one is which so i dont mix it up and contaminate my new fluid?
Also I plan to either use Mobile 1 synthetic or Amsoil. the amsoil is 3 dollars more a litre?? which should i use? i plan to put Lubeguard in also

Thanks !

Quote:

Originally Posted by gotlag

If you are familiar with working on transmissions, the tranny is a breeze(I am assuming a turbo car). If you have not been in many auto tranny's, then I can tell you ahead of time, that the valve body in these cars is extensive. A 3 piece affair that can put the chills in a person that knows his way around an auto tranny.

That said; if the shop you went to told you that about the flushing machine, then don't go to that shop. A good machine will do an awesome job of controlling the pressure and flush the system out correctly. Or, yes you can "old school" it and flush it out via the cooling line.
My biggest question is ....why? The converter in these cars is not that big, and synthetic will be fine with what is left in the converter. If you are really scared of it, get 5-6 extra quarts and do just as he said at the beginning of you fill-up. Just be sure to blow out the cooler and lines ahead of time. That is where allot of the grit will be found.

Most of all, any time you have the pan off your transmission, change the filter. No ?'s, just change it. How often would you drop your oil pan, put fresh oil in, and not change the oil filter. Same idea, just a different part of the drive train, right???

Jump in and have fun
.

polonez · 01-12-2006, 08:43 PM

also quick question on the sequence as i got confused a little about doing the flush in the start of the fill up...
1)drain
2) install shift kit
3)install new filter
4) fill tranny
5) flush
do i have this right?

doug · 01-12-2006, 08:58 PM

Sounds about right. I agree with gotlag in that a flush isn't that crucial. A do-it-yourself drain and refill will use about 7 quarts. I use the Mobil 1 synth ATF with no problems. My tranny shop recommended not putting in the LubeGard, which disagrees with what IPT recommends; I'm still torn, but not using the LubeGard right now.

gotlag · 01-13-2006, 07:46 AM

If you do want to flush, fill the tranny, pull the return line from the cooler(you'll know it is the right one as soon as you start the car as the fluid will start coming out) Keep adding fluid until clean fluid comes out the line and you are done. What bothers me on these cars is you can't really get the fluid in all that quick, that is why I would take it to a good tranny shop if that is what you want done.

I also back John at IPT on the use of the lubeguard. If you are using Dextron ATF, you need to add the LG. Dextron has modifiers in it to smooth out the shifts (controlled slip), and the LG keeps that from happening. I know if you do a search on this you will find different opinions on its use, but experience and a much lesser comeback rate for shops proves that the LG does its job, and does it right.

And you are right, you should be able to do this. The valve body comes off easy, just use a good clean area with allot of space, keep the bolts organized, and use a torque wrench on everything.
Post when you are done, I know I was happy with my trans after I rebuilt it, but loved it after I put the shift kit in it.

bisislame · 01-13-2006, 08:21 AM

the guy ffrom http://www.plymouthlaser.com/ has a complete write up on the shift kit installation

doug · 01-13-2006, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gotlag

Dextron has modifiers in it to smooth out the shifts (controlled slip), and the LG keeps that from happening.

I've been told that the LubeGard actually makes the fluid MORE "slippery," not less (still looking for confirmation on that...). Supposedly the LG just puts the coefficient of friction in the proper range that the Mitsu tranny wants. If you're making significantly more HP than stock, though, it would seem that you'd want more holding power (less slip), which is why I haven't added any LG yet.

polonez · 01-13-2006, 10:41 AM

thats also something i would wonder. IF the lubeguard makes it more slippery or less. I would imagine that being out of spec is not a good thing for the bands and what not if it is not as slippery as it should be..... I could be wrong

polonez · 01-13-2006, 10:46 AM

well here might be an answer
http://www.getautohelp.com/automotiv...cts/61910.html

it seems to increase slipping! so now my question is how dangerous is it running it without lubeguard to prevent slip and have more holding power and less drivetrain loss HP???

gotlag · 01-13-2006, 10:58 AM

You are correct that Dextron is harsher. I was typing faster than my thought process was working as in GM transmissions it is too slippery and I have to stop sometimes and remember that the Mitsu is so different!. The reason LG helps is that friction of Dextron is enough to cause chatter which plays hell on your clutches and for the most part, the harder you force the tranny the worse the chatter will be. It also can be noticeable during the lock up of the torque converter on the 2G. Sorry if my original statement wasn't correct on this and I hope it doesn’t mislead anyone.

To give you an actual statement on how my trans has reacted to it, I can ,with out doubt, say my trans shifts cleaner and harder now than before. When it hits the shift point it is instant as in no delay and no rpm flare.

On the GSX, I drive it every day, and race about every weekend, foot brake it to 16-18 PSI at launch, and the fluid is doing fine, heat stays low and shifts awesome.

polonez · 01-13-2006, 12:07 PM

yeah thats what i thought.... .. do you have a tranny cooler installed?
just wondering what size you wnet with if u did and i dont know if i should put one in....

Quote:

Originally Posted by gotlag

You are correct that Dextron is harsher. I was typing faster than my thought process was working as in GM transmissions it is too slippery and I have to stop sometimes and remember that the Mitsu is so different!. The reason LG helps is that friction of Dextron is enough to cause chatter which plays hell on your clutches and for the most part, the harder you force the tranny the worse the chatter will be. It also can be noticeable during the lock up of the torque converter on the 2G. Sorry if my original statement wasn't correct on this and I hope it doesn’t mislead anyone.

To give you an actual statement on how my trans has reacted to it, I can ,with out doubt, say my trans shifts cleaner and harder now than before. When it hits the shift point it is instant as in no delay and no rpm flare.

On the GSX, I drive it every day, and race about every weekend, foot brake it to 16-18 PSI at launch, and the fluid is doing fine, heat stays low and shifts awesome.

doug · 01-13-2006, 04:13 PM

You should definitely add a bigger tranny cooler. The stock one is like the size of a shoe. I went with the B&M SuperCooler; I think the model # is 70268. It's the 8 x 11 one. I mounted it where the stock SMIC was, since I did it at the same time as my FMIC install.

MarcVIII · 02-08-2006, 10:35 AM

I just did the valve body mod with the IPT kit on my AWD tranny. Its a 1 day affair for one who has never done it. I was very cautious and read the instructions three times before starting. Lots of bolts and a few checkballs in there. I spent a lot of time cleaning the sludgy old junk out of the "brain" passages and being 100% sure that the drilled holes were completely deburred. The instructions are superb but its still a 5-7 hour process to make sure everything is clean as new, checkballs and springs are in the right places when putting things back together. Not hard, just time consuming. That fluid out time to fluid in time.

Make sure you have a full table to put the assorted parts in piles. Also label where longer bolts came from in drawn diagrams to avoid confusion later. Take your time and double check things twice before doing them. Good luck!

I am a fan of Lucas additive, stiffens up the shifts and makes them quicker IMO. But make sure you use a quality ATF fluid when refilling.

polonez · 02-10-2006, 01:15 PM

Thanks for the info. Im going to attempt it next weekend or so. Im going to use MOBILE 1 with the lubeguard additive.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarcVIII

I just did the valve body mod with the IPT kit on my AWD tranny. Its a 1 day affair for one who has never done it. I was very cautious and read the instructions three times before starting. Lots of bolts and a few checkballs in there. I spent a lot of time cleaning the sludgy old junk out of the "brain" passages and being 100% sure that the drilled holes were completely deburred. The instructions are superb but its still a 5-7 hour process to make sure everything is clean as new, checkballs and springs are in the right places when putting things back together. Not hard, just time consuming. That fluid out time to fluid in time.

Make sure you have a full table to put the assorted parts in piles. Also label where longer bolts came from in drawn diagrams to avoid confusion later. Take your time and double check things twice before doing them. Good luck!

I am a fan of Lucas additive, stiffens up the shifts and makes them quicker IMO. But make sure you use a quality ATF fluid when refilling.

TSIMonsteR · 07-31-2006, 03:05 PM

sorry to revive an old thread, but would it be okay to flush and fill with Amsoil, and then add the lubegard black later on?

SteveR6 · 08-02-2006, 11:22 AM

I was curious about this also.

gotlag · 08-02-2006, 08:32 PM

If you use any kind of Dextron fluid, you need to add the bottle of lubeguard as the final fill. you can flush the system, then add it if that is what you mean, but I would NOT drive it with out the addative.