03 ESCALADE TRANNY FLUSH

[CADDYSHACKK]

I READ SOMEWHERE THAT FLUSHING THE TRANSMISSION IS A BAD IDEA. DOES ANY ONE HAVE SOME INPUT AS TO WHY SOME ONE WOULD SAY THAT.

[Ranger]

Flush your toilet, not your trans. Just drain and refill it.

[CADDYSHACKK]

COULD YOU ELABORATE A LITTLE FURTHER AS TO WHY?

THANKS

[BodybyFisher]

NEVER FLUSH, only drain and refill,

While the shop will disagree with this, it is possible for your tranny to ingest clutch material from the last tranny or tranny's they flushed which will cause problems in your tranny

We were told this by a GM powertrain engineer and abide by it

[Ranger]

It's probably OK if you take it to a dealer and they do a "fluid exchange", but I would not trust any one else to do a "flush". Here is what our old Guru had to say about it.

Transmission Flushing - Good or bad?

"Never, ever flush a transmission. There is no "safe" way to flush a transmission unless you own the flush machine and control it yourself.

Flushing a transmission has several pitfalls...

The most obvious is that the last vehicle hooked up to that flushing machine probably was on it's last leg and was generating tons of debris. Most owners, when the transmission starts to act up, rush to get a "flush" in the fervent hope that it will cure the problem. So... flush machines, by definition, see the worst of the worst. If the lines aren't cleaned, hooked up improperly, oil is reused or recycled, etc....then you are screwed as your transmission gets the dose of debris from the last transmission . No matter how good the intentions of the shop, one simple mistake and your transmission gets the debris.

Flushing is supposed to negate the need for removing the pan, cleaning the debris and replacing the filter... BS. There is considerable debris coating the inside of the transmission pan with miles as anyone who has done this can attest. That is part of the maintenance, removing the pan, cleaning the screens and replacing the filter and cleaning the pan.

All that debris in the pan is laying around in areas where there is little oil flow by definition... it tends to settle in the areas where the oil is quiet and just lies there not hurting anything.... until the "flush" stirs it up and circulates it thru the transmission. What a concept...

Reverse flush????? What logic makes anyone think that it is a good idea to reverse the oil flow path in a reverse flush and flush sediment and debris into areas that are normally protected by filters, etc...???? Stupid idea. Period. No other way to describe it.

"Transmission flush" machines are money makers for the shops and dealerships because they are quick and easy and they can actually charge more money for it under the guise of it being "better" for the transmission... when it is really a detriment.... suckers are born every day...

Read the factory service manuals and point out the place where a transmission "flush" is recommended.

So what if all the oil cannot be removed. A "flush" doesn't remove it all either.

If you really really want to replace as much oil as possible in the transmission, drain the pan, service it by removing/cleaning/changing the filter and reassemble. Refill the transmission with fresh fluid. Disconnect one of the cooler lines at the radiator, put it into a bucket and start the engine. Let the transmission oil pump purge the old oil into the bucket so that nothing is subjected to abnormal oil flow. Start pouring oil into the transmission to keep it full while the idling engine/transmission oil pump purges the fluid thru the system. Easy and quick and gets ALL the fluid out... and eliminates any risk of hooking up to a "flush machine".

I know this is about 4.1/4.5/4.9 engines but be aware that on the Northstar engines/4T80E transmissions there is a hidden drain plug for the transmission side cover that requires that the bottom pan be removed to drain the side cover oil storage area. The idea of flushing a 4T80E is even more ludicrous than a 4T60 transmission for this reason.

The 4T60 and 4T80 transmissions are similar in that both store oil in the side cover...but they do it differently. The 4T60 transmission with the 4.x engines stores oil in the side cover only when HOT. There is a bimetal thermostatic valve that closes causing side cover oil to be trapped behind a weir or dam. So, change the oil in a 4T60 transmission when it is cold to get the most oil out... The 4T80 transmission is a dry sump unit that ALWAYS stores it's oil in the side cover. There is a scavenge pump that scavenges the oil from the bottom pan to the side cover all the time. That is why there is a hidden drain plug underneath the bottom pan to drain the side cover when the pan is off for service.

FORGET THE IDEA OF FLUSHING YOUR TRANSMISSIONS. Normal transmission maintenance is a good idea. Drop the bottom pan, change the filter and clean everything up and refill the transmission with fresh fluid. Do the cooler line/bucket purge if you are really fastidious about changing all the fluid... but... DO NOT hook your transmission up to a flush machine.

Really now, would you get a blood transfusion from an unknown source that is reusing needles... about the same thing if you think about it. A flush will do absolutely nothing more than a good drain and refill will accomplish... and potentially a lot of harm. Do not take the risk. Just because some have had good experiences (or the lack of a bad experience) with a flush does NOT mean that they will always go good."