# Changing Transmission Fluid & transmission Filter



## TomsSnowPlowING (Jan 11, 2011)

Changing Transmission Fluid & transmission Filter every 10,000 miles on a 2004 Chevrolet Truck Silverado 2500HD 4WD 6.0L SFI 8cyl WHEN PLOWING SNOW. Is that ok?


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## Banksy (Aug 31, 2005)

Is that a question or a statement?


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## 95HDRam (Sep 12, 2011)

I'm gonna take that as a question and I would say that is too often. I know your trani will take some abuse but you have to give the fluid a chance to do its job also. I would look at before every season unless you do heavy hauling during the summer.


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## TomsSnowPlowING (Jan 11, 2011)

Thanks forgot to put Is that ok?


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## TomsSnowPlowING (Jan 11, 2011)

From Spring to fall hauling lawn equipment. Mowers, trimmers, bagging attachments hauling grass & leaves .


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## Banksy (Aug 31, 2005)

That's a little soon. I'd do it once a year or 20-25k miles. Which ever comes first. 

If you want to change the fluid out some, but not the filter every time, add one of those drains in the pan. I put one in a Dodge I had. Made tranny services much easier and cleaner!


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## TomsSnowPlowING (Jan 11, 2011)

Just got it in July 2011 had 54,000 miles back then. NOW 66,000 miles. Not sure if it will tell me to change the transmission fluid. LIKE it did to change Engine oil & oil filter. (Just did that 1 time so far. BUT did do 3 oil & oil changes been doing that every 3,000 miles.


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## TomsSnowPlowING (Jan 11, 2011)

This truck tells me when I am Low on fuel, Low on washer fluid also.


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## 95HDRam (Sep 12, 2011)

As a former GM Tech we would recommend to change the fliud around 20,000 mile mark. Any sooner then that and the fluid would not have a chance to set into the clutches, pump, converter, etc. Use a Synthetic Trani Fluid to optimize Fluid Life. Those Tranmissions can take a lot of abuse.


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## meborder (Oct 26, 2011)

other than spending money that you wouldn't need to, i dont think it is possible to harm anything by changing the oil more often. unless of course you are accident prone and tend to forget bolts back in right, ect.

its like changing your oil every 5000mi vs 3000mi vs every 1500. no harm, especially if you feel the need. not changing it often enough WILL cause harm, changing it too often NEVER will.

my opinion.


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## TomsSnowPlowING (Jan 11, 2011)

Banksy;1383937 said:


> That's a little soon. I'd do it once a year or 20-25k miles. Which ever comes first.
> 
> If you want to change the fluid out some, but not the filter every time, add one of those drains in the pan. I put one in a Dodge I had. Made tranny services much easier and cleaner!


Okay. That way I go. 
? How do you get the icon picture by your name?


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## 95HDRam (Sep 12, 2011)

New fluid constantly in a Trani will not allow the fluid to work. There are certain Detergents that help keep Transmissions clean and operarting normally. Changing it too often is like Pissing Money down the drain!


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## Banksy (Aug 31, 2005)

I'd go ahead and change the tranny fluid and filter now. Who knows when it was done last. Then you can get on a schedule.

Go to your profile edit and I think it's profile picture or avatar. Something like that.


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## meborder (Oct 26, 2011)

95HDRam;1383952 said:


> New fluid constantly in a Trani will not allow the fluid to work. There are certain Detergents that help keep Transmissions clean and operarting normally. Changing it too often is like Pissing Money down the drain!


I agree that changing it too often is likely to be pissing money away. but how often is too often?

10,000 miles is too often
but once per year is about right.

My plow truck probably gets 100 miles per year, it's a farm truck and the longest drive it ever gets is 3 miles into town and back.

so .... i can either change it once a year, which is ok, 
or, for me, every 100 years, which is too often.

As for the the fluid "needing time to work" ... i'm not buying it. it begins to work as soon as you add it, otherwise you wouldnt notice the benifits of the fluid change immideatly ... which we do.

mine will probalby get changed once a year before the season starts.
which will be about 100 miles.

10,000 is fine if the owner so desires.


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## TomsSnowPlowING (Jan 11, 2011)

So this is better ?
Originally Posted by Banksy View Post
That's a little soon. I'd do it once a year or 20-25k miles. Which ever comes first. 

Says in book 2004 Silverado Chevrolet /
Change both the fluid and filter every 50,000 miles UNDER normal operations. 
I do not think plowing snow, hauling grass, leaves, & lawn care equipment is consider normal operations.


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## Banksy (Aug 31, 2005)

Plowing is considered severe use or whatever term they use in the manual. My Dodge Caliber R/T even has a severe use guide. 

If I owned your truck, I'd change the filter/fluid now and every 20k miles or once a year (in the fall before the snow starts)


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## 95HDRam (Sep 12, 2011)

At the Dealership we would clasify that as a Commercial Application Vehicle and would recommend every 20,000 miles Fluid W/Filter. 
Go talk to your local Chevy Dealer Driveline Technician and ask his opinion.


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## TomsSnowPlowING (Jan 11, 2011)

Yep per I own the truck.


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## TomsSnowPlowING (Jan 11, 2011)

If you look hard she had something on the front Before I got her. Plastic under bumper is cut out.


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## 95HDRam (Sep 12, 2011)

Look like a plow was there or a possibly and front hitch?


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## TomsSnowPlowING (Jan 11, 2011)

If this snow keeps up I need to get off & go do Ice Control


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## TomsSnowPlowING (Jan 11, 2011)

I am the second owner of the truck.


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## dieselss (Jan 3, 2008)

Well the way I do it at work for our trucks. I just go by smell and look. Looks bad, smells bad---change. I just take it to the oil place and have them use the trans machine. No filter replacement, just all the fluid. Just my .02


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## TomsSnowPlowING (Jan 11, 2011)




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## CJsSnowplowing (Nov 16, 2009)

I do my every 20,000 miles in winter when plow. 30,000 miles in summer.


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## SnowMatt13 (Jan 8, 2003)

Add the drain plug as previously mentioned...
Couple bolts on the pan are challenging to remove to say the least....


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## Plowtoy (Dec 15, 2001)

I change mine every spring if it needs it or not. For me that's about 15k. As an ASE tech, I would rather change it in the spring and get anything that may have built up over the winter out. I always, always, always recommend to change the filter instead of a flush. If all you ever do is flushes, any debris that is in the system could get trapped in the filter and over time you could plug the filter, thus causing premature trans failure. I look at as if you are slowly blocking off your oil pump pick up. What would happen if your engine oil pump was slowly blocked off? 
If its a used vehicle i recently purchased, I would do a flush first, then (same day) drop the pan and change the filter (thus would get all the deposits out of the trans), top off the trans fluid and then do a trans service every spring.
Most importantly, USE A FLUID THAT MEETS OR EXCEEDS THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURE RECOMMENDATIONS


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## TomsSnowPlowING (Jan 11, 2011)

Plowtoy;1386219 said:


> I change mine every spring if it needs it or not. For me that's about 15k. As an ASE tech, I would rather change it in the spring and get anything that may have built up over the winter out. I always, always, always recommend to change the filter instead of a flush. If all you ever do is flushes, any debris that is in the system could get trapped in the filter and over time you could *plug the filter, thus causing premature trans failure. I look at as if you are slowly blocking off your oil pump pick up. What would happen if your engine oil pump was slowly blocked off?
> If its a used vehicle i recently purchased, I would do a flush first, then (same day) drop the pan and change the filter (thus would get all the deposits out of the trans), top off the trans fluid and then do a trans service every spring.
> Most importantly, USE A FLUID THAT MEETS OR EXCEEDS THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURE RECOMMENDATIONS*


*

Plugged filter has happened to my full size station wagon*


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