Gl-boost Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 I want to put synthetic ATF in my A/T. Its not in its best shape and I want to try synthetic to see if it changes anything. I want an oil that can be bought at a local parts store or shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbrickell Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 I want to put synthetic ATF in my A/T. Its not in its best shape and I want to try synthetic to see if it changes anything. I want an oil that can be bought at a local parts store or shop. MOBIL 1 synthetic atf. I can get it locally at the typical Advance Auto slash AutoZone kind of places, so should be available at the big chain auto parts outlets near you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gl-boost Posted March 23, 2006 Author Share Posted March 23, 2006 Ok I will try this, do you know if its compatible with lucas or transX if I can find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbrickell Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 Don't know about the Lucas. In my experience, there is really no need for any additive other than good synth ATF. The only thing I have heard will actually work and buy you some time if your autobox is dying is Trans-X. I completely flushed my wife's Volvo's tranny out with like 15 quarts of mobil 1 synth, got ALL the old crap out, fluid was completely fresh, put a little trans-z in there with mostly M1 ATF, car drove like new and never a trans issue ( 850 turbos from mid 90's known for crappy autobox, no factory fluid change interval ). If I were you, some Trans-x, rest of it M1, you are rockin. I had a VW 412 ( no one on this board knows or cares, very obscure old VW, anyway... ) with a weak auto tranny, ran a bottle of transx in there, and it made a noticeable improvement. I had a Peugeot 504 diesel wagon, tranny was bad, nothing would help it, fluid came out like red-brown milk. Had to do a swap on that one. But, trans-x worth a try. The key is to get all the old crap out. There is risk involved with an old worn trans. If your fluid is full of debris now, that may be the only thing providing enough friction to drive the car. Putting in new more "slippery" fluid could actually make things go downhill if your trans is on the last leg and the debris in the fluid ( worn clutch particles ) was the only thing providing the last shred of friction to get things moving. So, it is known that if you are already so far along that trans death is inevitable, that a total flush could make things worse. FYI. If you are going to flush it and take the risk, ( small risk ), at least when I did it on the Volvo, I would fill the fluid, disconnected the ATF line at the cooler and ran a big clear tube to a container where I could watch the tube as I sat in and idled the engine. The second you see air in the tube, kill the engine. Refill, run for a few seconds, solid fluid flow, then air, then you kill it again. You go through this process 4 or 5 times until the fluid coming out is completely clean and fresh. This way, you know you have pumped ALL the crap out, and all the stuff in there is new. You are never running the pump long enough to hurt anything since you are shutting down the instant you see air in the clear hose. Have a big drain container, as you will go through a decent amount of fluid ( took me 12-13 quarts if I recall ) until you get total clear coming out. Again, this on a Volvo trans, ( aisin ), don't know the capacity of Soob trans... Here is some good info from a Volvo site I used to use regarding ATF, flushing, etc, that may be of use to you: http://au.geocities.com/ozbrick850/atfflushindex.html FWIW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gl-boost Posted March 23, 2006 Author Share Posted March 23, 2006 Well where can I get transX at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gl-boost Posted March 23, 2006 Author Share Posted March 23, 2006 Oh and when you flushed your volvo how did you go about doing this, and about how much did this all cost. I know synthetic fluid is not cheap but I would like to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbrickell Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 Oh and when you flushed your volvo how did you go about doing this, and about how much did this all cost. I know synthetic fluid is not cheap but I would like to know. Eh, don't remember now, but was not cheap. Probably cost me $50-60 or so, again don't remember though, it was a year ago or so that I did it. In this case, it was a pretty decent car, it was my wife's, and I didn't want her to have any issues, so I did it right and spent more $$ than I would have on a POS that I was driving. I got Trans-X at the typical chain auto parts place I got the M1 ATF. It is in a metal can, blue and silver if I recall. Check the link I added to my above post for more good ATF info from the Volvo site I used to frequent. Good luck. Keep in mind that really, on an old car with lots of miles, the benefit from going to synth ATF will be small. The advantage of synth is that it does not break down with heat as quickly as regular ATF, it does not degrade as fast. When fresh, it will not produce some miracle on your car that suddenly it will shift smoother, run better, etc. I went synthetic because the Volvos were notorious for trans issues, and I was paranoid. In your case, you may just as well be served by doing a good flush with standard ATF and some trans-x. Synthetic might be a waste of $$ unless you have a good trans now and want to keep it that way for 75k more miles. Don't know how good your current slushbox is, or how many years you want to be driving the car down the road... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4WDFrenzy Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 I'd say go with Mobil1 Synthetic ATF or Royal Purple Max ATF(Synthetic). I am currently running the Royal Purple in my '96 Starlet Glanza V(Turbo) and have absolutely no complaints. Patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SyntheticBlinkerFluid Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 The two that I would trust is Royal Purple MAX ATF or Red Line Synthetic ATF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4WDFrenzy Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 Oh yeah, I forgot about Red Line. Thanx for adding that. Patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soobscript Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 AMSOIL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SyntheticBlinkerFluid Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Amsoil is good stuff, I use the Synthetic Oil in my fiance's Eclipse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gl-boost Posted March 24, 2006 Author Share Posted March 24, 2006 cool, I will check these out. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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