Flushing transmission cooler how to#

Hell, even the power steering system could benefit from a Magnefine (and one would probably be a lifetime filter), if you're so inclined and have the room, but that's a little extreme IMO. Transmissions really need better filtering! A Magnefine is a really cost effective and simple method to achieve it. Some dude ran a Magnefine in a '97 Caravan for 22k miles, see pictures here. More crud floating around in the trans fluid accelerates wear. The strainer/filter in the trans pan is a rock catcher, probably doesn't filter anything lower than 80 microns, while a Magnefine is a rough equivalent of an oil filter and filters around the 20 micron range, in addition to whatever is caught by the magnet. A transmission generates roughly 75% of total wear in the first 5k miles or so due to break-in and crud left over from manufacturing, which is why it's good to remove the factory fill ATF pretty early. A lot of it is ferrous material, which explains the donut magnet at the bottom of your transmission pan. Not very significant, but it adds up over time/miles. Edited Novemby RJSquirrelĮvery time the transmission shifts, there is some wear from friction. It would be a shame to kill your transmission with a loosened chunk of crud with no means to stop it. Get a Magnefine filter (3/8') and put it on the return line back to the transmission from the cooler before you reconnect the 'clean' cooler. I'm not sure if the aforementioned method will clean the cooler, but it's how I'd do the job. It may take multiple cycles of soaking(block the outlet), and maybe even reversing the flush direction to make sure anything lodged in the bends comes out. If you don't, run solvent through the cooler, and once it comes out clean, pour transmission fluid in on top to displace the solvent before you hook it back up to the transmission. If you have access to an air compressor with a nozzle, you'll want it to blow the crud and solvent all out. Put the outlet into a collection pan, and lift the inlet tube up so you can attach a funnel and pour kerosene or mineral spirits through it. The stock transmission cooler is in the radiator, so just disconnect the transmission cooler lines, and hook up a piece of tubing to the inlet and outlet.

Flushing transmission cooler how to#

There is supposedly a TSB on how to perform this job, but I've never seen it.