So i own a dodge 1997 dodge 1500 sport and i want my girlfriend to drive it to me from Wisconsin to Fort Bragg North Carolina, i had my dad take it to a shop to have it looked over and they told him that my tranny fluid was dirty and black and that they wouldn't flush it because it would loosen sludge in the transmission... im no truck expert but is this guy full of **** or is it really an issue? I have no idea and need to know because she wants to leave next Wensday. please help

 

Welcome, newbie. The quickest way to NOT get help is by using just the word HELP in your post title. Almost everyone coming in here needs help, so we appreciate it when you title your post with something more descriptive than just HELP. It also helps if you fill out your profile info so we know more about your truck than it's a 1997 Dodge 1500. Engine and tranny combos are different and there are other significant differences between 2 and 4 wheel drives.

Trannies don't tolerate sludge well because, unlike engines, there are many more really small passages the fluid has to pass through. If the tranny fluid was that bad he may have a legitimate concern, especially if you plan on taking it on a long trip.

 

Why the heck would you want to do a flush anyway? Flushes are just a quick buck for auto shops. You're lucky the guy said "no". The normal procedure is a drain and fill. If you are concerned that the tranny fluid is that old and deteriorated, do a drain and fill and do another drain and fill in a few months. Don't let is go that long again if you want it to last you.

 

its a common belief that changing the fluid in an old transmission will stir up the sludge and lead to failure. a friend of mine was a shop manager for a big fleet, and they believed that and never serviced transmissions.

what happens is that every surface inside the transmission is covered in a coat of sludge, which is clutch and band material. the new fluid is full of detergents and stirs that up, which soon clogs the new filter.

i think its true, but can be overcome by doing 2 or 3 services a couple of weeks apart. new fluid has to be better than old.


edit - i wouldn't wait months between services. more like a couple of weeks of normal driving.
i also wouldn't do just before a long trip. it could fail during that long trip... better to leave it as is for the travel, then work with it while "around town".