Just bought a truck about a month ago, not sure when fluids were last changed, so i am going to change all of them. How do i know if my bands in the transmission have to be changed??? Also, when i do transmission, transfer case, or coolant do i just drain all the fluid out and put more in, or is there something else i have to do???

Thanks

 

When you change your trans fluid, it is better to have a full system flush rather then just dropping the pan and replacing that fluid. The reason is, there is only around 75% of the fluid in the pan, the rest is in the system. By flushing it, you get closer to 100% of the fluid. A trans shop will flush it under pressure until only clean fluid is coming out.

When I do my transfer case, I like to buy an extra bottle or two of fluid. I open the drain, and let it drain till it's empty. Then I squirt the extra bottle in the fill hole and let it continue to drain. I do that until it is draining out clean. Then, I cap the drain hole and fill it up with new fluid to the appropriate level. I do the same with my differentials if I am not removing the covers.

If you are changing your engine coolant, you should consider flushing the radiator and also draining the block.

 

Do you have to take the transmission pan off, in order to drain the fluid? Also where do you fill it up from?, haven't really looked a it, only have changed the engine oil so far. Also, the fluid that you put into the trans and the transfer case is seperate right?

 

There are aftermarket pans that have drain plugs, but the stock pan does not. You have to remove it to drain the fluid, and it is kinda messy. Along with the full flush capability, that is another reason to take it to a trans shop or dealer for fluid service in my opinion. If you do it yourself, inspect the magnet that is located in the bottom of the pan. It is designed to catch metal shavings and pieces, and can be a good indicator of a potential problem. Mine once had a small peice of a snap ring attached to it, which indicated a very major problem.

You fill it from the tube that the trans fluid dip stick comes out of. You'll need a funnel.

 

If you loosen/remove the bolts, starting at one end barely loosen one side, and then loosen the rest more and more. This will let it drain slowly, and reduce the mess. If you try and drop the pan off at once, you'll have fluid all over.


Make sure you add fluid to the dip stick very slowly. The tube will fill up and overflow if you don't.

Just a few tips to make things go better.

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Just called the dealership and according to them my truck only has one band and it is the low reverse band (i think that is what he said). He said it very very rarely needs to be adjusted.

 

There are two bands, one on the drivers side of the trans and one on the bottom of the trans. The one on the bottom of the trans can not be seen without taking off the pan. It would be a good idea to adjust this one while you are changing the trans fluid.