To change or not to change tranny fluid?

[erw38]

That is the question I have been asking myself for some time.

I know that a transmission lives and breathes with clean fluid. I am wondering, though, is is easier to play it safe and not change the fluid because of the high mileage it already has on it (almost 91,400 miles). Since I got my car third hand, I don't know it the fluid was replaced ever. Reading some of the horror stories over at AF about people changing the fluid in their high mileage transmissions only for it to go caput on them 15 or 20 thousand miles down the line. I really don't want to take that risk, but I know I should change the fluid. My question to the members of ACNA is whether or not I should change the fluid or say to heck with it and leave it alone. I think it is still cherry red, but I will got take a look again tomorrow just to check.

[JimW]

First step is to definitely check the colour of the fluid, then make a judgement call from there.

[Aurora40]

I think that's a bit of a wives-tale. It would be like old crappy oil somehow keeping your engine together. It's not gonna happen...

I'd change it if you don't know when it was last done.

[JimW]

Thats true. The problem with AF is that people only post horror stories about what went wrong, never about what has gone right. No one cares about good news I guess

I am a firm advocate of fluid changes at regular intervals, you're doing yourself a diservice by not changing these fluids.

Something else must be wrong in addition to bad fluid when reading those stories of Aurora owners on AF.

[omegaic]

Make sure that the fluid is not brown, feel for small metal filings, and see if it smells like burning crap. If none of the above are true, the fluid is good.