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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 331
 
Location: Northern North Carolina |
What are your recommendations re transmission additives?
Bad, good, stay-away-from-at-all-costs?
I'm using Lucas products at the moment.
Some other transmission additive brands I've seen:
Slick 50, Shift-Rite, Greased Lightning, Motor Honey
I've recently heard people raving about the Sea Foam line (oil treatment) but don't know if they make a transmission additive. |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 7806
  
Location: Williams California | Sam, the only time I'd add any trans fix in a can would be just to get a little more life out of one that was needing a rebuild. A good working trans should need no additives, other than the correct fluid. ---John |
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Board Moderator & Exner Expert 10K+
Posts: 13045
Location: Southern Sweden - Sturkö island | That's correct John, but there can be cases when an additive might save a transmission. If the transmission has been sitting for years and years and the rubber seals are hard, an additive with a rubber softening effect actually can save that transmission. One of the good products is OMEGA 917 Seal Saver. First a normal oil change, emptying also the converter, fresh oil with a can of OMEGA 917 Seal Saver. I have used it and I could immediately notice a better firmer shifting. |
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Location: Under the X in Texas | These TV guys that say one of the best ways to waste money on your car is to get your transmission flushed are one I'm going to disagree with. Okay, maybe the FLUSH isn't really necessary, but certainly a total drain of really aged broken down fluid from not only the pan but also the torque converter is going to make a difference in the function and extended life of a transmission. And I like Lucas trans additive personally. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 331
Location: Northern North Carolina | wizard - 2009-03-07 3:12 AM
That's correct John, but there can be cases when an additive might save a transmission. If the transmission has been sitting for years and years and the rubber seals are hard, an additive with a rubber softening effect actually can save that transmission. ...(snipped)....
Yep, that's why I have Lucas treatment in mine now. It had been started but really not driven since 1995. My mechanic said the same thing-- about softening up the seals--- which is what I'd always thought anyway.
I'm having the "transmission puking up fluid" problem now, but that's another thread. 
http://forwardlook.net/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=14841&post...
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 6203
Location: Big pimpin' | StillOutThere - 2009-03-07 12:26 PM
These TV guys that say one of the best ways to waste money on your car is to get your transmission flushed are one I'm going to disagree with. Okay, maybe the FLUSH isn't really necessary, but certainly a total drain of really aged broken down fluid from not only the pan but also the torque converter is going to make a difference in the function and extended life of a transmission. And I like Lucas trans additive personally.
As one who does do trans flushes for a living, all I can say to those TV guys is go right ahead and don't flush that trans....I've personally seen what one looks like when the fluid has just simply been broken down to nothing....With todays super sensitive solenoids and stuff, the torque converter lock up clutch will chatter like no tomorrow....Yeah, go right ahead TV guy, and I'll be charging you $3000.00 of "wasted" money to replace that trans too.... |
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
Location: bishop, ca | I can not say enough good things about Trans-X; it was HIGHLY recommended to me, over on the FWDLK's Daily List Server's message board (accessible via this website's home page's masthead listings) when my car started to have slow initial gear shift engagements.
Unbeknownst to me, at that time, the trannie was expiring, from several causes.
Trans-X restored the trannie's operation, (I call it life-support, now) until the bitter end, and next week I'll find out how much more than $2K the overhaul is going to cost me.
At any rate, Trans-X was highly recommended to me, and I am highly recommending it, to anyone who will listen to me, for restoring a tired trannie.
I don't think that I'd install ANY additives into a properly operating transmission.
A better thread would involve WHICH trannie fluid yto install---I like the Dexron III variety; the Ford variety is too abrasive for our applications.
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Expert
Posts: 3775
Location: NorCal |
I agree with all of the admonitions about using additives in a working transmission but when the end is near..........
My next store neighbor has a '78 Ford pickup and the trans has been going downhill rapidly, I don't really want to help him pull the trans and rebuild it so I recommended trying Lucas (it's always worked for me) and one bottle brought it back from the dead. He's 81 so I hope the Lucas outlives him and I won't have to work on the truck. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 461
Location: Brooklyn NY | When I had my PowerFlite rebuilt in the Suburban, I asked the guy if I should use any fluid additives being that modern tranny fluid is very different than the fluid these cars originally used[whale oil]. He said if he was using a really old rebuild kit..maybe, but said he gets rebuild kits with modern material clutches and seals. He used dextron fluid for 70s-80s gm cars. So far no problems but not even 1000 miles yet. I am a fan of Lucas products...Ralph from Brooklyn |
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Veteran
Posts: 204
Location: St. Louis, MO. USA | I am not big on additives and have never used them but you are supposed to change the transmission fluid about every 30.000 miles or so like you should your brake fluid. Both systems are out of site out of mind till problems arise but by then it's too late I sold a Caravan not to long ago that had about 400,000 on it with the original transmission in it. It was starting to get morning sickness on real cold days but the way I look at it fluid & filters are cheep compared to two or three transmissions!. The only thing I do different is use type F fluid with great success in stead of Dextron it holds up better under heat and you get a better shift. Just my two cents! |
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Best transmission additive?
