1992 suzuki sidekick jx-transmission question

[star2525]

Hi! I'm new, and just purchased a 92 sidekick jx from my sister, when she got the car it had 89,000 miles about 6 years ago, her husband had the engine replaced with a tracker engine about 3 years ago, and her daughter has been driving the vehicle since then, the tracker engine had 60,000 miles on it when it was put into the car, the daughter has put 50,000 miles or so on the car since she has been driving it, and wrecked it, not too bad, just enough that the costs exceeded the value of the vehicle, so I asked about getting it for the salvage price, and did, the vehicle is now currently being repaired and getting ready for inspection, the vehicle had body damage and has been driven up until it was put into the salvage title. I started asking my sister questions about the automatic transmission, which isn't showing any problems, I asked her about the transmission fluid being changed in the vehicle, she was clueless and said unless it was changed with an oil change she had never done it, I told her it would have been about 80 or so just to do the transmission, she said no, and I had her ask her husband, just in case he did it and she didn't know about it, he said no.

So when I get thru the inspection, the first thing I need to do is a transmission flush, should it be flushed all at once or in intervals? The car has over 200,000 miles on it with this automatic transmission.

Any advice would be most appreciated. Thank you. Victoria

[Shconer]

I would recommend dropping the pan and changing the filter making sure to clean the pan and magnet if it has one. Then doing a tranny flush to remove the remaining oil in the oil cooler, lines, internal tranny passages, valve body and torque converter.

[star2525]

I will need to take it to a dealership that does flushes, and what all should I ask them to do? Or what services should I tell them to do?

Thanks. Victoria

[dcross]

I changed my 89 Dodge trans. filter and fluid at 150K. I was going to have it flushed out. The shop that was going to do it said if it hadn't been changed regularly with that many miles they wouldn't recommend a complete flushing, said just to change filter. Said a complete flush could cause problems. Something to think and ask about.

[jtgh]

if you are afraid of that then
do this.
pull pan
buy new gasket and filter (if it has filter, some cars dont)
then have mech. braze in a drain plug.
refill tranny !

now your Torque converter is full of dirty oil still.
some times 2/3rds the amount in pan.

run car 1 day.
drain oil . refill it. ( one of my cars has 2.3 qts in pan)
run car 1 day
drain oil , refill it.

notice oil now smells sweet (not burnt smell).

now every 3 oil engine change , change just the oil in the tranny oil pan.
if you do that , it may last forever ( well almost)

in my opinion (imho) i think the full flush is ok.
They only let the tranny pump oil up their external system and then it goes back to your tranny under the same pressure. It is as good and gentle as it can be.

The are not putting radical chemicals in to the tranny.

Id go for the factory flush or other major tranny shop.
for me I do my way because i am a cheap bastard.

there is only 2 ways.

not counting doing nothing.
pick one.

[star2525]

I contacted a Suzuki dealership here in Columbus, Ohio, and spoke with the service department, they told me to look at the fluid and the color, and if it was okay to do nothing, so when I get the vehicle back I'll check that out, and also smell it. I was just shocked at doing nothing.

I had a Subaru years ago, and I remember there was some other kind of oil or something that was separate from the transmission, can't remember what it was called, do these have that too?
And if so what is it called and where is it located at?

Need all of the advice I can get, I just don't have alot of luck with automatic transmissions. I had a Mercury Capri and Subaru Legacy that had automatic transmissions and both of them went out and cost me alot of money, and don't want to go thru that again. And I do think I will start to line up another transmission for this vehicle, just in case, I felt safer getting it from my sister, even though I do feel that she romps a transmission.

[jtgh]

most autos, die from lack of oil changes.
these autos have clutch packs that sluff off dirty filthy
crud over time as they slip( not just gears in there).
and the torque converter , basically is an oil heat torture chamber .

this heat breaks down the oil.
it will change from pink to blood brown color. stinks too. (should smell sweet and nice)
it will be full of dirt from the clutch packs.

soon it will kill the tranny.

at least change it every 20k or
do a partial flush every 3rd engine oil change, albet you have to add a drain plug to the pan.

cheap-o mfg saves 20 cents a car , deleting it.
my mazda has one , factory included.

I just read the some new cars dont even have a filler , dip tube ,because idiot owners , do 2 stupid things with it.
1- pour something wrong and stupid down the hole.
antifreeze anyone ?
or
2- check the level (not in park and hot) and then put too much oil in the tranny ( ignorance and lazy) and this wrecks tranny. The owners manual is clear as a bell and they can't read it. ( oh, my cells is beeping)
RTFM , as its called.

[Shconer]

I'M trying to remember if my old Sidekick had a drain plug on the tranny. But if they don't you could get a little bit out by unhooking he tranny cooler lines.

[jtgh]

some people do this at home ( not tracker -kickers)
but on other forums.

they remove the lines from the tranny cooler of the
engine coolant radiator.
one is pressure the other is return
the return just dribbles into the tranny pan inside.

so what the do , is get 5 gallon paint buckets,
1 is empty for the pressure line.
1 is full (will 10 quarts) of fresh clean tranny fluid.
dextron III ? ( look it up ).

next they start the engine and run it in park
until the fresh bucket is empty ( almost but not quite)

put the lines back and you are done.

this gets 99% of the fluid in the TORQUE CONVERTER.

I do not do this because I cant find anyone crazy enough to hold the hoses for me.

we dont want to suck air in to the tranny pump and we dont want a mess. Risky business it is.

People do it, but I use the dilution method.
as mentioned.
safer and cleaner. But requires a drain plug.

[lord_galathon]

That's a FANTASTIC idea, I have to have my pan gasket replaced before the winter, I'll have them bore in a drain plug.

DUDE!!!!