Who has changed their transmission fluid?
- Thread starter Vetteman
- Start date
I am a bad person. 2018 CX-9, nearing 160,000 km. Never had new transmission fluid. Never had rear wheel AWD “differential” fluid changed. Am I in “now or never” territory? I’ve read doing it/them at higher mileage is inviting problems. Should I leave well enough alone?
Edit: Too late i'm afraid for trans fluid. Change only diff and transfer fluid at this mileage or you are ASKING for trouble.
Last edited:
- :
- Canada
I would change the transfer case and rear diff fluid. Just a simple drain and fill.
Transmission fluid is a bit more complicated, and I'm hesitant to recommend anything. Personally I would just do a drain and fill if the transmission is shifting well with no issues. It might be best so speak with a local transmission service shop to see if they have any experience or recommendations for your car at that mileage.
Transmission fluid is a bit more complicated, and I'm hesitant to recommend anything. Personally I would just do a drain and fill if the transmission is shifting well with no issues. It might be best so speak with a local transmission service shop to see if they have any experience or recommendations for your car at that mileage.
- :
- Canada
One of our fellow members posted a DIY guide for fluid change and filter change as well. It can be found in our Resources subforum, under the Forums heading at the top of the page. I'll link the thread here for you:
Sorry for the late reply.
Thanks for replies folks.
Complete and utter nonsense.
Mazda CX-5 here with 160k miles, gently driven by previous owner. Shifts perfectly but transmission was never serviced. Someone else reported over 200k miles on theirs on the original fluid with no issues, but this is a personal decision whether or not to change it at this late age. Definitely change the diff and transfer case oil, mine was a little low on one of them, but the gear oil was still amber in color.
Differential and transfer case fluid only at this point in time. If you try and change the transmission fluid at high mileage, you WILL have slipping problems and way more headache than you bargained for. The previous poster who said nonsense, well that is their own lesson to be learned.
Funnily enough, the transmission fluid and filter was changed on my car for the first time at 160,000KM. Of course, there were no issues. I have 333,000KM now and the filter/fluid has been serviced an additional 3x.
I saw nothing at the bottom of that pan in terms of buildup, that would indicate potential damage or issues if I were to do it later. 160k is late for the first change, but if you don't do it at all, eventually, that is when the real issues will begin.
160k is not high mileage for a Skyactiv. If we're talking twice that figure, i'd start to believe what you're saying, but i'm willing to bet that the filter/fluid change will still benefit these transmissions at that mileage anyways.
160k for the first transmission fluid as being too high, too late, is a complete myth.
- :
- Canada
Let's be clear, there are no absolutes when it comes to this. Especially when we don't have all of the relevant information. The transmission fluid could be fine at 160k kms if the transmission were never abused, if the car never towed anything, if it was driven mildly in a temperate climate.
If the car were driven hard, with a lot of cold starts and hard shifts before the fluid had a chance to warm up, there is a higher chance of the transmission gunking up, which makes a transmission fluid flush more risky.
Higher mileage inherently increases the risk due to the fluid wearing down as mileage increases. It's not simply mileage that dictates whether a transmission fluid flush would cause issues. The best anyone can do is make an educated guess based on each individual use case, and even then, there is no right or wrong answer unless the mileage or use case is on the extreme side (like 400k kms or heavy towing at 30k kms).
If the car were driven hard, with a lot of cold starts and hard shifts before the fluid had a chance to warm up, there is a higher chance of the transmission gunking up, which makes a transmission fluid flush more risky.
Higher mileage inherently increases the risk due to the fluid wearing down as mileage increases. It's not simply mileage that dictates whether a transmission fluid flush would cause issues. The best anyone can do is make an educated guess based on each individual use case, and even then, there is no right or wrong answer unless the mileage or use case is on the extreme side (like 400k kms or heavy towing at 30k kms).
Agreed that at best, it's an educated guess. Though I would add that the prevailing wisdom about not changing fluid at high miles is based on experience over a few decades and technology has advanced since 1950. One gentleman responded in the video below that "modern clutch material" does not need dirty fluid to keep from slipping. As always, your mileage may vary, and you have to make a personal decision.
When should you change your transmission fluid?
When should you change your transmission fluid?
Nevertheless, our Skyactive powertrains were built to last!
A good friend has a Ford Taurus at 90k miles and refuses to change the transmission fluid even though it's acting up, and he's on his 3rd transmission already. He puts Lucas in to his tranny and it's been making a gradual improvement.
A good friend has a Ford Taurus at 90k miles and refuses to change the transmission fluid even though it's acting up, and he's on his 3rd transmission already. He puts Lucas in to his tranny and it's been making a gradual improvement.
Slightly off topic (and tech is not what it is today), but my parents had a 1991 Ford Taurus that I took over when I got my license and the transmission went at just under 200k km. Fluid was never replaced prior to the failure.
