I'm aware that it's bad to change fluid if you've never done it before. The car is a 2002 2.2ohv A4 base sedan with 82k on the clock. The fluid has never been changed before, but the car has done 90% highway miles since it's sale. it's never been driven hard, and all the regular maintenance has been kept up with. Should we have it changed? (there is no such thing as a completely sealed trans)
2002 Cavalier 4D auto, white/gray, Kenwood EZ700SR, 10" Kenwood sub, Pioneer 4x6/6x9s, stock otherwise. Susp. Tech. springs coming soon...
1998 BMW 540i 6-spd, lots of mods.
1990 BMW 557i LS1 swap.
I'm not sure where you got the "bad to change fluid if you've never done it before" opinion, but I wouldn't get any further advice from that person/source.
Changing tranny fluid is a necessary procedure for ALL automatics. Some can go longer than others, however, between changes.
If you have the 4T40e transaxle (4 spd auto), then yes, it is a sealed transaxle, with no dipstick to check fluid.
That does not mean never change it, though. Up to 100k miles you should be okay, especially if never abused. Nearing that mark, or sooner if desired, changing fluid and filter is definitely recommended.
If you have never done a fluid change yourself, you may want to pay the price to have a pro do it.
Not to discourage you, but it is messy, and the 4t40e tranny has specific procedures that MUST be followed or bad things will happen.
And by pro, I mean a GM shop, or someone that has experience with these trannys. They are not something to be done by your run-of-the-mill Jiffy Lube tech.
Of course, you can do it yourself. Please search, though, my procedure for this fluid change has been posted and re-posted several times.
-Ferrite
Ferrite wrote:I'm not sure where you got the "bad to change fluid if you've never done it before" opinion, but I wouldn't get any further advice from that person/source.
Changing tranny fluid is a necessary procedure for ALL automatics. Some can go longer than others, however, between changes.
If you have the 4T40e transaxle (4 spd auto), then yes, it is a sealed transaxle, with no dipstick to check fluid.
That does not mean never change it, though. Up to 100k miles you should be okay, especially if never abused. Nearing that mark, or sooner if desired, changing fluid and filter is definitely recommended.
If you have never done a fluid change yourself, you may want to pay the price to have a pro do it.
Not to discourage you, but it is messy, and the 4t40e tranny has specific procedures that MUST be followed or bad things will happen.
And by pro, I mean a GM shop, or someone that has experience with these trannys. They are not something to be done by your run-of-the-mill Jiffy Lube tech.
Of course, you can do it yourself. Please search, though, my procedure for this fluid change has been posted and re-posted several times.
Awesome, we will have it serviced by a dealer or a reputable independent. Anyone have a recommendation for a good GM shop in the Dallas area?
2002 Cavalier 4D auto, white/gray, Kenwood EZ700SR, 10" Kenwood sub, Pioneer 4x6/6x9s, stock otherwise. Susp. Tech. springs coming soon...
1998 BMW 540i 6-spd, lots of mods.
1990 BMW 557i LS1 swap.
