To gasket or not to gasket...

[criz067]

I am about to flush my tranny fluid b/c there is no telling the last time it was changed (if the previous owner ever had it done). I was getting prepared with supplies i needed and was going to replace the tranny pan gasket but i was recommended using black rtv instead. My father said he has used cork and molded rubber gaskets in the past and they always eventually leak for him. He was advised by a local transmission shop to use black rtv and on the same 3 cars that had always leaked...they have yet to leak and its been years. So i was considering doing this and was just wanting to know if anyone had any comments one way or the other...Thanks.

[jimmy_o2]

well on the galants u dont need to take off pan read the turtural on how to change the fluid too long for me to type but its correct

[criz067]

Well i bought the car no long ago and didnt know the transmission history and i thought it might be a good idea to go ahead and check the inside of the pan for any signs of trouble. The fluid is brown and smells burnt and i think the shifting could be a little better and the car has 134k on it. I just figured while i was at it to check as much as i could...Any further suggestions?

[Rastus]

I've read other members here that said when the fluid gets that old and burnt, that flushing it accelerated the death of their tranny. You maybe should search for related threads before deciding what to do. It might be better to drain some and refill, rather than change it all.

[6G72gearhead]

The pan wont tell you anything, it covers the valve body, and doesnt hold much fluid, to get to things such as the trans filter you have to pull the case apart, something I would not suggest doing. How many miles are on the car, and has the fluid ever been changed.

[criz067]

The pan wont tell you anything, it covers the valve body, and doesnt hold much fluid, to get to things such as the trans filter you have to pull the case apart, something I would not suggest doing. How many miles are on the car, and has the fluid ever been changed.

There are 134k miles on it and i bought it about 3 weeks ago w/o any service records. So i dont know if it has ever been changed or not. I have read the other forums about the possibility of the tranny not performing well after a flush when it has been neglected for a while. So should i change a third or so of fluid out at a time to prevent shocking the tranny with any excessive build up.

[criz067]

Well i drained 4 quarts last night instead of all it and replaced it with fresh trans fluid to see if it would do better or worse and so hopefully i wouldnt shock the tranny all at once.
I've been driving it all around and i already see an improvement with shifting. It isnt hesitating anymore and shifts are smoother. I just hope it stays that way. If so then i shall do the entire flush w/lucas.