trans oil

[duramag]

Just bought a 03 K3500 with an allison trans,,,,,,,,, I have checked the fluid with 35,000 miles on it and it appears to be almost black,,,, what kind of service do i need,,,the Chevy dealer said full service at $385......is there a cheaper way?

[MikeC]

Duramag,

Go get 4 to 5 gallons of trans fluid, I bought 5 gallons of Transynd at my local International truck shop, along with a spin on filter.

Drain the pan and drop the spin on filter, be sure to save the magnet that goes around the post the filter spins onto.

Refill to the safe range on the dipstick. Fill the filter and install. Then disconect the fluid return line (can't remember which it is, I think it is marked) from the cooler back to the trans, slip some clear tubing onto it and put it in a 5 gallon bucket which is marked in qts or 1/2 gallons.

Start the truck and replace the fluid as it comes out, may have to have a helper to shut truck off so you can catch up when a qt behind.

This process took about 17 Qts for me but I added a PML deep trans pan at the same time.

Search the forums as I'm sure there is either a better or more detailed explanation of the process.

Mike