Is there a procedure to change all the transmission fluid? On other vehicles you can drain the transmission pan and refill. Then you would remove the transmission return line and put a clear hose over it and pump old fluid out while adding new. When you see new fluid coming out you have changed all of the fluid. Will this work on a 1998 D1? If so where should I remove the return line?

 

NOPE!!!
Buy a filter kit, then do a drain, if the fluid is brown or smells burned, refill it, start the tranny and shift reverse to drive a couple time then shut it down and drain it again. Then remove the cross member so you can drop the pan and change the filter and refill.

 

Anytime you do a trans fluid power flush you run the risk of dislodging crud and clogging things.
Change the filter, then drive it for 5,000 miles and then do another drain and fill.

 

Defiantly change your filter but dont think it will be a 30min job..

You have to drop/beat out crossmemeber. Drop the Sway bar where it connects to the frame. Remove the exhaust y pipe and then you can drop the pan..

 

I personally would do the proceedure you described, but change the pan gasket and filter. I always unhook the tranny line and have my wife run the vehicle (I watch) until the fluid get pumped out of the torque converter. Yeah, if the fluid is really burnt, then you have trouble either way and maybe then you wouldn't want to unhookd the tranny line.

Secondly, if your rig has high miles 150k+ I would consider using a fluid that has anti-shudder additive added to it. Penzoil ATF for high-mileage vehicles has this. I'm sure there are others that do as well. I changed the fluid on my PU and has shudder problems. It was severe. I was about to start getting prices for a rebuild and for the heck of it changed the fluid using Penzoil ATF based on things I read about shuddering, and it smoothed out the tranny in about 50 miles. That was about 4-5 years ago and it's still working great. You can buy anti-shudder additive as well (which is a friction agent) so an alternative is to just change it with whatever you normally use and if you needed it, you can buy the additive as necessary. But it's good to be aware of it.

 

Mark, that is the best and quickest way to burn up a tranny ever, why would you want to run the torque converter and pumps dry???????????????????????????????

 

I have done this procedure on my expedition with an E4OD transmission. It does not have a drain plug on the pan so what I do is hook a 10 foot line of clear tubing and run it into a bucket. When the fluid shows an air bubble in the tube, I turn the truck off and fill the tranmission pan from the filler tube. I repeat this procedure until I have put 20qts through the transmission. I do not know how long it would take to burn up a pump but parked in idle not going anywhere, I would think if you turn the truck off when the pan is dry, it should be ok as there is still fluid in the transmission/torque converter? If it is a problem and the transmission will burn up from a second or two of cavitation, I have seen some people mark a bucket for an amount slightly less than the total quarts the pan holds, such as 4-5qts and when the level reaches that line they turn the engine off and refill the pan/repeat. Any thoughts?

 

If you are going so far as to remove one trans cooler line why not remove both and stick one into a clean ATF bucket and then the other into a dirty bucket.
Once the fluid coming out of the "dirty" end is clean shut it off and put it back together and top off as needed.

That is basically what they do at the shop.

 

How many qts does the pan hold? I may just drain and refill it and repeat a week later. On the dipstick it says to check the level in neutral and when the engine is cold.

 

I change mine once a year, just do a drain and fill and I think it takes about 4 qts to do this and takes about 30 min total.