# Transmission Fluid Change or Flush or Nothing

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/transmission-fluid-change-or-flush-or-nothing/56454>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** transmissions, ford\
**Created:** [October 16, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/transmission-fluid-change-or-flush-or-nothing/56454 "2010-10-16T18:13:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![cczjms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ba9def/32.png) [@cczjms](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cczjms)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/transmission-fluid-change-or-flush-or-nothing/56454/1 "2010-10-16T18:13:10Z")

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I have a 2005 Ford Five Hundred. It has been maintained at regular intervals except for the Transmission fluid. It currently has 170,000 miles on the car and I am hoping to make it to 250,000 or so. I had the transmission flushed at 100,000, but it hasn’t been service before or after that point. It drives great although it has always had a slow shift into 3rd.  
  
  
  
 I want to keep it running great. Should I flush the transmission, just have fluid changed with filter or do nothing?  
  
  
  
 Thanks so much!

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**Author:** ![transman618](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/transman618/32/24_2.png) [@transman618](https://community.cartalk.com/u/transman618)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/transmission-fluid-change-or-flush-or-nothing/56454/2 "2010-10-16T18:22:31Z")

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Have it changed WITH the filter. If its only service was at 100k and it was a flush more than likely the filter was not changed and has 170k on it. This is not good at all.

transman

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**Author:** ![cczjms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ba9def/32.png) [@cczjms](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cczjms)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/transmission-fluid-change-or-flush-or-nothing/56454/3 "2010-10-16T18:28:33Z")

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Is there risk in causing additional damage with a change?

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**Author:** ![genex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/898d66/32.png) [@genex](https://community.cartalk.com/u/genex)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 6:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/transmission-fluid-change-or-flush-or-nothing/56454/4 "2010-10-16T18:49:13Z")

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If there is an existing problem changing the fluid will not cure it - if there isn’t a problem a fluid change is a good idea .  
Too often people expect a fluid change to work miracles and claim the change was the cause of a failure when the real cause was a problem that was not diagnosed and not fixed .