190K miles tranny slow to shift into 2nd

grayliner

Just got a '92 CL model, EXT with 190K miles. Slow shift into 2nd.

1) Should I service the tranny fluid? I hear most experts say to leave high miles trannys alone. My fluid is still red, not burned. Tranny is quiet and shifts fine otherwise.

2) If I change the fluid, should I put in a Tru Cool 4544 external tranny cooler when I drop the fluid?

3) Is there another reason for it to shift late, at high RPMs, into 2nd gear?

Steve_01

I had mine replaced at a dealership at about 120k. It improved the shifting. I'm pretty sure they used a special high mileage blend or additive. I believe one of the advantages to having it done at a professional facility instead of DIY is that they "transfuse" the fluid out of the torque converter which you really can't do at home.

grayliner

Does 'transfuse' mean 'flush'? I read that leaving some existing fluid in the tranny is better so it grabs, and doesn't slip with all new fluid when it's flushed.

Anyone know what fluid is best for high mileage transmissions?

Steve_01

Yeah, transfuse means flush. As far as the theory of leaving old tranny fluid goes, all I can tell you is that mine shifted better after the old fluid was flushed and replaced with new fluid. No problem at all with slippage. In fact it seemed to shift just a little bit sooner than before.