I have a 2009 chevy cobalt that I regularly service and is my daily driver. I changed the transmission fluid at 80,000 miles and it now has 195,000 miles. Recently, it occasionally only shifts to 3rd gear but otherwise will drive and shift just fine, and hasn't had any leaks. Is it time for another transmission fluid change?
Is it time for another transmission fluid change?
more likely it's time for a new car. And on the next one, change the AT fluid every 60k.
@imperator so are you saying the transmission is failing itself? would a fluid change not help the situation? I'm wondering if there's something clogged somewhere and that it just needs a new filter and fluid change. Yes it's past the 60,000 mile recommended change interval but like I said it just started happening and doesn't happen every time I drive.
so are you saying the transmission is failing itself?
First of all, I don't know. I can't see inside your transmission. I didn't test drive it. I don't know the history. I haven't run any diagnostics on your car. I haven't looked at your fluid. I am not a transmission mechanic.
Everything I say here is based on information you provided, and best guess based on past experience. If you want a well informed opinion based on actual data and expert advice, see a transmission shop.
after 195k miles, it is very likely it is failed. That's around the expected lifetime for a light duty GM automatic. Especially if you only changed the fluid once.
The parts inside just wear out, same as everything else.
would a fluid change not help the situation?
It's pretty unlikely that the fluid itself is preventing the transmission from shifting. There's a small chance might help a bit, but 200k is 200k. It's at the end of its life. It will never shift like new. There's also a very high chance that changing the fluid will cause it to stop shifting completely. If your clutches are polished smooth, then some new fluid can make it worse. If you do go this route, save the fluid in a jug so you can put it back in the worst case. An ATF anti-slip additive might buy you a few more months of useful service, but it's a very temporary solution.
Either way, consider this a warning. Be prepared for the transmission to stop working completely at any time, and possibly leave you stranded.
Yes it's past the 60,000 mile recommended change interval but like I said it just started happening...
you mean you just started noticing. The wear has been happening all along. Old fluid is full of abrasive particles and it's doing cumulative damage every time you drive . It only just became bad enough for you to notice.
Maintenance is the number one factor when it comes to service lifetime and reliability. You need to stay on top of it.
EDIT: Just did some reading around the internet, and Cobalt owners seem to agree that 30k is an appropriate service interval.
You could try a fluid change of course, but seeing as how it has been 115,000 miles (!) since the last transmission service it might well make matters worse. (See the site FAQ for details on trans fluid changes.)
If you're lucky it's a problem with a solenoid. You would need a transmission expert to do bidirectional testing using a fancy scan tool to determine that.
Of course at nearly 200K miles with inadequate maintenance it's pretty likely that your transmission is just plain wearing out.
