Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General ATX fluid dirty after one year - is it normal ?

I noticed my car start to shift rough and it turned our my ATX fluid is dirty again, I just had it flushed last year (13K miles ago). I guest i have to replace ATX fluid again. Is it normal to replace ATX fluid every year ?

I am sure someone else will chime in here, but I believe it is customary to change your ATX fluid every 30K?????? I think sooner if you do a lot of stop and go driving.

Actually I think my owners manual says to do it every 40K.

30k is about right, maybe every 20k to be safe. Getting "dirty" is normal; I wouldn't be too concerned unless it smells burnt (kind of a bitter smell) or has a lot of particles, especially metallic.
Most people never change it; I work with a guy who claims he hasn't done it on his old Dodge K-car for 160K miles and it still shifts OK.
Investigate one of those Magnefine inline filters if you have concerns; they work pretty well.

i change mine yearly =) i can't afford to have that tranny die on me!