Tranny fluid P.T.T. test every oil change, Do it!!

[blue beast]

Auto tranny giving you woes, Tow alot with your auto tranny(or manual that takes atf) Want to maximize the life of the trans you have rather then wait for problems to rear their ugly heads? A simple test that will take all of 5 minutes of your time while waiting for the last drops to fall into the oil drain pan. Get a clean white paper towel and lay it on the ground, Weight it with a socket or two. Pull out your tranny dipstick and let it drip onto the paper towel, Count the number of drops that land on the towel. Then wipe off the dipstick and insert it in a fresh bottle of your ATF of choice and then let the same number of drops fall on a different spot on the paper towel.
By now you should already notice the existing fluid is darker and pretty much sitting in about the same spot, While the new fluid is already starting to spread and wick through the paper towel and have a nice color to it!!
If your fluid is much past it's lifetime then it will not spread out more then a half dollar or so and be vissibly darker/thicker(that's BAD)
Doing this every oil change(especially after a atf change) and you will be able to know when the fluid may not be able to handle all that you ask of it!!
This works for power steering fluid as well, Yes I know power steering fluid what the heck is that! It should be changed every now and then as well.
I use a mity vac to pull out at least a half quart of atf every motor oil change and it may seem like extra work but considering the price of a auto tranny rebuild it is well worth it!! I use a hose as long as the dip stick and put that down the dipstick tube to suction out the fluid. Replace it with fresh fluid will keep the additive package and fluid freshened up a bit. If you are going on a long drive/towing doing a full quart or more is a good idea.
Since atf has a crazy drop in it's life if it is heated above a certain point!!
I think it is somewhere in the range of half lifetime for every 20* above the
top heat capacity of the fluid you are using. So say it will last 50k at 230* then at a temp of 250* it will only last 25k!! If you tow a temp gauge for the tranny is cheap insurance!! You should see the numbers climb while waiting for your whopper!