Use oil change shop for other fluids?

[Muse]

I have a Mazda 1997 with only about 23,000 miles on it. I'm only driving it around 1000 miles/year right now. I read an article recently and got the idea I should probably change all my fluids at this point. I've had the car since 2000 and haven't changed the trany fluid, don't remember changing brake fluid. Haven't changed the oil in 4 years or so, IIRC. I have synthetic oil in there, haven't driven more than ~4000 in that time, but even so (my mechanic told me I could go longer without a change using synthetic oil), I figure I should change it. My mechanic told me ~ 2-3 years ago that my radiator fluid was close to marginal. I want to have the radiator fluid replaced (flushed too?).

Would you just go into a Jiffy Lube or some such place and have it all done there? Or should I take it to a dedicated auto repair place?

 

[Vette73]

I would change the oil every year and the brake fluid at least every 3 years if not 2. Also the Rad fluid could be changed as well. Just drain and top back off with soem 50/50 pre-mixed stuff.

The trans fluid may be ok. See if the pan has a drain plug and if so do a basic drain and fill. Will not get all but enough.

 

[sdifox]

Auto place and flush all.

 

[Muse]

Auto place and flush all.

What do you mean by "auto place?"

 

[Muse]

I would change the oil every year and the brake fluid at least every 3 years if not 2. Also the Rad fluid could be changed as well. Just drain and top back off with soem 50/50 pre-mixed stuff.

The trans fluid may be ok. See if the pan has a drain plug and if so do a basic drain and fill. Will not get all but enough.

Can I reasonably do any of this myself? I used to do my own oil changes some years back (still have the container) but decided it wasn't worth the trouble. But some of this other stuff? If I can save some real money, seems to me it might be worth doing some of it myself.

 

[Gibson486]

Can I reasonably do any of this myself? I used to do my own oil changes some years back (still have the container) but decided it wasn't worth the trouble. But some of this other stuff? If I can save some real money, seems to me it might be worth doing some of it myself.

Drain and refill on a transmission is easy. You find the bolt/screw on the transmission pan, you unscrew it, let it empty out, screw it back in, then put new fluid in. Just make sure you do not overfill it.

 

[Vette73]

Can I reasonably do any of this myself? I used to do my own oil changes some years back (still have the container) but decided it wasn't worth the trouble. But some of this other stuff? If I can save some real money, seems to me it might be worth doing some of it myself.

Rad Fluid: Drain plug should be at the bottom of the Rad. If you can;t find just remove the lower Rad hose and drain. Then top off with pre mixed 50/50 fluid. Make sure to get all the air out before driving.

Trans: As gibson said open drain plug on trans and top off through the Trans dipstick. Use Syn trans fluid or Valvoline Maxlife. Will not take much to top off after drain.

Brakes: These are harder for a DIY that has little to no exp. You can buy a 1 man bleed kit and try that. But if not 100% then eiher have a shop flush them or worse case get a turkey baster and suck out all of the master cyl in the engine bay and top off.

Steering Fluid: Same as above use turkey baster and suck out as much as you can. Top off with good fluid.

Don't mix Brake fluid with others and don;t use anything but brake fluid in brake system.

 

[sdifox]

What do you mean by "auto place?"

missed "repair". Was using op's words.

 

[Muse]

Drain and refill on a transmission is easy. You find the bolt/screw on the transmission pan, you unscrew it, let it empty out, screw it back in, then put new fluid in. Just make sure you do not overfill it.

I suppose there's a maximum fill mark. :\

How do I deal with the drained fluid? Can I use my oil recycling container? What do I do with it? I live in a populous area (Berkeley, CA). Kragen? I've only dealt with used oil before.

 

[Muse]

Rad Fluid: Drain plug should be at the bottom of the Rad. If you can;t find just remove the lower Rad hose and drain. Then top off with pre mixed 50/50 fluid. Make sure to get all the air out before driving.

Trans: As gibson said open drain plug on trans and top off through the Trans dipstick. Use Syn trans fluid or Valvoline Maxlife. Will not take much to top off after drain.

Brakes: These are harder for a DIY that has little to no exp. You can buy a 1 man bleed kit and try that. But if not 100% then eiher have a shop flush them or worse case get a turkey baster and suck out all of the master cyl in the engine bay and top off.

Steering Fluid: Same as above use turkey baster and suck out as much as you can. Top off with good fluid.

Don't mix Brake fluid with others and don;t use anything but brake fluid in brake system.

What do I do with the drained fluids? I was going to do my radiator a few years ago (bought some fluid, which I still have!) but didn't because I was stymied what to do with the fluid. My mechanic told me (IIRC) that I can't just have it go down the gutter.

Maybe I can do some or all of these, even the oil. Or maybe I should get quotes from local shops. Maybe I'll find one that will do it cheaply. Or would a dedicated oil change shop do a decent job with some or all of these (Jiffy Lube?). I have some time, and my car's in a driveway. I could probably do some of these, but I need to know what to do with the fluids.

 

[Vette73]

For oil/brake fluid/trans fluid just put in a bottle and take to the oil recycle place.

Rad Fluid see if the recycle place takes it. If not pour down your kitchen sink/toilet. Where I use to live they said to pour down your indoor drain so it gets treated at the plant. Some have places setup to recycle.

 

[Gibson486]

For oil/brake fluid/trans fluid just put in a bottle and take to the oil recycle place.

Rad Fluid see if the recycle place takes it. If not pour down your kitchen sink/toilet. Where I use to live they said to pour down your indoor drain so it gets treated at the plant. Some have places setup to recycle.

Woah fella...you sure they said pour it down a drain?

Bring the stuff to Autozone. They take it.

 

[Vette73]

Woah fella...you sure they said pour it down a drain?

Yep. Drain goes to treatment center so it gets treated with all the other waste fluids.
Now if you pour it down outside ti does not get treated, duh.


Now if you are on a well them don;t pour in your drain. But most newwer waste water plants can handle some rad fluid.

Here is what one place says...

"In Delaware, you can discharge waste antifreeze to a wastewater treatment facility if discharge is less than 15 kilograms (33 lbs or 3.5 gallons) per month."

Again check with your area as not all waste centers can handle anti-freeze.

 

[Chuvalo]

Can I reasonably do any of this myself? I used to do my own oil changes some years back (still have the container) but decided it wasn't worth the trouble. But some of this other stuff? .

Well, while the drain and refill on a transmission is easy, doing it once only replaces about 1/3 or so of the old fluid. So, it's best to do a 3x drain and fill to get most of the old fluid out.

Or, - ideally - you want to do a machine transmission flush ( a reputable shop will do this for you ) using a machine that uses no pressure at all as it will replace 100% of the old fluid with 100% new fluid.

 

[BUTCH1]

Rad Fluid: Drain plug should be at the bottom of the Rad. If you can;t find just remove the lower Rad hose and drain. Then top off with pre mixed 50/50 fluid. Make sure to get all the air out before driving.

Trans: As gibson said open drain plug on trans and top off through the Trans dipstick. Use Syn trans fluid or Valvoline Maxlife. Will not take much to top off after drain.

Brakes: These are harder for a DIY that has little to no exp. You can buy a 1 man bleed kit and try that. But if not 100% then eiher have a shop flush them or worse case get a turkey baster and suck out all of the master cyl in the engine bay and top off.

Steering Fluid: Same as above use turkey baster and suck out as much as you can. Top off with good fluid.

Don't mix Brake fluid with others and don;t use anything but brake fluid in brake system.

My vehicle has neither a trans. drain plug OR a dipstick.

 

[Colt45]

My vehicle has neither a trans. drain plug OR a dipstick.

what is it? I'm thinking you're mistaken.

 

[TraumaRN]

My vehicle has neither a trans. drain plug OR a dipstick.

Mine doesn't either. Not that I can access at least. Completely sealed unit.

 

[BUTCH1]

what is it? I'm thinking you're mistaken.

I wish you were right, '05 Chevy Malibu,3.5 V6. owners manual says" if you notice fluid leaking, bring to dealer", can't even drain/refill has the car has to be on level ground when it's re-filled, the way to see if it's full is to fill it until the level of the fluid comes up to the top of the hole..GM pissed me off with this, how much did they save per car by omitting a dip stick, $3??..

 

[helpme]

Woah fella...you sure they said pour it down a drain?

Bring the stuff to Autozone. They take it.

autozone and Kragen in my area won't take radiator fluid, only petroleum products. They told me to take my radiator fluid to the local hazardous waste disposal facility, what a pain! As such, it is still sitting in my garage in gallon jugs...