Lucas Transmission Fix actually does stuff... detergents which clean up the frictions and valves a bit, seal swellers, and of course, thickens up the fluid to have the effect of more pressure. But it will work twice as well if put in with fresh fluid. I've personally witnessed it put 50,000 miles on a couple of slippy gippy transmissions. By the time it won't work it's really worn or broke though.

If you want the full BitWrangler "whole new car" experience, fresh transmission fluid with 1 quart Type F and bottle of Lucas Transmission Fix mixed in. Change oil to recommended viscosity "high mileage" oil, if it's dribbling, losing, or you're seeing puffs of blue out the exhaust, stick with that straight for a couple of changes, if not bad, use 1 quart of cheapest 0W30 synthetic in there mixed in. Run that for a couple of weeks, then stick 250ml Varsol and 250ml 99% Isopropyl alcohol in a full tank of gas and drive it like you stole it, will decarb and clean out the injectors etc. Might need to have a new fuel filter to hand, if your tank was real gunky it mobilises it. Check your gas mileage before and after, probably got you a couple of mpg back too.

Another update:

I am about to enter texas. I am down by the gulf coast. I’ve been spending a lot of time with friends in Mississippi and texas. But am now on the road again.

I think next I will head down to space x and see how the rockets are coming along! :p

Still no pay chargers since Seattle WA

You got free electric in Texas? The probs they've been having, I thought they'd suck you dry on the border and tow you back out with a mule.

BitWrangler wrote on 2022-07-26, 14:09:

Lucas Transmission Fix actually does stuff... detergents which clean up the frictions and valves a bit, seal swellers, and of course, thickens up the fluid to have the effect of more pressure. But it will work twice as well if put in with fresh fluid. I've personally witnessed it put 50,000 miles on a couple of slippy gippy transmissions. By the time it won't work it's really worn or broke though.

I'll ask how you determined the lucas did the trick. Trans oil is very detergent, in fact some people will tell you to change it 3x in so.ewhat repid succession as it'll loosen lots of gunk, that can't be left in for long.

I'm thinking maybe I'll try delco dex iii (h?l) after I've driven it a while. Have mostly castrol transmax high mileage currently. I am a big huge non-fan of additives. Much of it is outright snake oil anyway.

Transmission fluid is a dark art. I’ve heard it f people who changed their transmission oil just to have it not shift but when they drained it and put the old stuff back in it worked fine. Some of the clutch particles floating around is actually supposed to be very good for it. Or so some say.

Sticking type F in your tranny was always a fun way to get a cheap ghetto “shift kit” 🤣

BitWrangler wrote on 2022-07-26, 20:51:

You got free electric in Texas? The probs they've been having, I thought they'd suck you dry on the border and tow you back out with a mule.

I’m about to cross over soon. Not there yet.

Haha! I had the same thought 🤣.

Should’ve brought them some solar panels.

Here is a map of ONLY the free chargers that work with my car in texas. NOT the pay ones and other types. 😀 it’s worth noting that more usually load when you zoom in.

I was having a noisy lifter issue 2 or 3 years back. I may have put some marvel mystery oil a bit before an oil chamge was needed. Never a whole quart. But the oil used is critical. I have been using pennzoil high milrage. No more noise suggestive of dirty lifters. I may go back to using castrol gtx as I've always used it through the years.

chris2021 wrote on 2022-07-26, 21:27:

I am a big huge non-fan of additives. Much of it is outright snake oil anyway.

I understand that, but have had a lot of luck with problems that could be put down to hardened seals and researched what would soften them up again. Also detergent actions also work relative miracles. It's also why I won't buy the 125ml injector cleaner or emissions cleaner for $5, since look up the MDS and it's mineral spirits and/or IPA, just use the stuff straight. It is just bandaiding the problem, but when the bandaid adds some 25-50% to the life before major rebuild jobs it's worth it IMO. Could say the same about oil changes "It's just bandaiding the innate design flaw of metal grating on metal, you're only adding 95% to the lifetime with that workaround" 🤣

Well maybe I'll give it a try. I plan to change it twice more, probably with delco instead of castrol transmax. I'll put 200-300 miles on it as is. I have the same tranny in a van sitting in the garage, but it aslo may have issues. They always seem to crop up when you drive an hour or more. Maybe an additional cooler could help.

chris2021 wrote on 2022-07-26, 21:27:

I'll ask how you determined the lucas did the trick. Trans oil is very detergent, in fact some people will tell you to change it 3x in so.ewhat repid succession as it'll loosen lots of gunk, that can't be left in for long.

I'm thinking maybe I'll try delco dex iii (h?l) after I've driven it a while. Have mostly castrol transmax high mileage currently. I am a big huge non-fan of additives. Much of it is outright snake oil anyway.

Had to think back a ways to when I first began to trust it, had an old Dodge, 180,000ish tranny was getting a bit slippy, delayed engagement, lockup didn't. Thought I needed a new transmission. Fluid was looking a bit less than fresh, but didn't seem super due. Anyhoo vehicle owed me zilch, was tryna keep it on life support for next to nothing. What the hell, I'll stick some LTFix in it. ... over a few days, much improvement, lockup even starts to work.. nice... so I drive it like that until about 210,000 when it begins to get the same symptoms creeping in.. hmmm.. better be nicer to it this time, drop the pan, fresh fluid, new filter, which was looking like it was 90% clogged, and another bottle of LTfix... now it shifts beautifly and strong.... that takes me up to 280,000 when I stopped driving it much due to not having shoulder belts for kid seats. Rocker panels were pretty bad too, so I gave up on it I guess. Then there was a Tempo which I had more to do with than I wanted, family member 1st car all excited "I got this off a friend, gave me an awesome deal for only $1000" and I'm thinking I coulda bought 4 in that shape for $1000, trans was already slipping. Coincidentally that was at about 180,000 too. Theoretically, it had been given a safety inspection by dude's mechanic, but it reeked of gas and figured out a week later it was dripping gas on the exhaust, so yah, inspection was crap, thing was a money pit from the get go. Anyway, LTfix went in that so maybe she could have a year out of it. She got ill and somehow I ended up driving the thing over half the planet... running her kids around (no belts in the dodge) and by some miracle we kept that together for 5 years and that got near 300,000. It got a dead starter and she'd just got matey with a tech in a lube shop type place, who said he'd do it for cost... ohkay.. so it takes a week to do the starter and when it comes back the trans is absolutely frigging frigged, fluid burned black as hell, smell obvious, no way it was like that immediately prior. Dunno what happened, been brake torqued at the asthmatic 5000RPM or so the tempo could manage?? IDK anyway gave up on that one with a huge sigh of relief. Point being, another time where I felt like LTfix was huge value for money in keeping decrepit crap rolling longer than expected.

Sphere478 wrote on 2022-07-26, 21:50:

Transmission fluid is a dark art. I’ve heard it f people who changed their transmission oil just to have it not shift but when they drained it and put the old stuff back in it worked fine. Some of the clutch particles floating around is actually supposed to be very good for it. Or so some say.

Well an oil change fixes problems far more often then not I should think. And consrquently the little pieces of whatever are taken out. That's the first time I've ever heard particulates in the fluid is beneficial. I doubt there are any additives out there that include such particles.

It might be that changing the fluid 3x in somewhat rapid succession is a waste of time, especially when 3/4 of the old stuff is taken out, in my case. But at least you'll know your fluid is as pure as possible.

Update road trip is almost over

Will be over 8k miles bu time I’m done

No pay chargers since seattle so like 6? 7k? Miles of free chargers.

Never ran out of juice.

Never really had anything unexpected happen that I hadn’t planned for

Never needed a generator

I encountered a few spots that were tricky to get through and stay free. But that wouldn’t have been hard if I used a pay charger in the area.

One of my last stops is going to be a electronics recycler in tuscon arizona. Grab some more retro parts :p

Amazing trip, man. Are you planning on making a YouTube vlog of it or something? 🙂

digger wrote on 2022-08-01, 19:24:

Amazing trip, man. Are you planning on making a YouTube vlog of it or something? 🙂

Yeah, I grabbed some videos along the way. If anyone is good at making YouTube vids HMU it’s gonna take a lot of editing

Funny story.

So I think it was before el passo? I forget where. But some dudes were broken down. They ran out of diesel.

They were 18,000 lbs all told. I towed them 8 miles to town to get diesel. They couldn’t believe it haha.

Anyway, they gave me 100$ which I exchanged for a massive pile of computer parts over in Tucson. (I now am loaded down with a few hundred lbs of computer parts haha

Man, that's hilarious. 😁 If ever there was a point to stop doubting about the inevitability of the EV transition, this would be it.

I'm not a professional editor either, I'm afraid. If I had time, though, I would gladly help you edit a fun YouTube mini-docu. Perhaps someone else here can step up to the plate? 😇

Kudos for helping them out, too. Those computer parts are well-deserved.

Have a safe trip home.

I got home yesterday 😀 compouter parts are unloaded. the smoky ones are airing out still.. but time to start tinkering!

Remember this car ?....Most Desired car of the 80’s.
I think this Song fits this car perfectly.

Video Link:
https://youtu.be/LyBBVgzm7N4

Exhaust sound video:
https://youtu.be/k7Wmq9-ih0c

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2022-08-11, 01:10:

Remember this car ?....Most Desired car of the 80’s.

Now wait a minute there! A lot of of Gen-X'ers here will strongly disagree with you. 😁

(Yes, I know, James May is a boomer and the Countach technically was introduced in the '70s, but it continued to reign supreme as an icon throughout the '80s. I would pick it over the Testarossa when playing Test Drive, although the Lotus Esprit was my personal favorite in that game. 😉)

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2022-08-11, 01:10:

Remember this car ?....Most Desired car of the 80’s. I think this Song fits this car perfectly. […]
Show full quote

Remember this car ?....Most Desired car of the 80’s.
I think this Song fits this car perfectly.

Video Link:
https://youtu.be/LyBBVgzm7N4

Exhaust sound video:
https://youtu.be/k7Wmq9-ih0c

My life aim is still to own a Ferrari F512TR Testa Rossa.. Will never happen 🙁

I drive a 2019 VW Passat.

appiah4 wrote on 2022-08-12, 10:07:

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2022-08-11, 01:10:

Remember this car ?....Most Desired car of the 80’s. I think this Song fits this car perfectly. […]
Show full quote

Remember this car ?....Most Desired car of the 80’s.
I think this Song fits this car perfectly.

Video Link:
https://youtu.be/LyBBVgzm7N4

Exhaust sound video:
https://youtu.be/k7Wmq9-ih0c

My life aim is still to own a Ferrari F512TR Testa Rossa.. Will never happen 🙁

I drive a 2019 VW Passat.

My "Ultimate car" goal was much more pedestrian than yours - I wanted a 1967 Camaro modified to nearly modern standards (pic is my inspiration, Mark Stielow is a personal hero). I wasted a lot of my life in pursuit of this goal, but in my battle against entropy, entropy won. Now I plan on getting a good C4 or C5 Corvette that I can take to the track every once in a while.