My younger brother has been borrowing my Suburban for the past few months. That car has been such a blessing to so many people as we have been able to lend it out to many families over the years as we usually take smaller cars now that I don't have so many kids at home. I keep it to pull the trailer and I think it does better having someone drive it often then if I let it sit but gas prices keep me from driving it often.
When my brother returned it so I could use it camping, he told me that when he checked the transmission fluid it was really dark. I haven't done anything but have oil changes regularly and have everything checked. He told me along with several others "in the know" that I spoke with, that you shouldn't have Chevrolet cars flushed as the detergents in the fluid break down the seals or something and often cause problems.
My sister took her suburban in and they told them to flush the system and when they did, they broke down on their Disney trip and it cost them big. So, having heard all that, I called my dad asking what he would do. He is the car man of the family and is always great to help me out. He told me we would do it camping as he lives hours away. So, he bought a pump and brought some transmission fluid.
My brothers and dad put the pump in the hole and then got into a discussion and one brother asked why they didn't just pull the plug underneath. My dad and older brother who were trying to figure out how to extend the pump hose told him it didn't have one. He didn't believe then and climbed under the car. He was shocked to find that the car is so old, it doesn't have a plug at the bottom. My older brother joke, "You were wrong, that is a first." My younger brother then said something about having to tell his wife so she could write it down for later use." Everyone had a good laugh as his wife was sitting right there.
The discussion then went to the hose being too short to get down into the fluid. My dad had taken the pump out and hooked it up and put the plastic container it came in on a camp table upside down. He didn't notice it had adapter hoses in it that would have easily fit down into the transmission skinny hole.
So, my brothers and dad went about finding a hose for some other project but the hose was flexible and collapsed when pressure was put on it by the pump and then the collapsing pipe caused a suction in itself and four of us spent about an hour pumping the dark oil colored fluid out of my transmission. It was so dark I wondered it worked at all pulling my huge trailer.
We took about 3 quarts out and then poured in new with a funnel my dad also bought. I forgot I had taken my funnel out and left it in the garage. When we were sore from pumping and figured we could do it again at home, we stopped. I figured what we did would help. I went to clean up the mess and laughed and laughed that there was an adapter kit in the packaging for the hose which just slid on the end and would have gone right into the hole and saved us lots of time and effort pumping.
My dad and brothers laughed when I showed them. I think they just like doing the "Macgyver" thing. They used duct tape and some tubing for a break line or something to extend the tube that came with the pump.
When I got home, I went to the car part store and the pump my dad bought was almost $20. I think I will borrow his to finish that project.
I wouldn't recommend doing this camping but if your family is anything like mine, that is where the men get board and look for things to keep them occupied. I will share some of the projects they brought and made that were HUGE hits this year. My dad and brothers are amazing at coming up with fun things for the kids while camping.
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