John Gregory wrote:

> There seems to be a difference of opinion concerning the transmission fluid
> here. The service manual - based upon my driving habits - claims no change
> is necessary. The dealer claims - after checking the fluid - no change is
> necessary.

That may be true. However, I have read on forums of DC dealers refusing
to honor a warranty repair on a tranny because the fluid was not
changed. When the customer complained that their driving meets the
Schedule A conditions, the dealer claimed that they refuse to recognize
that Schedule A driving is possible and that they consider Schedule B
the only valid schedule - claim denied.

> ...Q3) How do I get ALL the fluid out of the system if I drain it myself,
> check the magnet, and replace the filter?

Glad you asked. I posted this info. recently in another thread: "See
this thread on the 300M Enthusiasts forum to see how it's done (300M and
Concorde power trains and chassis are identical - in fact, the photos in
my post in that thread show where I spliced the cooler return line on my
Concorde for changing out the tranny fluid):
http://300mclub.100megs42.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6295&highlight=return+fluid".

Now - truth is, it is a dilution process, so it will never be 100% fluid
exchange. But if you use, say, 12 quarts of fluid in the flush, the
replacement will be 95+% complete (vs. 40% of a simple pan drop and add
fluid).

> Q4) Do I need any "special" tools for any part of the job? (I don't think
> I did for the '95 Concorde I had)
>
> Q5) How much would be left in the system if I simply dropped the pan and
> drained? (Assuming the pan is the only thing I could drop reasonably)

System holds slightly less than 10 qts. Dropping the pan ends up
"wasting" 4 to 4-1/2 qts. You do the math. 8^)

Another method that is between the method that I posted above and simply
dropping the pan as far as effectiveness of fluid exchange is to drop
the pan (replace filter), close it up , fill with new fluid, drive for a
few miles, drop pan again, close up, fill with fresh fluid. WAG - about
70 to 75% effective exchange of old/new fluid.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
adddress with the letter 'x')