I was wanting to know if trans fluid additives really help make the trans run smoother and better.if so what are some good brands I should be looking for.I have a automatic trans on a 1986 Ford F150
Hey! Personally I never recommend additives to any vehicle, with the exception of fuel additives to clean injectors. I would suggest a full fluid change out and filter change. Most shops do these for about $200 or less. Unlike a typical filter and fluid change, these systems run a cleaner through the entire transmission and clean all the gunk out. I used to recommend these to customers with over 100,000 miles on their vehicles. The issue you could run into is if the transmission is in terrible condition it can remove the gunk that has actually been keeping the transmission going. Personally, if your transmission is in that poor of a condition I would recommend that you have it serviced anyways and repaired. a Good luck to you, had an 85 f150. Good truck.
it will surely help provided there is nothing wrong with the inner workings, oil additives have always been questionable as a repair, both tranny and engine keep in mind that if the problem is a loss of frictional material, clutch or band the repair is obviously to replace the offending member, I have seen where an erratic shifting transmission has been temporarily helped by adding a transmission conditioner if a transmission is shifting erratically because of a sticking valve in the valve body and a check of the fluid shows dirty discolored fluid, the first check in any questionable performance question, if fluid doesn't pass the correct level,color,or smell test an internal repair is needed don't add a conditioner and procrastinate you are inviting major trouble! there's no such thing as a mechanic in a can!, consult you vehicle owners manual if available on checking fluid level,or an auto repair manual, available at most auto parts stores, in my mind oil conditioners in most cases are fine if used as a maintenance item, but cannot ad worn engine or transmission parts, remember that many uncommon noises emitted by your engine,differential or tranny are harbingers of needed mechanical repairs the severity being up to your interactionif that tranny is an AOD get it to a transmission shop
