Auto fluid change on 20 yrs old C5.

[seanrx]

My MK2 auto four speed.

I've owned for nine years now and with previous owners, no record of an auto box fluid change.

The cars still feels okay. It does have a low rev judder, which I've read is normal for my 2.0L petrol.

I drive 6000 per year and very few short town journeys.

Is worth my paying for a fluid change? Or just leave as is.

[MGmike]

New oil is never a bad thing...
On the flip side, I ran a 2004 Auto to 180k without a change and without issue. I could have been lucky or it could have been because I mostly did distance driving, who knows. You pays your money or takes your chances...

[GiveMeABreak]

If the oil hasn't been changed in this period of years then there's probably a lot of debris in the oil. As you may know you can't just replace the oil in one change, as about a third remains in the torque converter. To get as near to a complete oil change often requires about 3 oil changes, so the basic change, then wait for a month and repeat and then again. Some people don't wait and just allow the oil to circulate and then change it several times and keep an eye on the colour each time it's drained to see it go from black to red.

However some may say that for a car this old and never having the oil changed, can lead to all the debris being churned up and circulated round the gearbox causing more issues that solving - in this case they may add some auto gearbox 'life extender' which may give it a new lease of life for a while longer. So difficult to say as we don't know what the condition of the oil and box is like.

It's normal to replace it from new at every 30-40k miles and keep with that cycle to ensure the box is kept in good working order.

[seanrx]

Thanks for replies.
I have read of the oil change procedure, car on level ground and so on.Is that really Citroen specific or for most cars?
Would a good garage know of the procedure?

[GiveMeABreak]

Make sure you read the guide below, specifically for this vehicle with this gearbox & engine:

C5 MK II AL4 Auto Gearbox Oil Change

These are PSA gearboxes.

You'll need to ensure you have a lexia kit or professional diagnostic tools to both check the oil temperature of the gearbox and to reset the oil counter afterwards.

[lcwin]

Seanrx, Just go ahead and change the oil , open the front gearbox cover holding two magnets inside and clean it. See if there is huge amount of iron dust accumulated or not. The low speed juddering is a sign your torque converter will likely need replacing but dont take my word for it . Get an expert opinion