How long can you make an auto last for?

["Turbo-T"]

Let's say you put a trans cooler on it, change the fluid at regular intervals, don't town with it....

I have a guy telling me 150k is pushing it on a GM trans and 175k is really stretching it....


I know there's a lot of variables but what's the general consensus say?

 

[SSedan64]

If they're serviced regularly it does extend the life much longer. Regular use keeps the seals & frictions in better shape. Age has has more to do with the seals going bad & if the vehicle sits for long periods the seals get dry.
As for how many miles, hard to say. I have an old Caprice that has 265,000 on it & still shifts fine. I have changed the fluid & filter about 5 times, front, rear, shift lever shaft, TV cable & dipstick seals once.

 

[KL Mallender]

Properly lubed and cooled, there's no telling how long one would last. I've opened up some units with over 200k and found very little damage sometimes, yet some people can destroy one in seconds. I believe Eric Clapton said it best in his song, "It's in the way that you use It".

Kevin.

 

[charlie]

+1

Properly lubed and cooled, there's no telling how long one would last. I've opened up some units with over 200k and found very little damage sometimes, yet some people can destroy one in seconds. I believe Eric Clapton said it best in his song, "It's in the way that you use It".

Kevin.

+1 So true.....

 

[SCOOBY DOO]

Don't forget, it'll depend how much HP you try to push through it...and what horsepower level it's built for.

 

[KL Mallender]

While this thread is not the place for the argument of torque vs horsepower, I can only state that torque is a measurement of rotational force against a fixed object, horsepower is a measurement of how quickly torque is produced.
Transmissions could care less how much "Horsepower" you have, it only knows/cares about the rotational force used coming from engine("INPUT FORCE") vs rotational resistance from drivetrain required to move vehicle weight(mass) at specified thrust(G-force). If the transmission "See's" more force coming in than what it's able to pass thru to driveshaft it will fail in it's "Capacity Strength" resulting in broken parts, if a clutch or band is burning it's material it is because that it does not have adequate clamping force(Line pressure to piston/servo), if converter is slipping excessively(wrong stall speed/not locking up), the working fluid will overheat and lose it's ability to lubricate(250 degrees and up), pretty much wasting whatever it comes into contact with. So it's up to the owner/driver to understand how his/hers driving habits contribute to it's survival or it's death and make the necessary adjustments or continue to fail one of the best "Little" transmissions ever made(200-4R).

Kevin.

 

[GNeric]

I tore the KZ out of my wife's 86 442 with 165,xxx miles for a leak and found the only thing that would have failed was the clutches. They were down to the glue. Thrust washers, bushings, steels and pump all looked like they had never been run. Only a 185hp engine but the trans got fluid changed every year no matter what.