changing the trans fluid

[NSperduto]

But don't most general repair shops use dextron with an additive as opposed to aft+4. I've always been told that it's a big no-no to use anything but the exact mopar designated fluid in a chrysler trans.



I know I had a trans ruined on my Intrepid by a local garage putting in the wrong fluid. In my dakota, I always use the atf+4. I change just what's in teh pan and every other change, I pump out what's in the trans a couple quarts at a time via the cooler line and refill via the fill tube.



Nick

Nick

 

[DPKetchum]

Don't know. ASK. If anything take your own fliud. Its deducted from a bill then anyway.

 

[ACerf]

transmission

I changed my transmission fluid at 20K, and at that time installed a Mag-Hytec transmission pan. This added 4 qts to the, giving me qts without the torque converter being drained. The fluid at 20k was very clean and looked like new. But I wanted to get the original fluid out of the transmission.

 

[jimnance]

I suggest you try reading your owner's manual, it's pretty clear.

Looked at my manual for my '03 CTD and find NO reference to an oil change interval for the six speed manual at all. Neither in schedule A or B.

I find the transfer case, Diffs, Auto transmission, etc. . , but nothing for the manual transmission.



I asked the service writer at the local dealership. He looked and said the same thing. No recommended interval. He suggested somewhere between 30K and 50K depending on the use of the truck.

 

[Matt400]

But don't most general repair shops use dextron with an additive as opposed to aft+4.

Not in our shop Nick. Flushes are done with the OE recommended fluid only.

We recommend 15K if you tow and 30K if you don't. 90K on the filter.



Sorry DPKetchum but I will be the oddball and say that we do find bands out of adjustment but mostly on stuff thats 90K or more on the miles.

 

[Matt400]

it just blows my mind that sometimes people are too lazy to read their book and instead post basic questions here like that.

I think it was a good question, owners manuals are pretty pathetic these days when it comes to maintenance recommendations. Many manufactures don't recommend a transmission fluid change at all at any mileage.

 

[DPKetchum]

Yourthe first one to EVER mention finding bans out at any mileage other then a trans thats on its way south to start with. I have asked MANY trans techs,independents and dealers. No harm in checking one. My point was the ONLY ones that make it sound important is layman. Filter is good for MANY miles and the ban thing seems to info left over from the 60s/70s. Kinda like at 15k all the little inspections thats listed as maintance(Inspect exhaust hangers,steering linkage,fender bolts etc)that no one does. Or really needs to.

 

[jimnance]

Not in our shop Nick. Flushes are done with the OE recommended fluid only.

We recommend 15K if you tow and 30K if you don't. 90K on the filter.



Sorry DPKetchum but I will be the oddball and say that we do find bands out of adjustment but mostly on stuff thats 90K or more on the miles.

For the six speed manual transmission ?????

 

[DPKetchum]

What no bands in a six speed!

 

[LightmanE300]

DPKetchum - we know from your tons of posts on this topic that you are a big fan of transmission flushes, I think you've made that clear :-laf I know you think the pan shouldn't come off, and draining only 6. 5 quarts out isn't worth doing. I'm here to tell you that at 30k I took my pan off, and it needed a lot of cleaning. The magnet in the corner had lots of metallic goo on it, and the filter was also pretty dirty looking. I know I didn't change out all the fluid like a full flush would do, but I certainly wouldn't be happy just flushing it and leaving all that crap in there. I think if you want to be complete about it you have to do both.

 

[DPKetchum]

All that goo is normal and not going anywhere. the flush isn't going to send it anywhere. It will be sitting and collecting more as time goes on. Filters today really are good for many many miles. No harm in eaither way. But If I was going to service it and would do both. The adding of fresh fliud to old does help boost the additive amount in the old fliud. I'd rather leave the pan and filter alone and flush it then do the filter and just add some fliud. For the general public the flush machines are better then sliced bread. As mentioned before. Lots of transmissions the filter can't be got to without teardown.

 

[Matt400]

Yourthe first one to EVER mention finding bans out

I will admit its mostly 46re on the gas trucks

 

[RAMINSPEED]

I called the local dealer and iquired about trany change. $120 for dropping the pan, new filter, fluid and gasket. Flushing doubles the price and then some. :--)

 

[DPKetchum]

Well its been a few years but if we did both we gave a break in price. The flush was $119. 95 fliud/labor etc. A transmission filter change was $89. 95. If both done at the same time it was like $165. 00. That was in 2001. In the same town,differant dealers using the same flush machine the price was from $119. 95 to $209. 95. We made good profit at $119. 95. The others were really stealing. In another words if both done we charged the flush labor& one hour add. for servicing the trans filter/gasket and you waste the 4 to 6 qts you have to put back in after filter done to go back and hook flush machine up. But by no means was it DOUBLE.

 

[mfrost]

I called the local dealer and iquired about trany change. $120 for dropping the pan, new filter, fluid and gasket. Flushing doubles the price and then some. :--)

Gasket is reuseable along with the differential cover gaskets on mine. Don't know about yours. Those resuable gaskets look pretty spendy.

 

[jsimpson]

Good general repair shops,quick lubes and most dealers as well as trans shops will have a machine to do this. Prices seem to vary greatly anywhere from the $120 to $200 range. Its a bladder/exchange unit. With truck running on a lift and usually in reverse gear(little higher pressure then D or 1)the old fliud comes out and new fliud in the bladder goes in. Most have a sight glass and you can watch the transformation.

I've done it myself on my Mazda MTD. Disconnected the transmission cooler lines and dropped the intake line into bucket of fresh fluid and output line into empty bucket. When the output line began to flow clean fluid, i shut her down and reconnected. Much cheaper than the $175 I just paid Dodge!

 

[DPKetchum]

Yep same way as long as bucket with new fliud is real clean. It is advisable to have drive wheels off the ground and truck/auto in gear at idle. The D. C. line we always put them in reverse. reverse puts out higher psi then drive. We also did use the BG flush/cleaner solvent.

 

[DPKetchum]

Yep same way as long as bucket with new fliud is real clean. It is advisable to have drive wheels off the ground and truck/auto in gear at idle. The D. C. line we always put them in reverse. Reverse puts out higher psi then drive. We also did use the BG flush/cleaner solvent.

 

[Matt400]

Help me out on understanding how that works. If you open the circuit and put the pressure line in an empty bucket, the trans pump will push fluid till the filter runs out of fluid. The other end of the line has no suction cuz it just emptys into the trans. pan- are you setting the clean bucket high enough to create a siphon?



On our flush machine we connect by splicing into a cooler line, the transmission pump is used to empty the trans but the machine meters the out flow and matches it by pumping with its own pump back into the return line.



I have heard of people disconnecting the cooler line, start the auto and run it empty, shut off, refill trough the tube then do it again until you have discharged the systems capacity but that might be hard on things. If you add to the fill tube at the same time that would help but the tube is dumping in at the filter so you will be mixing fluid.

 

[DPKetchum]

Forgot about the flush MACHINE having its OWN PUMP.