Just completed the 60K driveline fluids change: here's some tips

[zetatre]

The 2500 just turned the 60K and after some back and forth I decided to be the good car owner I am and replace driveline fluids (the 2 diffs, TC and 68RFE): I just picked it up some 5K miles ago and had no history from the PO.

I found the 68RFE filter kit on Amazon -> http://amzn.com/B009SAUG5M. All genuine Mopar parts, includes the RTV. The main filter includes the seal which I didn't bother replace since I didn't have the drift and the one that was there was perfectly fine.

As far as oil goes I went to the local Walmart and pick up 6 quarts of Supertech 75W-90 for the differentials and 12 quarts of Supertech ATF+4 for the TC (I have a New Process in my 2012) and the 68RFE.

While at Walmart I picked up a $4 plastic pool that worked perfect to make a mess free fluid change

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It came particularly handy when I dropped the transmission pan: for the first time I did a transmission fluid change without any oil on my garage floor. I bought the universal drain plug for the transmission (http://amzn.com/B00029WR78) but ended up returning it: I figured since this is done every 60K miles or so and how I finally found a good way to do it the added risk of a leaking point wasn't justified.

Remove both filters and let it sit for some time: once you remove the spin on it will keep dripping for quite some time.

I used a wire wheel attached to the power drill to remove all the old RTV from the pan. There were a few residues on the transmission too but just carefully removed it with a spatula (the wire brush would hap probably damaged the softer aluminum on the case).

The gaskets on the differential covers were all still in good conditions so I just applied some Sil-Glyde lube from NAPA.

Checking transmission level is tricky since it's very much dependent on the fluid temperature. It is important to note that the HOT mark is for a temperature of 180F so unless you're able to warm it up at that level you are effectively overfilling it. I suggest you take the truck out for a good drive (after you added a safe amount of fluid) and refer to this (http://www.atraonline.com/gears/2010/2010-05/2010_5_4.pdf) to gauge if you are at the proper level or not. In my case, I couldn't get past 140F so I stayed at about 3/4 from COLD to HOT.

I have all the torque specs at home I'll them when I get back.

Truck runs good, life is good.

 

[dfb]

Great job! Save a load of greenies too!

 

[Mingoglia]

Thanks for the write-up. Not sure I'd use those Walmart fluids, particularly if towing, and particularly in the transmission. I haven't seen the transmission fluid, but I know the power steering fluid is complete junk and I assume the ATF is likely junk since those two fluids are very similar.

 

[xcc_rider]

To paraphrase TransEngineer "any atf-4 will work, they all meet the specifications" which is why I used the Wallyworld atf-4 also.

 

[Mingoglia]

To paraphrase TransEngineer "any atf-4 will work, they all meet the specifications" which is why I used the Wallyworld atf-4 also.

There's "meet" specification, and "exceed". When it comes to fluids on vehicles pulling heavy loads, I lean towards the higher end lubricants. For example, I'll run the blue wally world stuff in the rear diff on my offroad buggy, because I drive through deep water and inspect my gears regularly so I frequently swap the fluid. The wally world stuff is noticeably different than say Royal Purple in the same viscosity. My other experience was with the power steering fluid (which is similar to ATF). I have a hydro ram for steering (it's a rock crawler with 40" tires with water filled to the top for extra weight). I was using Lucas fluid in the Ram, but was having issues blowing hose fittings. After a couple of failed attempts to fix, I put the blue stuff in because it was cheap until I got the issue solved. Darn thing had a loss of power, and squealed and generally felt like junk. Blue another fitting, put the same fluid in and everything was still junk. After awhile, when I was no longer blowing fittings I drained it and put another high end fluid in and it was butter smooth, and completely quiet. Both fluids met the same specification, but the blue bottle stuff was clearly inferior in performance and "look and feel", compared to the higher end stuff. No, I didn't run any scientific test or anything, but I'd err on the side of caution, particularly in the transmission. Just my $.02.

 

[transe]

While I certainly agree that one brand of fluid may be better than another (where they both meet the ATF+4 spec), it would be difficult for the average consumer to determine which is superior. That's because EVERY fluid that "meets" the ATF+4 specs will also "exceed" them. And that's because the specs set a minimum (or maximum) value for most parameters. For example:
• Viscosity @ -28.9°C: 3,000 cP Max
• Flash point: 190°C Min
No one can consistently manufacture fluid that EXACTLY hits the minimum or maximum value specified for every single parameter. And if a fluid has a viscosity (at -28.9°C) of 2,998 cP, or a flash point of 190.1°C, it "exceeds" the specification. So if you see a fluid labeled as "exceeds ATF+4 specs," it's not necessarily better than any other ATF+4 fluid. They ALL have to "exceed" the specifications.