nv5600 fluid level

[ryecreek]

know i seen it but do i overfill or what

level w/plug

1/4 below

doing alot of towing hard so i thought id double check

 

[HBarlow]

Standard Transmission in Ft. Worth, TX, a TDR advertiser, recommends overfilling the Nv-5600 to compensate for a case design that can allow the transmission to oil poorly.

It's been over three years since they rebuilt my transmission and gave that advice so I've forgotten how much "overfill. " I think they suggested an extra quart. Call them and ask. A phone call is cheap.

 

[ryecreek]

thanks

i overfilled 1/2 qt

i know a 4500 should be 1 qt over but, cant remember the 5600

 

[CumminsBu]

I overfilled mine 1 qt thought the shifter tower.

 

[Diesel Power]

yep over fill through the shift tower!

 

[ryecreek]

i have a fast cooler so overfill is easy

so is it 1qt?

 

[Diesel Power]

i have a fast cooler so overfill is easy

so is it 1qt?

yep sure is

 

[steved]

Remember, the FastCoolers will cause the level inside the trans to increase "less" with a quart overfill... because you are also filling the coolers. In case you wanted to have that "exact" one quart overfill level. I run a quart or so over with Fast Coolers... basically fill it until the fluid runs out the factory fill hole, button up, and add another quart.



And FWIW, it does cause the trans temperature to run hotter. There is less variation (less swing in temps), but overall it will run hotter with the added quart.

 

[zzman]

I over filled mine and about a month later the rear seal blew out. What did I do wrong?

The whole seal just slide out, Dodge house said couldn't find anything wrong with the seal, but they put a new one in anyhow.

I think it was the fluid I had in there. Filled with Lucas transmission fluid.

Just what is a good over the counter fluid for the nv5600?????

I have the trans cooler on order from Geno's, when they come in I'm going to change oil with the install. What brand should I use? I do pull heavy loads.

 

[steved]

I over filled mine and about a month later the rear seal blew out. What did I do wrong?
The whole seal just slide out, Dodge house said couldn't find anything wrong with the seal, but they put a new one in anyhow.
I think it was the fluid I had in there. Filled with Lucas transmission fluid.
Just what is a good over the counter fluid for the nv5600?????
I have the trans cooler on order from Geno's, when they come in I'm going to change oil with the install. What brand should I use? I do pull heavy loads.

The NV5600 uses a synchromesh-type fluid. It is a manual transmission fluid, not gear oil.

Here are some fluids that I've seen used in the NV5600:

Pennzoil Synchromesh (this is found at most parts houses)
Amsoil MTF
Red Line MTL
Royal Purple Synchromax
Torco also makes a synchromesh

I have not seen any indication that one of these is better than another, however; one fluid may perform better in a particular trans than another. I found Red Line MTL works the best in my trans... I change it every 15k to 25k.

 

[zzman]

Thanks Steve

 

[MickeyMiller]

So far, I've uses all of these, in this order:

Pennzoil Synchromesh, at 500 miles thru 26. 6K miles

Royal Purple Synchromax 26. 6K - 55K

Torco 55K - 80K

Red Line MTL 80K -100K; changed again at 100K -126K

Amsoil MTF 126K - only changed to Amsoil 3 weeks ago



Ran each for ~25K miles. Haven't noticed any major difference in shifting qualities, but the current Amsoil may shift a little smoother.



Magnet has had some fine gray matter at each change, but not a lot. The Geno's filter has a nice sprinkling of brass dust. Each of the fluid changes have yielding very clean fluid and no burnt smell. With the latest Amsoil change I added an additional quart for the first time (I always added 1/2 qt for the filter), so I'll see if that makes any difference.

 

[steved]

For comparison... my findings:

• 
  
  Redline worked the best... I have around 90k of use with Red Line MTL.
  
  
  
  Amsoil probably second best... ran this 20k, then it started falling off. Only ran it once.
  
  
  
  Pennzoil third... its just all right... ran this for a total of 75k.
  
  
  
  Royal Purple was by far the worst... ran it about 700 miles before it got hard to shift. I have only used RP "blended" (read below) for under 10k.

I have also blended fluids... I determined my 5600 likes a little thicker fluid. I have ran as high as 25% MT-90 with MTL and 25% 85w140 with RP Synchromax. I found running a single bottle of MT-90 with the remainder MTL seems to be the ticket for me... that's one bottle of MT-90 and 6 bottles of MTL.



The most I have ever felt a fluid had lasted is around 30k... then shifting starts getting sticky.



But keep in mind, each NV5600 is unique.

 

[amsoilman]

I've been running the Amsoil (MTF) for the past 75,000 miles with no differences felt since installing... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... . and I did not overfill it. I have been told by a very reliable source, that there were only a few of the NV-5600 transmissions that were in need of the overfill situation. I guess mine was not one that needed an extra amount of fluid, as it has performed flawlessly.

 

[mberry]

Mine was getting very hard to shift running the Amsoil. I would have to guess it has somewhere in the 35K-45K miles on this fluid. My "cure" was to begin parking my truck backwards in the driveway so the fluid would run to the front and settle there. Since then, no issues in over a year and lots more heavy towing than it ever used to get.

 

[ryecreek]

Remember, the FastCoolers will cause the level inside the trans to increase "less" with a quart overfill... because you are also filling the coolers. In case you wanted to have that "exact" one quart overfill level. I run a quart or so over with Fast Coolers... basically fill it until the fluid runs out the factory fill hole, button up, and add another quart.



And FWIW, it does cause the trans temperature to run hotter. There is less variation (less swing in temps), but overall it will run hotter with the added quart.

i understand that and fill the same as you



Diesel Power

thanks thats what i wasnt sure of

 

[tkerrigan]

I wonder if the fluid runs hotter overfilled because the oil is cooling areas of the transmission that it normally doesn't reach?

 

[steved]

I wonder if the fluid runs hotter overfilled because the oil is cooling areas of the transmission that it normally doesn't reach?

That is the big money question... is it cooling something that is normally running hot, or starving something of lube because its flooded??

 

[Bugracing]

Been running Redline's MTL since the 15k service - changed it again at 30k. truck now has 33k on it. Great shifting improvement from the stock fluid even while towing my 8000 car trailer.

Have not been running a Fast cooler, but have attached a large circular magnate to each side of the trans.

With the 15k service, I replaced all the driveline fluids with Redline fluids - have always had great results with Redline. The engine received Redline 15w40 engine oil during its 30k service and LOVED it!!!

(and no, Redline is not paying me to say any of this but they should )

 

[Elite1]

I did my first Trans oil change at 70k, switched to Redline MTL (5 qts. ), it made a big difference in the way it shifted... much smoother. Some may think I'm crazy, but nearly 100k miles later (169k), I still have the same trans oil. I will change it next week at 170k. , with Redline MTL again... of course. Back then, I put about 4. 5 qts in and then jacked up one side of the truck a little to fit the last 1/2 qt. in...

btw: it will be interesting to see how the old oil looks and the magnet on the inspection plate, after 100k on the same oil...