Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) transmission Service

[BSanders]

I am now close to 30K miles and believe that I'm due for a transmission service (bands, fluid, etc. ). I got a coupon in the mail from the dealer advertising this service for around $90. Sounds very reasonable to me but what do I know. Anything to look out for?

Thanks for your help.

 

[illflem]

The dealer service isn't a deal. I had mine done when they were offering it for $45 figuring that just all the new ATF and filter/gasket would cost half that. Invoice said they used only four quarts of new fluid...



I take mine to a local mechanic along with my own 16 qts of ATF, he puts it on a machine that pulls the old ATF out replacing with new and a new filter for $75. Hardly worth doing it myself for that price.

 

[rweis]

I just changed 12 quarts of ATF+4, and a filter. Filter came w/ the MH 727 DD. I got gallons 3 different times at the stealer all at different $$ (all at the same stealer btw).



Salesman manning the service dept on a Dec weekend sold it at the shop rate of $21. 50, Parts counter Jan sold it at $30, Parts counter Feb sold it at $27. 95. Right! Now I am going to let them touch it, no way!



At 3 gallons there is still some left in the transmission TC. As I understand it you can loosen the 10 VB bolts OR loosen the hot line at the transmission and of course change the pan and filter.



When I looked in the pan there was a magnet that had a bunch of fluffy deposit on it. So I think dropping the pan might be of value. The filter in the pan is I think about 35 - 40 micron.



From the transmission sites they seem to want it changed every 12 - 15k or not more than every year. Depends on how much work you make it do, and what you feel good with.



I am going to put an external filter on mine and see what that yields. I am going to use a FleetGuard 55gpm, working 250*/ 200psi. Just have to find a place and mount it.



ATGBO (AndTheBeatGoesOn)



Bob Weis

 

[Gerg]

My experience with my dealer in Santa Fe NM is so bad that I would hesitate letting them adjust the seat forward or backward. Every time I go in there it's a new service manager and three times I made appointments for a front end alignment, even calling the night before to verify and when I get there either the front-end guy was on vacation or there's a car on the rack they don't want to move. These were the same guys that told me Chrysler had no rebates or financing deals at a time the Chrysler web page was advertising both ("they're always wrong" the dealer told me... so I went to a different dealer in Farmington who agreed with Chrysler on rebates and financing).



So... I decided to do the service myself. Just did the transmission and it wasn't too bad (30k mile). It's incredibly messy to drop the pan, put down lots of cardboard, etc. I added a drain plug from Geno's so next time I can drain it that way. You need torque wrenches for both in-lb and ft-lb ranges and I had to use a crow's foot and adjust the torque settings slightly to reach the band adjustment on the outside (upper left) of the transmission. The inside band adjustment was straight forward. According to what I've read on here you want to be real careful not to over-tighten the bands, better to have them too loose than at all over tightened.



The biggest confusion for me was that my shop manual from Chrysler and the one from Haynes both have the WRONG refill amounts of fluid for a drain/filter change. They say 4 qt. and mine took 7 qt to reach the middle of the "OK" marks.



Good luck