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Old 10-13-2014, 08:58 PM   #1
harkauto
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Hesitant to change tranny fluid

I recently acquired a beautiful 2001 Club cab Dakota 4.7 automatic transmission 4WD that has obviously been well taken care of by previous owner or owners.

The truck has only 116M miles on it, it starts and runs like new and the interior looks to be in like brand new perfect condition with pristine cloth upholstery. Like the driver had driven the truck by remote control or in the standing position or something. The seats show zero wear or corner or spot crushing of the upholstery. This indicates to me that much of this trucks mileage must have taken place on long distance highway trips. There was very little in-and-out of the truck activity taking place with this truck.

My question is.....
Not knowing when the transmission fluid was changed last I'm wondering if I should just go ahead and change the transmission fluid and filter.
I don't have access to this trucks maintenance or service records and I have no way to contact the former owner to know when this was done last.

The truck has barely 116,000 miles on it, the transmission functions beautifully with no indications of any slip or signs of abuse. I don't believe it was ever used for towing anything.
The tranny fluid is nice and pink and crystal clear and with a nice smell of new tranny fluid. Should I change it, or just leave well enough alone.

I read some where it is normal for the red dye in transmission fluid loose it's redness and turn brown over time, and this does not mean there is anything necessarily wrong with the fluid. Therefore they say to check to see how dirty it is on the dipstick and check for a burning smell. If what I read is correct, then the fact that this fluid is so nice and crystal clear and bright red would be an indicator that this fluid has not been in this truck that long.

Twice in the past....I went ahead and changed the transmission fluid and filter on used cars that I bought and almost immediately after I did the transmissions went completely out on me.

My dad is now in his mid 80's and has owned several cars and trucks in his lifetime and he tells me he has never changed the transmission fluid in any car he has ever owned and has never had a lick of trouble with a transmission.

I look forward to your comments.

Thanks!
Harkauto


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Old 02-01-2015, 08:44 AM   #2
Scotty89
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Re: Hesitant to change tranny fluid

The maintenance schedule on these trucks calls to have the filter changed about every 30,000 miles. Just dropping the pan and changing the fluid and filter you are probably just going to loose about 5 or 6 quarts compared to the 10 or 11 quarts that the complete trans holds. Judging by your description of the truck it was pretty well taken care of but like you said you don't know for sure about the history. If the fluid is red then you shouldn't have any issues dropping the pan and changing the filter. Chrysler's ATF +4 fluid does turn a brownish color with age, as long as is doesn't smell burn and isn't dark. Some Ford trans fluid does the same thing and i'm sure Chevy has some too.
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Old 02-01-2015, 11:25 AM   #3
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Re: Hesitant to change tranny fluid

Quote:
Originally Posted by Scotty89 View Post
The maintenance schedule on these trucks calls to have the filter changed about every 30,000 miles. Just dropping the pan and changing the fluid and filter you are probably just going to loose about 5 or 6 quarts compared to the 10 or 11 quarts that the complete trans holds. Judging by your description of the truck it was pretty well taken care of but like you said you don't know for sure about the history. If the fluid is red then you shouldn't have any issues dropping the pan and changing the filter. Chrysler's ATF +4 fluid does turn a brownish color with age, as long as is doesn't smell burn and isn't dark. Some Ford trans fluid does the same thing and i'm sure Chevy has some too.
Thanks for your response Scotty! I plan on dropping the pan and replacing the filter when the weather warms up a bit.

Am I understanding correctly that the only fluid I will need to replace is basically the fluid that drains from the pan when I drop it (about 5 or 6 quarts)?. And the remaining fluid stays inside the transmission and does not drain out?

Is there a drain plug on the pan, or does the fluid just run out as I loosen the pan bolts?


Thanks again!


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Old 02-02-2015, 05:50 PM   #4
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Re: Hesitant to change tranny fluid

The 5 or 6 is an estimated amount, it might take more or it might take less. If you were to look it up in Chrysler's service info they always tell you that it is an estimated value. The fluid that you will be replacing is mostly what is in the pan. There will be some dripping while the pan is dropped. Most of Chrysler's automatic transmissions do not have a factory drain plug in them. It would be nice if they all did. If I am thinking right too the seal on the trans pan is silicone so don't forget to get a tube of it. Not a problem for the info, Happy to help
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