Transfer case fluid change, my two cents

[rjirvine]

Well, as I've mentioned before, I wanted to change all my fluids on my vehicle because I got it with 91,000 miles and don't know the vehicle history.

I got 3 liters of autotrak II fluid for the electric shift from the dealer at about $6.50 a "liter", not quarts as one would expect. The Haines manual says it should hold 2.3 quarts. I drained the old fluid which looked kind of bluish green, rather than the bright blue appearance of the new fluid (was that the factory original color?) There was yellow tamper paint on the drain/fill plugs, and it looks as though neither one had ever been broken (I don't know if that is factory original, or something done at the dealer/aftermarket lube place).

I drained all the fluid into a collection container, and got right at 2.0 liters out of it. (I drained it back into the one liter bottles that the new stuff came out of so I could measure) so, that is about 2.1 quarts after converting from liters. I drove the vehicle and shifted in and out of 4HI etc. and parked it. I checked the fluid again and it was fine. Shouldn't I have gotten 2.3 quarts out of it as the manual says or not?

P.S. The drain plugs are 18MM and the torque on them is 15 ft-lbs.

I used a plastic funnel from wal-mart that wasn't working, so I got really pissed/impatient and used my butane torch to melt the funnel stem to about 70 degrees and wrapped the bend with electric tape and then leak checked it under the faucet (then used a blow dryer to get any water residue out) and tried that, it works great as long as you pour the fluid slowly.

Any advice on this process for the future?

[tykrz]

I used a small plastic flexible funnell and cut the plastice hose part to about 5 inches...worked really well as you could position funnell to where you wanted it. I did that because I didn't want to spend extra cash. The best way to do would be to get a "suction gun" or whatever you call it ( looks like a grease gun but with a small hose attached ). Mine also only took exactly 2 litres, just as the dealer said.

[firebird0095]

I went to fill my transfer case and found it to be not so easy. My solution was a huge syringe used for livestock. You can get them at Rural King or any farm store for a couple of bucks without needles on them, and they are handy for lots of things. You can even put a hose on the end with a clamp. The suction guns that I have purchased before were junk and leaked all over me while I was filling the transmission in my car.