tranny drain and fill question...

[paroxysym]

so im going to be having both tranny filters replaced and was looking on wkjeeps.com at how much fluid to buy. for the NV545RFE it says 6.5qts or 14qts for an overhaul. what would i get- the 6.5qts and 14? i dont know if this would be considered an overhaul or not.

appreciate the help fellas.

[07JeepXK]

All you would need is the 6.5 qts or what ever the owners manual calls for. The reason its 14 qts total for a colmplete over haul is because there are 7+ qts of fluid between the torque converter and the internals of the transmission (not including whats in the pan). So basically if your transmission was pulled out of you WK and completely torn apart and rebuilt with a new torque converter you would need 14 qts of fluid to properly fill it. Since you are just dropping the pan and changing the filters you only need the 6.5 qts.

[Matt]

I used a little over 7qts when I did this service. I recommend buying 8 quarts so you're not short when you refill.

[paroxysym]

as for the fluid in the torque converter, when is that changed? when an overhaul is performed?

[Matt]

All of the fluid gets cycled/mixed together.

I normally recommend installing a drain plug and do a follow on drain/fill about 5k miles (or next oil change) after the tranny service. Done at the proper intervals that's more than sufficient to replenish the additives.

Instead of installing drain plugs, I use a vacuum controlled fluid evacutor to suck the fluid out through the dipstick, then refill. Nice and easy. :)

Lol or you can use my most recent method of having a trans cooler line come off while driving and shoot 4+ quarts of fluid everywhere! Hahaha but I'd recommend not doing that...

[07JeepXK]

Yeah pretty much. When you do a normal service (filter and fluid swap) your really just mixing half new oil with half old oil.

EDIT: Matt beat me to it.

[Matt]

Its kind of a PITA the way our trans cooler lines are run, but another good method is to disconnect the hoses at the cooler, connect extension hoses, fill a bucket with New fluid to get sucked in through the return hose and an empty bucket to catch the used fluid on its way to the trans cooler.

[paroxysym]

ive been draining and filling my tranny every 15k since 60k, so within the last 30k its had its fluid changed a couple times. lol so there isnt that much old fluid in there.

matt- i like your idea on disconnecting the cooler lines.

[07JeepXK]

ive been draining and filling my tranny every 15k since 60k, so within the last 30k its had its fluid changed a couple times. lol so there isnt that much old fluid in there.

matt- i like your idea on disconnecting the cooler lines.


Is there a reason why you have been doing it every 15K. Both of my brothers work at transmission shops and say thats not good to do. Something to do with the detergent in the fluid messes up the clutches in the transmission??? I think thats what they said. They always told me if I have a high mileage vehicle (150,000+ miles) to just leave the old transmission fluid in it and dont flush it.

[Matt]

Its not bad to change the fluid frequently as long as its done within the recommended time frame.

If you have an older vehicle that has never had the fluid changed then what happens is the additives break down as well as the trans clutch friction materials wear off due to the lack of functional additives. The friction material becomes suspended in the fluid and almost acts as a friction promoter for the worn clutches. So when you change the fluid in this case, you remove all the clutch material and the new fluid cleans off the worn clutches.... and usually this combination results in a slipping trans.

[HueyPilotVN]

Here is a thread on installing a drain plug / sending unit on the transmission if anyone needs it.

http://www.theultimatejeep.com/showthread.php/102-Installed-drain-plug-and-temperature-sender-in-transmission-pan?highlight=

[Sal-XK]

I know I'm going to catch a bunch of smart a** remarks but every other trans service for me I have the Jeep dealer flush it. I get all the old out well, we all know how it works. Just something I've always done and yes I know Chrysler doesn't recommend it I've read all the posts. All my vehicles last a long time and are in great working order when sold or traded in so pretty much if the system I use aint broke I'm leaving it alone ahahahahha let the flaming begin! :eek:

[Matt]

I bet their trans "flush" is really just a fluid transfer like I described with the buckets.... except its a machine that does the pumping instead of the trans. No big deal with that.

I think Chrysler recommends staying away from flushes the push a cleaning solution through....

[Sal-XK]

I bet their trans "flush" is really just a fluid transfer like I described with the buckets.... except its a machine that does the pumping instead of the trans. No big deal with that.

I think Chrysler recommends staying away from flushes the push a cleaning solution through....

ya that's what I get its just a fluid exchanged no cleaners just catching the old and replacing with new. The one down side is the filters don't get changed but I keep it on schedule so the fluid should be clean and there shouldn't be anything in there anyway to clog the filters at least I hope not LOL

[paroxysym]

The reason i drain and fill every 15k is it was a recommendation from the guy that does most of the work on my jeep-'his been a jeep tech for years now. He said if I wanted my tranny to last, drain and fill every 15k. His wife drives a WK with 150k on it and he does the same and no problems there. He's been dealing with my jeeps for years now and I trust him. I'm coming up on 90k so I'll be doing both filters and a drain a flush.

[lekmedm]

I know I'm going to catch a bunch of smart a** remarks but every other trans service for me I have the Jeep dealer flush it. I get all the old out well, we all know how it works. Just something I've always done and yes I know Chrysler doesn't recommend it I've read all the posts. All my vehicles last a long time and are in great working order when sold or traded in so pretty much if the system I use aint broke I'm leaving it alone ahahahahha let the flaming begin! :eek:


I think the whole issue starts with when you take ownership of the vehicle. If you've owned it since [nearly] new, then you can do fluid changes once a month if you like and always have a great running trans. I think it gets trick when you buy a higher mileage vehicle, and you don't know the service history. That's when you can get into a situation like Matt described. Also, for a trans flush, I think the machine pumps the fluid in the opposite direction of the normal trans pump. It's not recommended by Chrysler because that would mean the fluid is backing out of the filters sending those particles back into the trans. Other vehicles don't use filters, but screens instead. Supposedly, trans flushes are OK with those types. Then again, I'm no transmission mechanic. This is just what I've heard/read/made sense.

[madrock]

All of the fluid gets cycled/mixed together.

I normally recommend installing a drain plug and do a follow on drain/fill about 5k miles (or next oil change) after the tranny service. Done at the proper intervals that's more than sufficient to replenish the additives.

Instead of installing drain plugs, I use a vacuum controlled fluid evacutor to suck the fluid out through the dipstick, then refill. Nice and easy. :)

Lol or you can use my most recent method of having a trans cooler line come off while driving and shoot 4+ quarts of fluid everywhere! Hahaha but I'd recommend not doing that...

Is there a fluid evacutor that is recommended?

I was looking at this one: http://www.amazon.com/Mityvac-MITMV7400-Liter-Fluid-Evacuator/dp/B004CEJLL4/ref=sr_1_3?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1343324086&sr=1-3&keywords=fluid+evacuator+pump

[Matt]

That one will work.
I use the Mityvac MV7201 since I can reverse flow. Comes in handy for filling tcase, diffs etc.

[paroxysym]

just for future reference for everyone.. per matts advice, ordered from wholesale-mopar and saved myself roughly $20-$25, thats with all parts/fluids shipped. still saved myself money.

[Synthetic Advantage]

Matt pretty much hit it on the head. Installing a drain plug and then doing fluid drains every 30k with regular ATF is a great way to keep the transmission in great shape with good fluid. You can extend that drain to 50k at a time switching over to synthetic ATF.

[The_War_Wagon]

Instead of installing drain plugs, I use a vacuum controlled fluid evacutor to suck the fluid out through the dipstick, then refill. Nice and easy. :)

I had the local Valvoline Lube Center do this for me. COSTS money, but no fuss/no muss on MY part, and I'm good to the 125,000 mile mark on mine now! :cool:

[duneslider]

All ATF+4 is synthetic. I would stick with the recommended change interval at the very least. 30k for transmission is a good interval.

[07JeepXK]

I will probably service my transmission in the next couple weeks. I did it at 75,000 like the owners manual says and im now at 118,000 miles. My fluid still looks brand new but I know it could use a swap.

[T1RKaZz]

I wanna do this but I got the v6 with the sealed Mercedes tranny any tips

Sent from my iPhone 26 using Tapatalk 2

[07JeepXK]

Yea take it to the dealer. Lol

[Matt]

I wanna do this but I got the v6 with the sealed Mercedes tranny any tips


You can use a fluid evacuator to suck the fluid out through the dipstick tube and then refill with the same amount you pulled out.

[cabledog25]

yeah ive wondered about that too

[Matt]

There is a dipstick you can buy. Then what you'd want to do is check the fluid level when the vehicle is cold and score the dipstick for your "cold" mark, and then check again when its hot and score the dipstick for your "hot" mark. Then you can drop the pan, change filters, etc and use that dipstick to get your fluid level back to where it was without having to hook up a scanner to read trans temp.

[Matt]

Here are some dipstick options for the NAG1:

If you have a scanner that can read trans temp, this works well but is $60
Special tool 9336 (http://www.tooltopia.com/otc-tools-mlr-9336a.aspx?utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=cse&utm_term=OTCMLR9336A&utm_campaign=googlebase_18u&gclid=CIil8NuL_rICFc2d4AodJhoAvw)

If you can't read trans temp, go with the cheaper option jeep p/n 53013592AC ($12 from wholesale mopar).

Either way you can mark the cold/hot fill levels like I previously mentioned. If you use the 9336 tool then all you have to do is get the fill height to correlate with the trans temp (assuming you have a scanner than can read trans temp). Or if you use the cheaper Jeep dipstick, this chart can be used to correlate fluid level to temp.

1614

[cabledog25]

Thanks matt

[07JeepXK]

Sounds like a lot of work. Glad I don't have the Nag1

[mrnavy2]

You can use a fluid evacuator to suck the fluid out through the dipstick tube and then refill with the same amount you pulled out.

Matt, how much does a fluid extractor cost? If I used one does the fluid have to be cold when extracting?

[Matt]

Matt, how much does a fluid extractor cost? If I used one does the fluid have to be cold when extracting?

This is the one I use (just under $100): http://www.amazon.com/Mityvac-7201-Fluid-Evacuator-Plus/dp/B0002SR7TC/ref=sr_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1350233461&sr=1-2&keywords=fluid+evacuator

There's a cheaper version that doesn't have the reverse flow valve that runs around $60-70.

[brand0n]

hey guys, was wondering if you think I should waste the time dropping pan and changing filters?I have 72k , bought it at 65k. just trying to do everything since i don't know the service history. the fluid is very clear
5.7 QD2

[07JeepXK]

hey guys, was wondering if you think I should waste the time dropping pan and changing filters?I have 72k , bought it at 65k. just trying to do everything since i don't know the service history. the fluid is very clear
5.7 QD2

Due to the mileage when you purchased your Jeep, Im willing to bet that the trans service was never done. If I recall correctly the 1st trans service is right at 75,000 miles. So if it were me, I would definitely do the filter/fluid swap soon.

[paroxysym]

so its been 30k and i havent drained and refilled her in that time. i see the manual says 30k for the tranny/tcase and such. i just had all them done at 90k, so i take it i need to address them all at 120k? or you think they can go 50k? i was thinking if anything drain and fill the tranny.

shes just been daily driven, nothing crazy.

[Matt]

The trans is every 60k for the severe duty schedule in my manual.

Tcase is every 30k.... and easy enough to do so I wouldn't stretch that one longer than necessary.

[paroxysym]

The trans is every 60k for the severe duty schedule in my manual.

Tcase is every 30k.... and easy enough to do so I wouldn't stretch that one longer than necessary.

diffs same as the tranny correct?

if i just did them at 90k theyre good till 150k.. the diff/tranny/tranny filters

[Matt]

Diffs every 30k too. I dont recall if that was QDII specific because of the clutches though.... QT is just an open carrier so 30k seems a bit excessive.