Transmission help

0311_DoC · **Posted:** Thu Jun 25, 2009 12:09 pm

Ok I cannot remember if I read it on the boards or what but which Tranny do we have? is it the 42RLE or the 45RFE? and its a 5 speed right? I need to change my filters and fluids so I am asking what others have done. which fluids to do you all recommend or prefer? and what brand of filters should I get? NAPA or stealership or? and what about the gasket? I have NEVER done this before so I am a little concerned to make sure I do it right. how much fluid do I need to buy? Thanks in Advance

CATCRD · **Posted:** Thu Jun 25, 2009 12:22 pm

0311_DoC wrote:

Ok I cannot remember if I read it on the boards or what but which Tranny do we have? is it the 42RLE or the 45RFE? and its a 5 speed right? I need to change my filters and fluids so I am asking what others have done. which fluids to do you all recommend or prefer? and what brand of filters should I get? NAPA or stealership or? and what about the gasket? I have NEVER done this before so I am a little concerned to make sure I do it right. how much fluid do I need to buy? Thanks in Advance

It's a 545RFE.

Use ATF+4 fluid. You can get it at walmart now, genuine mopar brand, or valvoline makes +4 now too. Capacity should be in your owner's manual.

0311_DoC · **Posted:** Thu Jun 25, 2009 12:25 pm

Thanks... now for another question. I have 42K on mine and never have done this so everything in there is still from factory... yes I know i screwed the pooch on that one. what about this flush before changing the fluids/filters i have been hearing about, and what does that entail?

CATCRD · **Posted:** Thu Jun 25, 2009 12:30 pm

Just get onto a regular fluid change interval and I don't believe in flushes. 42K is not too terribly long. Just drop the pan, swap out the filters (get the kit from the dealer) and use RTV to reseal the pan. Clean the sealing surfaces real well and don't overtighten the bolts. Tighten them in a criss-cross pattern around the pan and refill. After that I'd get onto a 30k mile interval.

0311_DoC · **Posted:** Thu Jun 25, 2009 1:24 pm

ok cool anyone else have any words of wisdom?

Joe Romas · **Posted:** Thu Jun 25, 2009 2:44 pm

0311_DoC wrote:

ok cool anyone else have any words of wisdom?

I have not read the owners manual but...

According to the FSM your not over due. It calls for a change at 62,500 if you do frequent trailer towing or fleet/commercial service. It looks like if you don't frequently tow a trailer and it's not used commercially or in a fleet it does not need to be changed... I gues that is untill it falls out then you should change it :lol:

Personally I plan on changing mine around 50k.

danoid · **Posted:** Thu Jun 25, 2009 2:53 pm

My owners manual reads 62k miles until even looking at the trans fluid. And then 'only if vehicle is used for frequent trailer
towing, or fleet/commercial service.' It's not even mentioned in 'Schedule A'.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Is there delayed engagement (crank the engine, put 'r in D and no go)? Is there slipping? Is there a leak? If you pull the dipstick is the fluid pink and foamy or smell like rotten fish? (black fluid is OK)

If the answer is no to all of the above, keep driving.

CRDMiller · **Posted:** Thu Jun 25, 2009 6:41 pm

atf +4 is supposed to be a 100k mile fluid, at witch point the add pack is supposed to have 30% life remaining.

So honestly unless your contaminated, you could go a heck of a lot further.

Also it's possible that due to overheat etc your fluid life would be shortened (aka fleet or towing service etc).

I used these

ATP18594 for the pancake/gasket 17.49
ATP18593 for the spin-on 12.90

from Napa. And napa's Valvoline atf+4 (i think i spent 70 bucks for 14 qt)

Some have said the napa filters lack the drain back, i did not check. All i really wanted was the gasket (witch fits perfectly bty)

I have and plan on, changing the filters every 30k or so, it's cheap insurance and that way you may never have to drain it (i got 12 qt's over 12 hours with the spin on removed)

0311_DoC · **Posted:** Thu Jun 25, 2009 6:49 pm

CRDMiller wrote:

atf +4 is supposed to be a 100k mile fluid, at witch point the add pack is supposed to have 30% life remaining.

So honestly unless your contaminated, you could go a heck of a lot further.

Also it's possible that due to overheat etc your fluid life would be shortened (aka fleet or towing service etc).

I used these

ATP18594 for the pancake/gasket 17.49
ATP18593 for the spin-on 12.90

from Napa. And napa's Valvoline atf+4 (i think i spent 70 bucks for 14 qt)

Some have said the napa filters lack the drain back, i did not check. All i really wanted was the gasket (witch fits perfectly bty)

I have and plan on, changing the filters every 30k or so, it's cheap insurance and that way you may never have to drain it (i got 12 qt's over 12 hours with the spin on removed)

ok im confused i thot if you just drain the pan its like 7 qts. and the whole system is 14 qts? so your saying you replaced 14 qts?

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Thu Jun 25, 2009 6:54 pm

The only way to 14 quarts out is to have a flush - takes a special machine
(well you can do the pump out a quart at a time - but flush is better)

dropping the pan for the filters only gets about 4-5 quarts

personally I've done both - might be overkill - but the tranny is a weak link.

0311_DoC · **Posted:** Thu Jun 25, 2009 6:59 pm

danoid wrote:

My owners manual reads 62k miles until even looking at the trans fluid. And then 'only if vehicle is used for frequent trailer
towing, or fleet/commercial service.' It's not even mentioned in 'Schedule A'.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Is there delayed engagement (crank the engine, put 'r in D and no go)? Is there slipping? Is there a leak? If you pull the dipstick is the fluid pink and foamy or smell like rotten fish? (black fluid is OK)

If the answer is no to all of the above, keep driving.

it was also mentioned somewhere that the filters in my tranny me be dirty and part of the problem with the temp gauge spiking up when i drive normal or with AC on etc.. any thought s on that?

DGM635csi · **Posted:** Thu Jun 25, 2009 7:31 pm

I recently changed my tranny fluid at 60k. If you drop the pan, and let it sit overnight, you will get much more than 4-5 quarts out of the tranny. I needed a little more than 11 quarts to refill the tranny after I dropped the pan. I also removed the valve body for the transgo kit, so that was probably an additional 1/2 quart (out of the 11) that may not have been drained otherwise. I used Redline C+ ATF which satisfies chryslers special ATF requiments for the 545RFE. I used permatex "The Good Stuff" gasket maker to reseal the pan. Make sure you let the gasket maker set up for atleast 1 hour after you reinstall the pan before adding any fluid back into the tranny!! Another tip: make sure you are carefull when installing the new spin on filter. It is soft enough that you can easily crush the body of the filter with a filter wrench, or even with your hands when tightening.

gmctd · **Posted:** Thu Jun 25, 2009 8:00 pm

If your Jeep is regularly in a scenario like in CATCRD's avatar, change fluid and filters way more than manuals state

If your jeep regularly runs one or more roads like in CATCRD's avatar, change fluid and filters way more than manuals state

If your Jeep is regularly in fleet\commercial service, change fluid and filters more often, as manuals state

If your Jeep is a commuter, and off-road means parking in the grass at the Sunday get-together, comply with manual-suggested intervals

Dust, mud, and heat is the killer

0311_DoC · **Posted:** Thu Jun 25, 2009 8:07 pm

gmctd wrote:

If your Jeep is regularly in a scenario like in CATCRD's avatar, change fluid and filters way more than manuals state

If your jeep regularly runs one or more roads like in CATCRD's avatar, change fluid and filters way more than manuals state

If your Jeep is regularly in fleet\commercial service, change fluid and filters more often, as manuals state

If your Jeep is a commuter, and off-road means parking in the grass at the Sunday get-together, comply with manual-suggested intervals

Dust, mud, and heat is the killer

yea I would say my jeep looks very much like the avatar

its a daily driver and weekend warrior and gets wheeled pretty hard when its off road... and yes I live in the desert so dust and heat or here for sure.....

Turbo Tim · **Posted:** Thu Jun 25, 2009 10:48 pm

I just changed the tranny filters that I got from NAPA, and the only check valve I could find was on the spin-on. It would only let fluid go one way. There was no check valve in the big one. Is this correct?

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Thu Jun 25, 2009 10:55 pm

DGM635csi wrote:

I recently changed my tranny fluid at 60k. If you drop the pan, and let it sit overnight, you will get much more than 4-5 quarts out of the tranny. I needed a little more than 11 quarts to refill the tranny after I dropped the pan. I also removed the valve body for the transgo kit, so that was probably an additional 1/2 quart (out of the 11) that may not have been drained otherwise. I used Redline C+ ATF which satisfies chryslers special ATF requiments for the 545RFE. I used permatex "The Good Stuff" gasket maker to reseal the pan. Make sure you let the gasket maker set up for atleast 1 hour after you reinstall the pan before adding any fluid back into the tranny!! Another tip: make sure you are carefull when installing the new spin on filter. It is soft enough that you can easily crush the body of the filter with a filter wrench, or even with your hands when tightening.

Redline ATF does not meet ATF+4 specs,in the link below is the only brands of ATF+4 that have been proven to meet ATF+4 specs.
http://centerforqa.com/licensedatf4brands.html

0311_DoC · **Posted:** Thu Jun 25, 2009 11:05 pm

wow no amsoil on that list.... interesting how they say it is on they're website..

APPLICATIONS AMSOIL Synthetic Universal ATF is recommended for transmissions, hydraulics, power steering and other applications requiring any of the following specifications:

• GM DEXRON® III-H
• Ford MERCON® & MERCON V
• Chrysler ATF+4®
• Toyota Type T-III and T-IV
• Honda Z-1 (Not CVT)
• Diamond SP II & III (Mitsubishi/Hyundai/Kia)
• Mazda ATF-III, ATF-MV
• Subaru ATF
• Nissan Matic D, J & K
• Idemitsu K-17
• BMW LA2634
• LT 71141
• Audi G-052-025-A2 & G-052-162-A1
• Volvo 97340
• MB 236.1, 236.2, 236.5, 236.6, 236.7, 236.9 & 236.10
• JWS 3309
• NAG 1
• ETL-7045E, ETL-8072B & N402
• Voith 55.6335.XX (G607, G1363)
• ZF TE-ML 03D, 04D, 09, 14A, 14B, 14C, 16L, 17C
• Allison C-4, TES 389

*Not for use with CVT or Ford Type F applications

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Thu Jun 25, 2009 11:09 pm

0311_DoC wrote:

wow no amsoil on that list.... interesting how they say it is on they're website..

APPLICATIONS AMSOIL Synthetic Universal ATF is recommended for transmissions, hydraulics, power steering and other applications requiring any of the following specifications:

• GM DEXRON® III-H
• Ford MERCON® & MERCON V
• Chrysler ATF+4®
• Toyota Type T-III and T-IV
• Honda Z-1 (Not CVT)
• Diamond SP II & III (Mitsubishi/Hyundai/Kia)
• Mazda ATF-III, ATF-MV
• Subaru ATF
• Nissan Matic D, J & K
• Idemitsu K-17
• BMW LA2634
• LT 71141
• Audi G-052-025-A2 & G-052-162-A1
• Volvo 97340
• MB 236.1, 236.2, 236.5, 236.6, 236.7, 236.9 & 236.10
• JWS 3309
• NAG 1
• ETL-7045E, ETL-8072B & N402
• Voith 55.6335.XX (G607, G1363)
• ZF TE-ML 03D, 04D, 09, 14A, 14B, 14C, 16L, 17C
• Allison C-4, TES 389

*Not for use with CVT or Ford Type F applications

Almost all of Amsoil oil's are not certified at all.To be able to be compatible and certified as such with ATF+4 Chrysler engineers have to have there say on the formula and can test at will without notification.Amsoil does not want that and could be liable for false advertisement since ATF+4 is patented and trade marked.

CATCRD · **Posted:** Fri Jun 26, 2009 12:04 am

Neither Redline or Amsoil is "certified" to the ATF+4 spec, and neither claims to be. They only say that they "recommend" this fluid for that application. Carefully worded to get around legal hassles. I have used C+ in this Jeep with no problems.

gmctd · **Posted:** Fri Jun 26, 2009 3:12 am

Correct , Turbo Tim - that valve is in the filter in the cooler-return line, prevents TC drainback, delayed engagement in any gear-range after sitting - there is no requirement for a one-way valve in that flat main filter

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