Is there a need?

Found Maxlife ATF Dextron III for higher mileage transmissions, and just wondering if anyone else is using it, or if it's a good idea?

Says it's good for seals/gaskets, etc of higher mileage transmissions.

I'm sticking with the stuff that got me to 150+K...Advance DexronIII. We only have low to moderate mileage on our trannies, Ramblin'!

Maxlife works awesome in my 2001 windstar AX4N (crapola) transaxle. I tried it a few months back since it was the only ATF my local NAPA had on the shelf that also met the ford mercon V spec. Good stuff. FWIW, I just did a flush thu the cooler line on the 4L60E in our TB. Used napa brand 'premium performance ATF' that meets the dexron III G spec. Seems like good stuff too.

Joel

I'm sticking with the stuff that got me to 150+K...Advance DexronIII. We only have low to moderate mileage on our trannies, Ramblin'!


Low to moderate, huh?? :) COOL - works for me! The way everyone rains on this 4L30-E transmission, I figured mine was in the latter stages of life.

HOPEFULLY NOT!!

Ok, where do I get Advance Dexron III - guessing Advance Auto?

Premium performance is suitable as well I take it?

Advance Discount Auto Parts. Thought you'd have it done by now!!

ok, well, just want to rant - might want to cover your ears.

I HATE THIS TRANSMISSION SET-UP!!!!:crying:

Just HAD to get that off my chest.

Me and my paranoid self just can't seem to call it good, hopefully you can.

Here's the scoop, 1st thing I thought to just check the level, as new gasket and filter, with fluid were installed only 5k miles back - gasket has weeped/peed obsessively since.

Anyway, came home from work on a 90+ degree day, parked the truck for 30min, then went back out and allowed it to idle for 3-4 minutes while shifting through all the gears several times. We live on a hill, so I got the truck as level as possible, but not 100%, I pulled the fill plug (truck idling in neutral) and the force of fluid knocked the bolt out of my hand, it just came out gushing like niagra falls.

I FREAKED out, did a 90 degree turn on the ground to swipe up the bolt, and shoved it in, ran around (passanger door was locked - figures :banghead: ) and shut the engine off, heart was racing 90 miles a minute and looked down and swore that the tranny just dumped everything.

Driveway looked like I'd just killed someone :uhoh: (insert Ramblin Fever here), all I could think of was, crap, did I burn up the transmission?

Got back under the truck to insert the bolt correctly, by this time, fluid slowed to a trickle, even though the engine was off. Restarted the truck, shifted through all the gears, took bolt out again and just a slight trickle.

Ran my hands through my hair - now I REALLY looked like I'd killed someone, called it for the time being and went inside for dinner. At the table, I kept remembering what I'd read over and over - if it's overfilled it WILL gush out, right level and it will trickle.

So I told myself to quit fretting, that the level should be right on.

20-30 minutes later, came back out, moved all the garage hoggable objects, i.e. lawn mower, lawn tractor, etc and pulled the Rodeo in. Again, I let it run for 3-4 minutes, cringing at the thought that it may be low on fluid. Ran through all the gears, stuck it in neutral, idling, and pulled the fill plug, nothing but a slight trickle.

Called it good - but I swear it seemed to have dumped a lot.

What's your opinion? And, say the fluid got hot with all the idling, would it cause the level to be excessively high enough to blow out like that?

FWIW - per your earlier comments along with other people, dropping the tranny pan should only cause you to fill back up just under 4 qts. Well, my mechanic put in (at least according to his paperwork) 5 qts - wonder if this is why my gasket's been leaking.

Next vehicle WILL have a tranny dipstick, this is hogwash!!

It's OK!!! I have never overfilled. It's impossible with the setup and the way I refill. It just starts running out when it's full. HOWEVER, every time I check the level after, whether it's a couple of days to do another drain/fill or at 15K to drop the pan, it comes pouring out initially. No harm done.

ok, so even though it "seems" like I dropped a lot and didn't put any back in, it should be ok?

Doesn't this cause a low fluid situation?

You would think so. I don't know how to splain it. The first time it happened to me, I tried to get some more in there, but it just ran out. So....if it's running out, it's full. Did the fluid look clean after 5K?

Yeah, it was a good red color. I've been doing a lot of in town driving with this truck, more then it's used to, so, I might change out some in another few thousand or so.

Thank you for all your help; btw, it drove just the same today, nice and smooth, didn't feel like it downshifted as soon as it should though in getting on the highway, but I think that's paranoia kicking in.

Ramblin, you are good to go. There is NO neat/clean procedure to checking level, filling or draining these trans. You need a huge drip catch pan for any of them. You are supposed to fill the trans until ATF starts to dribble out, so you will have some spillage on a level check. If you shut the truck off with the fill plug out, you will lose more than you should. I would go thu another level check procedure just to verify proper level.

Joel

I kind of jarred the fill-plug in just before shutting off the truck, only allowing a few drips, I think.

We did recheck the level twice about 20-30 minutes later on a total flat surface after idling for about 3-4 minutes. Kind of freaked right now to do it again so soon - gotta recoup :cwm27: Kidding!

I will recheck again this weekend, have driven the truck 40 miles so far and not seeing any issues that would state the level to be low, so hopefully we got it.

ok, ok, since only partial amount of fluid was changed 5k miles ago - (with filter & pan drop) and before that ALL of it was changed but that was 36k miles before the 5k miles ago - SOOO, I think I'll do another partial drain/refill this weekend, and then another in 6-7k miles when the oil's due.

After that, should I be able to call it good for a while, say at least 10k? How often are you doing partial drains?

I did a partial drain a little over a year ago. I have no idea if the previous owner did anything in the past. I doubt it though. I may do it again soon. I think it isn't necessary to replace tranny fluid all the time. At least I hope it isn't. I may have the pan dropped and filter changed too. Not sure yet though.

marc

I think it isn't necessary to replace tranny fluid all the time. At least I hope it isn't. I may have the pan dropped and filter changed too. Not sure yet though.

marc

On these transmissions, the 4L30-E the more servicing, i.e. cleaner fluid, the longer they'll last. It IS important on this model for long service life. Just about every post I've seen of less then or right at 100k mile failure is of those who only serviced once or twice, or not at all.

DO drop the transmission and clean the pan, replace filter to, if you're over 60k and it's never been changed - it makes a BIG difference in smoothness. I've only replaced the filter twice in the 156k I now have, but the fluid's been changed about every 30-35k per a flush, as of 152k I've decided I will NEVER flush an automatic again.

I haven't had any actual transmission issues, in fact, it's smoother then newer Rodeo's I've test driven - I do however have a small, very annoying leak at the shift arm above the range mode sensor. This seal is attached to wiring of the shift arm and is a $200 part along with about $200 in labor.

I do feel that all the flushes I have had played a part in weakening that seal; course it could be age related too - truck IS 9yrs old, I keep forgetting that part.

I service my tranny every 15K, alternating drain/refill with dropping the pan. It gets an additional drain/refill if something else comes up, like my radiator change or coolant leak, just in case the tranny fluid heated up or got low. I'm due for dropping the pan in a little under 8K (160K). EVERY time I work on it I notice smoother shifting. I don't think it's in my head. It costs very little to drain 4 qts out and pump 4 more in, so why not do it every 15K. The first auto tranny I had was in a Mitsubishi Expo (Chrysler trannny) and I never serviced the tranny. Under warranty, luckily, it was replaced at less than 60K. Lesson learned.

..I think it isn't necessary to replace tranny fluid all the time. At least I hope it isn't.

Thats true. Every 15Kmi is a very generous ATF OCI. For a normal people mover, I'd touch it every 30K at a minimum. Do a lot of towing or offroading, I'd do it every 15-20K.

Joel

I'd say 30k if you have a total fluid swap all at one time; but if you're doing partial's, I'd say 15-20k.

Just don't wait as long as 50-60k, as I've read of many failures on these trannies.

The only reason I'm doing partial swaps right now, is over half my fluid has 36k+ miles on it.

R.F.
The book say check ATF level at 90-140 F, warm but not hot. I think your ATF was above 200 F so level was higher and now you somewhat underfilled.
Probably, not a big deal as you lost under 1q.
My usual drain and fill take just under 4q. When I did filter change last year, it took at least 1q more, may be 5 1/2 q. I usually start drain/fill truck cold in the morning and by the time I add last 2q(engine runing 10-15min) it about right temp warm to get me right level. Last 5yr I used Pennzoil ATF, work fine,
just got case of Shell ATF at Costco for $16, so now it will be Shell. I think any major brand will be fine. Well... house brand ... you never know quality control and what cut corner...

df2000 - I do believe it's a tad underfilled, as I did pop the bolt at a pretty hot temp. It's not underfilled enough to cause any "noticeable" difference in shifting quality, but the more I think about it, the more I know I let too much out.

Ok, so you do your drain with a cold transmission? Then - truck off - you add back in almost 2 qts and then start the truck to add another 2 qts?

Is that about how you do it?

I thought I'd get more old fluid out if I heated up the transmission first? Or is that necessary?

RF: exactly, drain cold, add 2q, turn on engine, add other 2q. Try to lift front-driver side, you can get some more out(1/2q may be). I see no point doit this. I service trans ones a year or it about 15K mi for me. I changed original filter at 100K. There was 1/8'' of steel paste on magnet, there was nothing on bottom of the pan, there was nothing like metal chips or metal grit in the filter. I think 4q drain/fill ones a year is very effective, and may be even overkill.

GREAT! Thank you very much for the info. Let you know how it all goes - tomorrow!

3 qts and 24oz sound about right?

If so, it was almost a full quart low, as only 3 qts & 2oz drained out.

I did the drain about 45 minutes after returning home this afternoon - couldn't do a cold drain as I wanted as my nephew was being Baptised at 9AM and I didn't want to smell horrible.

When I drained the tranny, I allowed it to get to a slow trickle, then put the plug back in, put back in 2 - 2 1/4 qts, then started the truck (in Neutral) and immediately was able to put in the rest of the 3rd qt, then put the plug in and got in to shift through the gears 3-4 times, then got back under the truck, pulled the plug, added a little more and each time it began dripping back out, I'd put the plug in, get in the truck shift through gears and so on.

At first it only wanted to take in 3 qts & 14oz, shifted through all the gears, and undid the plug to discover a very very slow trickle, so I hurried up and got in another 9oz (every board I've read, people say these trannies take back in almost 4 qts on a drain/refill) and closed the plug as the trickle wanted to become a stream.

All in all, I allowed it to run idling almost 30-40min while going back and forth, I used a water fish finder thermometer against the outside of the pan, but it said it only got up to barely 92F.

This doesn't sound like too much ATF, does it (3 qts & 24oz roughly)? Some having spilt of course.

BTW - previously only 5 qts were fresh within the last 5k miles, the other 4 qts were over 36k miles old - when comparing the 3 qts that drained this morning to the new stuff, it was just a very very slight darker red then the new stuff, like a deep rich cherry color versus a see-thru bright cherry.

Only thing is it DID smell a little burnt - wondering if that was from either just having driven the truck, or because it was 24oz or so low.

I ended up using Pennzoil Dex III (H)/Mercon regular ATF, couldn't get a hold of enough Maxlife ATF, and it was about $1/quart more.

Sounds like you got it! I think it will smell a little burnt as soon as you drive some, as you've just mixed some new with the old... Your 4L-30E will reward you!

Took it for a good drive, 30 miles or so. Shifts great, except when it shifts into 2nd gear on an incline, it's just a slight tad rougher then usual - is the transmission having to relearn it's fluid levels per say?

I hope I didn't overfill it now.

Ok, well, my transmission is officially :puke: out it's fluid.

Think that the leak at the floor shifter has obviously gotten worse :uhoh: , either that, or it's mad at me because I decided to give it a few days rest and drive the new one :lol:

Yesterday morning it left a 6" round puddle under the area of the range mode sensor; well, I ended up moving around the vehicles yesterday and put it in a different spot on the driveway, this morning I woke up to find enough fluid under there that it looks like I killed the neighbors cat :cya:

I did look all around under there yesterday, and you'll be happy to know it's NOT the bolts :rofl: I drove it to work today to drop it off at my mechanics on the way home - I have no idea where to find this particular seal/part that's leaking and/or how to fix it.

My mechanic already ordered the part the last time the truck was in, but we held off doing it because it was only a mild drip.

Let you know how it turns out - FWIW, the seal at the floor shifter is connected to some wiring, and if I understand my mechanic correctly, it's all one piece, the part is $200. Probably with some mark-up on his end, but what can you do?

This seems to be a rare place on this transmission for a leak to occur, but for those in the future that may experience it - it's a drip that comes down from just above the range mode sensor, and within a few weeks to a few months time it goes from a tiny issue to looking like a murder scene.

Ok, well, my mechanic called today, and you know that gasket they put on in February has been weeping ever since they did it, come to find out, someone overtorqued the small bolts on the pan so much that it's warped.

I have taken the truck back to them twice, as I didn't feel I should have to redue it after paying them; both times they said that nothing was wrong with the gasket or the pan and that it was the tiny leak at the hand shifter that was causing the puddles.

I personally couldn't see how that small of a drip drip could cause 3-4" puddles every night, and ONLY if the truck was parked on an incline, on flat surface it didn't leak - so how was that possible?

Not only that, but my crossmember was just drowning in ATF every single day - I can't stand a vehicle that leaks so I was washing off the underside of the truck everyother day, hoping it was just run-off ATF from the leaking fill-plug. But, when that got fixed, and I could still see tons of ATF on the crossmember, down the whole front of the pan, I knew it was more then something I had done.

The good thing is, it's getting a new transmission pan at no cost to me, the ATF fluid is DEFINITELY clean enough to drink (if you wish too :wink: ), and the source of the LITTLE leak is also getting fixed - unfortunately, I still have to pay for that.

FWIW - has anyone ever noticed how when one has preventative maintenance performed sometimes it leads to bigger problems?? Seems to happen to a lot of people, so I'm not alone here I know, but it gets VERY aggravating, especially when they don't want to admit that something COULD be wrong with something they did. I'd rather someone be honest and admit, "hey, I think we screwed up," and work it out like adults, instead of having to beat around the bush for 5 mnths, leaving the owner extremely aggravated at the whole thing.

I REALLY like the owner of this shop, I just wish HE was the one that still did the work. I personally believe his guys are responsible for this, and tried to cover it up and then HE found it today.

Alright, well, she's home, and she's VERY CLEAN under there.

They steam cleaned the whole underside for me, as it was a big ATF mess!

The original tiny leak that they thought was coming from the floor shifter; has turned out to be a leak that was coming from the overdrive pan with the undercarriage wind carrying it.

All in all, I got off CHEAP for what it is they did, but, half of it was their own error:

new main transmission pan (original was warped); 2 new gaskets, new overdrive filter, 7 qts of new fluid.

The overdrive gasket/pan was one they have never touched, obviously the gasket was just worn out - Gee, with 157k miles, I wonder why.

Guess what - it's completely DRY!!!

Oh, and of course, it shifts REAL nice - it's got SUPERCLEAN fluid now :lol:

There's a filter in the overdrive? Next time I service the tranny I'm doing both pans and gaskets...and 2 filters?

Factory manual for '97 does not show any filter in adapter case, just filter in main case.

Sorry, I was so excited at having such a clean undercarriage, and the fact that they had dropped the overdrive pan, cleaned it out and installed a new gasket on it as well as the main that I worded incorrectly.

They reinstalled a new filter on the main pan, it was a whole new gasket/filter kit, came as one so they figured might as well do it all again. Didn't charge me for it, so what the hay.

Cool. Saves me money!