I personally wont use anything other than mopar fluids in my T/C or Transmission. Have the Mopar ATF+4 in the trans, and the NV whatever it is for the transfer case. Chrysler's are pretty darn picky when you use different types of "equavilent" fluids from what i hear. ---------- Post added at 08-09-2009, 10:33 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08-08-2009, 07:11 PM ----------
Mobil 1 5w-30 for the motor with a mobil 1 filter is also what i use.
Mobil 1 FTMFW but really any good synthetic is probably fine. I even saw the srt8 engineers chat other day and they said the same thing. penzoil, valv, mobil 1, so long as it was their best synthetic, they didnt seem to care.
trans said you need this Mopar® ATF +4, type 9602
so any good brand ATF +4 at the parts store will work fine.
If you are using anything other than Mopar's ATF +4 in a Chrysler tranny, you are asking for trouble down the road. I currently own 3 such trannies and run nothing but the real deal in each of them. One just went out at 190k miles, one is still running strong at 100k miles and the 3rd is too new to talk about. When I took the 01WJ in for a tranny rebuild, the guy at the shop was really surprised that it was still the original one with no work having been done other than changing the Mopar ATF +4 every 30k miles. Claimed he usually saw them coming in at around 90 or 100k miles. The web is full of horror stories about these electronically controlled transmissions and early solenoid or band failures. More often than not, if you dig deep enough, you'll find that the folks were using something they were told was ATF+4 complient.
Now in the old AW4 in my 00XJ and a few before that, I run just about any mercon/dexron ATF. That tranny is bulletproof and the ATF used doesn't seem to matter ......
"Compliant" only in the opinion of Amsoil. It's still not an ATF+4 licensed product so cannot contain all of the correct additives. Plus, it's a universal fluid which should be a red flag in and of itself.
To carry the ATF+4 label an oil needs to be tested and certified by Chrysler which honors its warranty only if certified oil is used. To date the following are certified by Chrysler:
Advance Auto Parts ATF+4®
Carquest ATF+4®
Castrol ATF+4®
Chevron ATF+4®
Citgo Transgard ATF+4®
Coastal ATF+4®
Conklin ATF-Xtra Plus ATF+4®
Formula Shell ATF+4®
Great Wall ATF+4®
Havoline ATF+4®
MAG 1 ATF+4®
Mobil ATF+4®
Mobil Super ATF+4®
Mopar ATF+4®
MotoMaster ATF+4®
NAPA ATF+4®
Northland ATF+4®
O’Reilly ATF+4®
Parts Master ATF+4®
Parts Plus ATF+4®
Pennzoil ATF+4®
Petro-Canada ATF+4®
Quaker State ATF+4®
Ravenol ATF+4®
Sinopec ATF+4®
Super Tech ATF+4®
Texamatic DC ATF+4®
Ultramax ATF+4®
Valvoline ATF+4®
And this is what I pulled from the Amsoil site.. not trying to start a war but the shop I went to deals with Chrysler products all the time.. thanks for the valuable information but I'm not going to worry too much about it.
APPLICATIONS
AMSOIL 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.
I'd go for a certified oil to stay in my comfort zone but I do not see anything wrong with your logic. Other brands to indeed make ATF+4 oil but do not carry the certification because they elected not to pay to go through Chrysler's certification process.
By the way, does anyone know what happens if, lets say, you got a real stupid mechanic who puts in 9 quarts instead of the 7 for the tranny maintenance
Take it back and insist the idiot get it right. Too much ATF is just as bad as too little. Taken straight from the 05' WK shop manual:
EFFECTS OF INCORRECT FLUID LEVEL
A low fluid level allows the pump to take in air along with the fluid. Air in the fluid will cause fluid pressures to be
low and develop slower than normal. If the transmission is overfilled, the gears churn the fluid into foam. This aerates
the fluid and causing the same conditions occurring with a low level. In either case, air bubbles cause fluid
overheating, oxidation, and varnish buildup which interferes with valve and clutch operation. Foaming also causes
fluid expansion which can result in fluid overflow from the transmission vent or fill tube. Fluid overflow can easily be
mistaken for a leak if inspection is not careful.
Taking it back for him to fix is not that simple over here in Kosovo. I had to have the oil shipped in by air from the states .... had a lapse of judgment and went to the place with too much oil and did not supervise .... will drain it then
If all you re doing is dropping the pan and replacing the filter, the amt will be far less than 14qts. It is generally more like 2qts, check the fluid level and add more as needed. Checking the level isn't as easy as checking the engine oil, as the tranny needs to be warmed up to operating temps, you need to part the vehicle, run the shifter throught the gears and check the level with the engine running. I don't have access to any of my Jeep service manuals right now but will try to copy & paste the info from one later tonight.
Looks like I was wrong on the amt of atf to add after a filter change on the WK. You should be adding 5qts and then checking the level. It's only 12qts if a complete overhaul was done.
TRANSMISSION FILL
To avoid overfilling transmission after a fluid change or overhaul, perform the following procedure:
1. Remove dipstick and insert clean funnel in transmission fill tube.
2. Add following initial quantity of MoparT ATF +4 to transmission:
a. If only fluid and filter were changed, add 10 pints (5 quarts) of ATF +4 to transmission.
b. If transmission was completely overhauled and the torque converter was replaced or drained, add 24 pints (12 quarts) of ATF +4 to transmission.
3. Check the transmission fluid (Refer to 21 - TRANSMISSION/AUTOMATIC - RFE/FLUID - STANDARD PROCEDURE) and adjust as required.
The torque converter fills in both the P (PARK) and N (NEUTRAL) positions. Place the selector lever in P (PARK) to be sure that the fluid level check is accurate. The engine should be running at idle speed for at least one minute, with the vehicle on level ground. At normal operating temperature approximately 82 C. or 180 F.), the fluid level is correct if it is in the HOT region (cross-hatched area) on the oil level indicator. The fluid level will be
approximately at the upper COLD hole of the dipstick at 70° F fluid temperature.
I've never been a fan of doing transmission flushes. I always drop the pan and replace the filters.
Are the transmission filters external on the W5A580? You're gonna have to drop the pan completely to change the filter (and is there more than one filter?).
From what I know you have the drop the whole pan and then change the filters ... just gotta make sure not to mess up the pan cover cuz they easily get dented