Auto tranny fluid high

Hi,

This sounds stupid but I'm probably more ticked off than anything and need to vent. I took my new 2000 XJ to the the used car dealer (just a ma and pop place) to get some service work done because they said their mechanic was a jeep mechanic and they'd offer me a discount because I bought the jeep from them. One of the things he did was a tranny flush. When I got home I checked the fluid (hot and in neutral after driving several miles) and the fluid was 1-1.25 inches above the max line. He said he added an additive to the tranny but I'm not sure if that was part of the flush or if it goes in with the rest of the fluid. Would any additive make it normal for it to be that far above the max line? From what I heard the guy has a good reputation but I'm starting to wonder...

Do I need to suck some of this fluid out or will I be fine?

I did a little reading on this site (I don't have a manual yet, it's on order) and found out that if the trans is too full it will burp the excess out. Is this the case with the 2000 XJ? How much excess fluid might be in there?

Thanks! (feeling stupid)

If you've got 4.0 engine, you've got the same AW4 auto that you've been reading about - if one AW4 burps out excess fluid, it's probably a good bet that yours will.

As to how much overfilled yours is, I couldn't guess. Maybe a 1/2 - 1 qt?

I'de take it back and make 'em do it right. The AW4 is a stout, reliable beast. It don't need any additives. Regular old Dexron III will get it well past 200K.

Or you could drain and refill it yourself so you know it's done right. There's plenty on info on here about pulling the return line from the radiator to all the trans to pump the old fluid out a quart at a time.

Good luck.

Thanks. Will it burp out onto the catalytic converter or out through the fill tube? ...it'll probably make a mess, eh?

I have some tubing and a rather large syringe, that might be easiest.

gw204 said:

I'de take it back and make 'em do it right. The AW4 is a stout, reliable beast. It don't need any additives. Regular old Dexron III will get it well past 200K.

Click to expand...

I was told he used to work at a Jeep dealership and he said that Jeep recommends additives. Is that true?

Just pull the plug in the drain pan, let it all out, and refill with four quarts. I've not been a big fan of guessing how much to let out - you'll be "chasing the dipstick" for a while.

I've not heard of needing any additives, and a search here will show that the AW4 is not really fond of synthetic fluids, either.

I put 240,000 very hard miles on my 87 w/AW4 before I lost the transmission - and that was due to losing three bellhousing bolts. When I tore the transmission apart, everything was fine - except for a misalignment problem directly traceable to the lost bolts.

Regular fluid is just fine - just keep the level right and change it regularly.

5-90

Maybe I'm confusing it with the differentials. I know he said something about additives in the diffs....

Isnt the AW4 fluid level checked in Park and not Neutral or doesnt it matter?
I know the TF999 in my wifes TJ is checked in N and not P. If you check it in P it will read higher than the actual level.

I think the dipstick even reads NEUTRAL.

I'm gonna take it back and make him do it while I watch even though it would probably take me 5 minutes to crawl under there and drain it. Crap like this makes me remember why I used to do this type of stuff myself.