8Mud
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Central Germany
Re: Autozone listed ATF+3 as repacement for Dexron 3??? Even shows in their computers????
I´m not gonna argue with the engineers, but it has been my experience, when the Dexron starts changing from bright red to a yellow/brown (straw color) or to dark brown there is usually an odor present, that smells burnt. If you drop the pan and check the corners where the fluid circulation, is less, you can find (often) some small deposits of a thick brown gunk, that reminds me of varnish and smells burnt.
Just as a test, if the fluid in your tranny, is brown, take little and rub it between your fingers, it has a different feel than fresh Dexron. Don´t really know if it´s a viscosity change or it´s just a bit more sticky. When my instincts (ass dyno) fails me, I use my nose, you can smell when the tranny fluid is due for a change.
Have noticed the heat, from towing or bonzai runs up the interstate, seems to accelerate the color change.
I bought an old 88, from the dealer, a trade in that wasn´t really worth the trouble for them to fix (almost terminally neglected), had some shift issues. I insisted they run it through inspection and emmisions, before I´d buy. Guess they figured, they were doing me a favor and changed most of the fluids, they put ATF-3 in the tranny. Fresh fluids or not, the first step in troubleshooting a tranny is a fluid change and filter service. After changing to Dexron, the change for the better was fairly obvious (didn´t need my finely tuned ass dyno, I could feel it in my neck) and along with a TPS adjustment, the tranny works well. Service center, put ATF-3 in my Chev, in place of Dexron, same thing, soft shifts.
I´m not gonna argue with the engineers, but it has been my experience, when the Dexron starts changing from bright red to a yellow/brown (straw color) or to dark brown there is usually an odor present, that smells burnt. If you drop the pan and check the corners where the fluid circulation, is less, you can find (often) some small deposits of a thick brown gunk, that reminds me of varnish and smells burnt.
Just as a test, if the fluid in your tranny, is brown, take little and rub it between your fingers, it has a different feel than fresh Dexron. Don´t really know if it´s a viscosity change or it´s just a bit more sticky. When my instincts (ass dyno) fails me, I use my nose, you can smell when the tranny fluid is due for a change.
Have noticed the heat, from towing or bonzai runs up the interstate, seems to accelerate the color change.
I bought an old 88, from the dealer, a trade in that wasn´t really worth the trouble for them to fix (almost terminally neglected), had some shift issues. I insisted they run it through inspection and emmisions, before I´d buy. Guess they figured, they were doing me a favor and changed most of the fluids, they put ATF-3 in the tranny. Fresh fluids or not, the first step in troubleshooting a tranny is a fluid change and filter service. After changing to Dexron, the change for the better was fairly obvious (didn´t need my finely tuned ass dyno, I could feel it in my neck) and along with a TPS adjustment, the tranny works well. Service center, put ATF-3 in my Chev, in place of Dexron, same thing, soft shifts.
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