TBCherokee said:
i just got my tranny flushed and transfer case fluid changed at the dealer.
my owner manual says transfercase is ATF-4 and tranny is Dextron II or
III/mercon
the dealer put ATF-4 in both the tranny and transfer case.
Wow, which year do you have? I don't understand why on earth there would be a requirement for +4 in the xfer case, although it certainly shouldn't hurt anything.
(sigh) DCX has made a huge mess with ATF+4, their dealerships, and their documentation. They've confused the crap out of everyone, and all for the sake of a few extra $$$, I think. Here's why:
Look up DC service bulletin 2100601 (you can find the text at wjjeeps.com). It supersedes older bulletins no longer listed. Effectively, the older bulletins said that sometime around October 1998, all new Chrysler vehicles with Chrysler transmissions, with the exception of certain minivans, were being factory filled with ATF+4 fluid (which was great stuff, would clean your windows, wind your watch, etc.), and were no longer filled with ATF+3/7176 fluid. Note that it didn't specifically say anything about the fact that 4.0L Jeep XJs DID NOT have a Chrysler transmission...
It claimed that from that point forward, all +2 and +3 compatible transmissions should be serviced with +4 fluid. It also says that topping off an ATF+4 filled transmission with +3 is a Bad Idea, and that once a transmission was filled with +4, then it should never go back to +3 fluid due to an incompatibility between them (but a +4 topoff is OK????).
How the heck a service technician can tell if a transmission has, or has ever run +4, is beyond me. To make matters worse, owners manuals for, and dipsticks in, a lot of these (Chrysler-produced) transmissions were still stamped "use only ATF+3/type 7176" well into 2000, and maybe beyond. So, a lot of transmissions got screwed up, understandably, and lots of people got really ticked off. Chrysler, already suffering a bad reputation for the Utradrive/41TE, developed a worse rap for bad transmissions. Why? Because in trying to "improve" things, confused their dealers, and thus screwed up some perfectly good transmissions. Dealers then got really beat up by the factory, so they're afraid to use anything else but +4 now.
Why did they do this? ATF+4/9602 is said to be a superior fluid. Maybe so. I hear it's a synthetic base. But, note: DCX also trademarked "ATF+4" so that other companies couldn't market a fluid with this label. Some synthetics are said to be "ATF+4 compatible", but not on the front label because of this trademark. So they generate a little FUD that keeps owners going back to DCX for the fluid. This wouldn't be so bad, except that they were originally charging $70 PER GALLON for the stuff. This changes, last time I bought it, it was around $28/gallon, which still ain't cheap, but on par with good synthetics.
For what it's worth, ATF+3 is a petrol-based fluid, very similar in appearance and composition to Dexron, but has a totally different set of friction modifiers in it than Dexron, which is where the problems stem from. Valvoline makes an ATF+3 fluid, and others probably do too. To my knowledge, no one makes as ATF+4 fluid but DCX, for legal reasons. You can get Dexron anywhere, from nearly anyone.
OK, now, I hear you asking "What on earth does this have to do with my XJ?"...
* If you have a 2.5 with an automatic (poor souls), I don't honestly know. Do they exist?
* If you have a 4.0 with an automatic, this is a japanese built Aisin-Warner AW-4, which was designed with DexronII or III in mind. It is NOT a Chrysler-produced transmission, and this is where the dealers get *really* confused (and I don't think it's entirely their fault). It *must* use DexronII or III; it was designed with this friction package in mind.
If you have a ZJ:
* Only some 1993 models with the 4.0 had an AW4. It should use Dexron. All others used Chrysler transmissions (42RE?), and would have been factory filled with ATF+2 or +3. Whether someone may have user +4 and created a compatibility problem for you is anyone's guess.
If you have a WJ:
* If it was an early 1999 model, produced before October 1998 (only a few could be), then it would have been filled +3 from the factory, all others are +4. The dipstick/manual may say +3, don't pay any attention to it.
* If a dealer serviced the transmission, there's a good chance it may have been converted to +4 later. Of course, who would know?
Now, what about transfer cases?
As far as I know, both the New Process transfer cases used in the XJ (231 and 242) were designed with Dexron in mind, but since they don't have friction clutches in them like a transmission, they can also use ATF+3 or +4. I'm not sure later models actually have to.
For what it's worth, I run Dexron in our '94 XJ's 242, and it's quite happy. My 2000 Dakota has a NP231, and the book says use either Dexron or ATF+4 in it. I use +4 just out of convenience, no problems.
If you happen to have a WJ with an NV247 (e.g. Quadra-Drive), this is a very different animal; it's gerotor pump for the front uses a special fluid available only from DCX. This is the result of a service bulletin; it originally used Dexron, but the pumps started having problems over time, forcing the change.
Sorry if this got a little long. There is understandably a ton of confusion out there over fluid types, at DCX's own making. We had a WJ produced in September 98, which I once thought would require $300 fluid changes every 24K miles. This had me more than just a little PO'ed at the time, thus my research.
Good luck with your flush....