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what type of fluids do you run in the xj

W

WHITE93

NAXJA Forum User
Location
lockport
Now that the weather is changing I'm about to do a complete flush and refill onthe xj. I would like to run royal purple like I did in the 93 however with being out of work so long unemployment doesn't allow me to spend close to 200 on there products. I'm wondering if there is a good brand guys are running that doesn't cost as much. I'm looking to do everything front and rear housing,trans,transfer case, and motor. If there's one brand everyone uses for a certain part that works better then the other please help me go in the right direction. Thanks naxja
 
4.0 I run Shell Rotella 10W30 Dino oil I buy at Wal-Mart. I run it year round.
AX15 gets Mobil-1 10W30 synthetic.
Differentials get 75-90 what-ever-is-the-cheapest I can find.
NP231 gets Mobil-1 DexIII synthetic.
Coolant is 50/50 what-ever-is-the-cheapest I can find mixed with distilled water.
 
Engine - 5w30 Valvoline usually (ex-Valvoline Instant Oil Change greasemonkey, never saw anyone blame our oil for an engine failure so I figure it must be OK)
Coolant - whatever's cheapest + 50% water, like Joe
Tranny - Valvoline MaxLife DexIII, it's not much above standard Valvoline in cost so I figure why not
Transfer case - whatever cheap ATF is at AutoZone, this time it was Coastal
diffs - whatever cheap 75w90 is at AutoZone, also Coastal this time I think
Brake fluid - Prestone full synthetic high-temp DOT 3
PS fluid - ATF or PS fluid, whatever I have on hand if it's an emergency (not yet) preferably PS fluid

I figure the brakes are REALLY IMPORTANT so I use what I think is the best on the shelf, transfer case and diffs I don't really care because they're gonna get full of crap and drained out + diffs hosed out with brake cleaner anyways (much more thorough fluid change than anything else), so I don't see a reason to pay a lot for the fluids going in them.
 
Well, Joe uses Mobil-1 10w30 full synthetic in his AX15 5speed (noted up above), and what's good enough for Joe is good enough for me...
 
after i sunk my jeep I had put i think gl-5 in my ax-15. It was ever the same fluid the diffs took. It's what I think I read on here to put in it.
 
I run RP in the Diffs (the 80W-140)
What ever the transmission shop put in when they rebuilt my transmission two years back (I think they put Dex III...)
Rotella T Full Syn Motor oil
RP Power Steering Fluid
Still has PO Brake Fluid in (might be stock... I need to get that flushed)
 
90XJay said:
after i sunk my jeep I had put i think gl-5 in my ax-15. It was ever the same fluid the diffs took. It's what I think I read on here to put in it.
Click to expand...

I hope you didn't put GL-5 in it. GL-5 dissolves yellow metals. You synchros are yellow metal.

GL-3 is specified for the AX15, but getting "real" GL-3 is becoming a problem.

You can buy the special trans fluid the dealer sells for $20 a quart; you can buy Pennzoil Synchromesh, about $8 a quart, but sometimes hard to find; you can order MT90, really good stuff, don't know what it costs now; or you can use a synthetic 10w30 motor oil.
 
Rotella 10w30 in the crankcase (Wally World is the only place around here with 10w30)
Wix oil filter if I can find it, else NAPA Gold (usually a relabelled Wix)
Pennzoil Dexron VI in the AW4 and transfer case
Valvoline DuraBlend synthetic for the diffs (blue bottles at Advance Auto)
green coolant from NAPA (don't trust the universal stuff) and distilled water from grocery store
 
for the motor, i use motor oil
for the tranny i use tranny oil
for the transfercase i use tranny oil
for the diff's i use thick oil
for the radiator i use radiator fluid
for the PS i use Red fluid
for the brakes i use Clear fluid
for the cupholder i use Coke.
 
Im glad this subject came up, im about to do this on my '96 XJ.

Do you guys use a slip-diff additive in the rear axle? My local Jeep shop uses it and its not cheap. Ive been told the XJ uses a limited slip diff in the rear axle anyhow...

Ill be keeping an eye on this thread as i need to work out what to use as here in the UK names/specs will probably differ :confused1
 
Hey Adam- do you know if your Jeep has a limited slip? Most don't, and if you don't know, it's about time to find out. If you need to know how to check, respond back, and any number of us can guide you.
 
Engine oil - castrol
Transmission - valvoline max life
Transfer case - valvoline max life
Differentials - valvoline
Power steering - mopar clear steering fluid
Coolant - prestone / distilled water
Brakes - prestone clear dot 3
Washer fluid - prestone concentrate with distilled water

I'm not really a big valvoline fan but it's common and cheap so...

You can get limited slip additive at napa for pretty cheap. I think the tube I bought was like 10 bucks and it should last a long time. How often do you really change the differential fluid... I don't have LSD on the jeep but on my supra I use redline NS fluid for the differential and add the additive until it functions properly. Redline also sells fluid with the additive already in it but redline is not cheap.
 
Last edited:
I don't know why or why not but I do know that Valvoline Max life is 100% synthetic and at least several of us have been using it with no apparent problems -- about two years for me. When I first switched to the Max Life product, I called Ashland/Valvoline and talked to a tech about the oft repeated statement that synthetic ATF will destroy the AW4. He just laughed and said they are testing transmissions 24/7 and that there is simply no logical or technical reason that Aisin- Warner boxes should fail with synthetics.

Of course, I wouldn't expect an employee to blurt out that their product was crap but after chatting with this guy for awhile I decided that he knew what he was talking about. If anybody knows for a fact that this is untrue, I and I am sure others, would like to know the details before our AW4s goes up in a puff of smoke.
 
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