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Should I change the tranny "filter"

S

Sparkman

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Ludlowville, NY
'01 XJ, 4.0, AW4, 4wd, 41k miles.

I searched and found some discussion about the tranny filter on the AW4 actually being a screen. With other auto trannies I have been changing the filter and fluid about every 25k, with good results, but those filters have had a cellulose media that tends to clog if neglected. I assume the fluid has never been changed on my XJ, and I would like to do it soon. Should I buy a new "filter" from the dealer or should I just take it out and wash it with some brake cleaner? I was planning on using plain 'ole Mobil Dexron III ATF. I am a big fan of synthetics but I have heard a lot of bad stuff about synthetic ATF.

Which tranny cooler line on the radiator should I disconnect to flush the tranny, i.e., which one is the hot line?

Thanks!
 
Forget the stealership. Go to AZ and get the filter, you get the pan gasket with it. I didn't cut mine apart but I think there is a media in it. If you are going to syn fluid Iwould certainly change the fliter and do a new pan gasket, syn has a tendency to cause leaks and a new well sealed gasket is one less problem waiting to happen. BTW I used spary adhesive on the gasket and attached it to the pan with that then a little RTV on the gasket to trans side. Worked fantastic and no leaks!!!

HTH
 
I have a 88 XJ and when I pulled the oil pan at 135,000 to change ATF I had a paper filter, not a screen on the transmission. I know my Dad had it serviced around 100,000 miles and I was looking at the the filter then installed at that time.

If you are not the first owner of an XJ then it is a good thing to pull the pan to find out which type of filter you have in your AW4. Once you know that answer you can maintain it correctly. I still advocate changing the ATF at the owner's manual intervals.
 
what kind of filter is better the one whit the scren or the paper one i just changed the filter and the oil and i currently have the scren one, by the way the oil was really dirty and black it looks like motor oil so i need to make like 2 or 3 more changes to clean the oil that remains on the tranny and i want to see which one is better
 
I was at the dealer today to get a thermostat and they want $67 for the filter. The tech was sitting right there and said that they rarely change them, and the AW4 is bulletproof. I still want to change it if it isn't a screen. Is it worth it to spend $67 at the dealer, or should I spend $20 at NAPA instead?
 
I personally like the woven paper better than a screen. In my opinion it traps smaller particles. The dealer mechanics across the street from my old shop stated they also rarely change them...could this be because there is a drain plug and the service is pull the plug, let drain and refill?

Herrera,
There is a machine made by Sun & Snap-on that flushes transmissions, sort of like a transfusion, old stuff coming out as new fluid is being put in. This will remove & replace the fluid in the torque convertor and is one stop, not several co-minglings of fluid over the course of however long it would take to clean it up. Also does not waste fluid.

Good Luck,
Tom
 
for $67 i would just clean it out with break clean unless it has a tear in the screen.(not likely). i work in a dealership and to be competitive with aftermarket shop prices, we just flush them out.
 
My '93 was a filter. The one from Autozone was identical to the dealer one and much cheaper. And the one in there was nasty.

Sarge
 
Interesting...
I took mine in recently for a fluid and filter change, and the shop manager said that mine just had a screen and didn't need to be replaced. He did just a drain and fill. I thought he was just being lazy... :gonnablow
 
Well, I probably will use either a Napa, Autozone, or Advance Auto filter. Does anyone have any experience with Napa or Advance filters for this application? I had a bad experience with a Autozone filter on a Dodge A604 tranny. Started slipping after I changed it, took the pan off and found the filter laying in the bottom of the pan. One of those stupid designs with no bolts, just little plastic tabs to hold it in. The very cheaply made filter wouldn't hold itself against the valve body once it got hot a few times. I ended up using a Napa filter.
 
OK so say I don't have access to this flush machine without paying for it, which is the reason I'm doing it myself anyways, to save money. What do I need to do to flush the old fluid out? I need to flush because the tranny overheated and the fluid is now brown stinky and burnt. So, I think I need to do something involving disconnecting the cooler lines, but I don't want to do it wrong and ruin the thing. Any hints and suggestions are very much welcome. Thanks.
 
I want to do the same thing, disconnect the hot cooler line and let the fluid pump out while I add new fluid. Does anyone know which line is the hot line?
 
Not being a tranny expert here is a method we use on bikes for flushing and filling. Return hose to oil tank removed and in a big ol' pan/bucket/container. Fill the oil tank, start the bike. The old oil flows out into the container, keep adding to the tank until the oil coming out of the return line is fresh oil. Usually go one to two quarts after that. On real sludgy nasty ones I've used a flush solution, followed by LOTS of cheaper oil followed by good stuff. Of course I wouldn't use no flush stuff on a tranny!

Sarge
 
Boatwrench said:
Herrera,
There is a machine made by Sun & Snap-on that flushes transmissions, sort of like a transfusion, old stuff coming out as new fluid is being put in. This will remove & replace the fluid in the torque convertor and is one stop, not several co-minglings of fluid over the course of however long it would take to clean it up. Also does not waste fluid.

Good Luck,
Tom
Click to expand...

I took my '97 XJ to an Aamco shop and they flushed(the above method), changed, inspected and replaced the filter in the tranny for $200. It would have been less(150), but the jeep has a crossmember which makes it harder to work on. My fluid was real ugly. I'm not "wealthy" but some things I like to let the pros do. i didn't want to deal with the cooler situation. So far...everything has been cool. I've went on two offroad runs and no problems.

Frank
 
Last year I resuscitated an '88 Laredo for my ex-girlfriend. Had 165,000 miles on it. I did the tranny screen (and it is an all metal screen, no filter medium), and it was a waste of time, money and effort. The old one was about as clean as the new one. Plus, when you drop the pan you have to disassemble the dip stick tube, and mine wouldn't some apart without brute force -- which, of course, destroyed the tube and I then had to chase down a replacement tube. My own dealer was out of stock on it. Found one about 30 miles farther north, and the guy there said they stock a lot of them because it's a foregone conclusion when you drop the tranny pan you'll fubar the tube.

Leave it be. Change the fluid and drive it.
 
I took my '93 to an Uncle Ed's Oil Change place and paid $75 for a flush with the machine. They didn't pull the pan though. They saw it was a Jeep/Chrysler and put ATF+3. I didn't notice at the time. (its already loaded in the machine). So after some discussion they did it again, this time for free, and used Dex/Mercon fluid!
 
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