Bought A 96 3.9 auto yesterday from a 92 year old man. It has a leaky trans and he added dexron 2e to it so I could get home. Can I add atf 4 to it till I get the leak fixed? He thinks it is leaking from base of dipstick. I'm not sure about mixing the two. I Dont know how much dex he has in it. Just want it in there long enough to find leak, not enough to leak right now. Not registering on dipstick when got home. Also, would not shift to overdrive on the way home, would low fluid account for this? Also check engine light came on half way home. Need to buy some kind of fluid tomorrow. Or should I get something else. Will give more info in morning. Thanks guyys, site is awesome

 

Anyone?

 

Couldn't tell you as I havn't heard of dexron before...as for the other guys I'm sure some of them have. Just give them a day or 2 to reply we all got busy lives you know

 

Hopefully it is only a quart or Dextron. If so it is okay the manual even states it is okay to use it to top it off if needed. But 90% has to be ATF 3+ or higher

 

I have no idea what the majority of it is. I bet that it is Dex2 or 3, as he had it serviced by a small mechanic and they probably added what the manual or dipstick calls for. Will i hurt it if i add ATF+4 and it is mainly Dex 2 or 3 or vice versa? Trying to see if i will be safe to add one or the other until i find the leak, without damaging it. Is there a Tranny oil that would be safe to mix with both of these, that way if i add to it, it won't hurt it either way. Do any of the quick oil change places even carry ATF+4 or would i need to bring my own bottles for the flush, once i find the leak that is.

 

They are compitable
ATF +4 is a premium fully synthetic solution with special additives to prevent torque converter chatter and subsequent disintegration
change the o-ring on the dipstick
crop the pan and change the fluid and filter
if you want to flush
disconnect the cooler return line and run the motor in gear till you get a couple of quarts out
(Unless you have a transgo shift kit you will not have converter flow in Park)
top off and repeat till the fluid comes out like new
there is most likely no converter drain plug
if you are handy you can loosen the valve body and about half the converter will drain
torque the vb bolts
do not break your arm on the vb or pan bolts
too tight on the pan and they leak
use anarobic gasket maker or the new special silicone they make that is ATF proof
regular ATF squishes out and gets in your pan- not good
then it gets soft and leaks
you should be fine
make sure the cooler flow is good

 

"It squishes out and gets in your pan"

You mean gets out of the pan?

Just make a gasket out of the sealant? Or do they make atf safe ones?

Cooler flow? Good, how would i know, unless you mean when its off.

Sorry for all the questions

 

Yes he means it gets out of the pan on both sides inside and the outside. On the inside it can get into the valve body and cause damage.

I personally recommend using the OEM style gasket, it is a hard plastic with an O-Ring style seal all around. It prevents over tightening and it holds its shape.

The cork style and the rubber style gaskets suck, they will not hold a seal correctly and usually will stretch out and can pop out. And using RTV alone is just unsafe.

 

Do parts stores sell the oem style or will i have to go to dealer? Mine looks like someone just used rtv.

Do you use rtv with the oem style or just the gasket?

 

For OEM go to your local Dodge dealer parts department. You can order them online as well. www.dodgeparts.com

No RTV on it unless you have a gouge in the pan or the transmission mounting surface. If you got lots of little scraps you can use an RTV spray so it is super thin.