Hi all,
I had my newly acquired '75 w200 idling perfect for the first time so I decided to put her in gear for the first time in 12 years. Well to make a long story short, she blew a transmission line so I have a few questions. Can I still have her in park while I have the engine running? Or am I at risk of damaging the transmission by doing this? What kind of tranny fluid should I use when I do the repair? (I know my '99 ram needs a special type but I'm unsure about this truck) Any tips on replacing the line? Thanks in advance

 

running the truck while it is in park will not hurt the transmision. for the transmission it is recommended that you use dexron 2 or 3 ATF.

 

The pump in your tranny runs if the engine is running in park or any other position. Park and neutral only disengage the bands and clutches. You will damage the pump like that.

 

Personally I would not use Dexron other than in an emergancy.
They didn't come from the factory with it in them.
ATF+3 or +4 only in mine.

 

Thanks guys, I guess I won't be running the engine before I repair the line. I don't want to damage the pump by running it out of fluid. What is the preferred fluid to use, ATF +3 or +4?

 

+ 3 is what we used to use. If you can find it, it's lower priced than +4. The +4 is synthetic and is backward compatible.

 

SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) says dexron is a substitute for ATF 3 at all levels. The reason our trucks did not come with dexron was the same reason Custer didn't use M-60 machine guns at the Little Big Horn. They didn't exist then. Just as synthetics are acceptable and actually superior, they didn't exist when our trucks came out either.
As a side note the society also says you should never use synthetic oil in a new engine as it prevents proper break in of new parts.