I posted this on dak-dur.com and no one wanted to respond. maybe i'll get some help from you guys.

my 01 3.9 dakota with 42RE and 8.25 open diff just hit 60k miles. Ive been noticing alot of "clunking" comming from I think the rear end under acceleration and shifting. needless to say, the rear end, transmission (&filter) and torque converter has never had the fluid changed and its time to do it. I've never done this before, but Im relatively sure I could do it. It would be nice if I could find a write up or suggestions from people who know what they're doing before I try it. The only thing I have to go off of is a Haynes manual. I'm sure I'm supposed to use Mopar ATF+4 in the torque converter and transmission, but what do I use in the rear end? I would like to use a synthetic fluid in the rear. Also, does anyone know HOW MUCH of all these different kinds of fluids I need to buy? I would like to just go to the parts store and buy everything I need so I can get started without having to run to the store 5 times. Also, what all do I need gasket wise? How do I re-seal the trans pan and rear end?
Thanks

 

dont you have a chilton? that should tell you fluid specs. also, dont forget to change your blinker fluid and your carburetor belt, it might start squeaking soon.

 

also, make sure your u-joints are ok

 

i have a haynes manual, but its really not that great. and lots of times in those manuals they do things the hard way when there is alot easier way to do it. I'm worried about adjusting the bands in the trans when i crack it open. this is going to be such a pain in the as$, if i werent broke i would let the dealer do it.

 

Transmission is easy.

REMOVING THE PAN

Just loosen all the bolts to your pan, but only remove the front ones and a couple from each side. The pan will tip forward letting the fluid dump out. Make sure you have a rather large reservoir for it to drain onto.(be prepared to get a little messy). Once most of the fluid has drained out, I push the pan back up with one hand then remove the remaining bolts to set the pan down. There will still be quite a bit of fluid left in the pan, so careful not to spill.

REMOVING THE FILTER

I believe there is a couple torx head screws holding the filter on. When you pull the filter off be sure that you get the filter gasket off too.(just a small circle one around the tube. If its stuck to the transmission carfully remove it, making sure not to gauge anything.

PREPPING THE PAN

Im pretty sure the pan gasket is made of like a wooden cork material, so its kind of a b*tch to remove, but make sure you get it all off. A sharp razor blade will be your best friend for this. Spray out the pan with degreaser and wipe clean. You will notice a magnet on the bottom of the pan, pull it off and remove any metal shavings that may be on it.(If there is excessive amounts of shavings, I would suggest having the tranny looked at.) Put the magnet back in the pan around the dimple thing.

INSTALLATION

You should be able to pick up the pan gasket and filter as a kit. The filter should already have the filter gasket on it around the tube, so just put it where it goes and tighten the torx screws up. Set the gasket on the pan and hold in place, while you hand tighten in the 4 corner bolts of the pan. Pan bolts get torqued to 156 in-lbs.

FILL AND CHECK

Use ATF+4 fluid and pour right down the tranny filler tube with a funnel. Capacites range anywhere between 4 qts and 6 or 7 qts. I would put in four qts to start off with. Start it up and check for leaks. Once it reaches operating temp, check your fluid level and add more as needed, since it will most likely be 1-2qts low.

Piece of cake

As for the bands... on a 42re

Front band - tighten to 72 in-lbs and back off 3 turns
Rear band - tighten to 72 in-lbs and back off 4 turns

 

thats all good info, thanks for the help. I'm pretty sure i can manage the rear end, but what about the torque converter?

 

I'm not sure its possible to get all the fluid out of the torque converter without having to disassemble the transmission. The only way I know of to do this is have a shop hook there pump up to it and flush it. I wouldn't worry too much about that though, not much fluid will be held inside of the torque converter once you drain the tranny. You only have 6x,xxx miles on it, which is right around the recommended time for a fluid change, so the left over fluid in the TC shouldnt be a problem.

 

I thought autos were supposed to be flushed because just by removing the pan and letting it drain you would only get about 1/2 - 2/3 of all the fluid?