I recently acquired a beautiful 2001 Club cab Dakota 4.7 automatic transmission 4WD that has obviously been well taken care of by previous owner or owners.

The truck has only 116M miles on it, it starts and runs like new and the interior looks to be in like brand new perfect condition with pristine cloth upholstery. Like the driver had driven the truck by remote control or in the standing position or something. The seats show zero wear or corner or spot crushing of the upholstery. This indicates to me that much of this trucks mileage must have taken place on long distance highway trips. There was very little in-and-out of the truck activity taking place with this truck.

My question is.....
Not knowing when the transmission fluid was changed last I'm wondering if I should just go ahead and change the transmission fluid and filter.
I don't have access to this trucks maintenance or service records and I have no way to contact the former owner to know when this was done last.

The truck has barely 116,000 miles on it, the transmission functions beautifully with no indications of any slip or signs of abuse. I don't believe it was ever used for towing anything.
The tranny fluid is nice and pink and crystal clear and with a nice smell of new tranny fluid. Should I change it, or just leave well enough alone.

I read somewhere that it's normal for the red dye in transmission fluid loose it's redness and turn brown over time, and this does not mean there is anything necessarily wrong with the fluid. Therefore they say to check to see how dirty it is on the dipstick and check for a burning smell. If what I read is correct, then the fact that this fluid is so nice and crystal clear and bright red would be an indicator that this fluid has not been in this truck that long.

Twice in the past....I went ahead and changed the transmission fluid and filter on used cars that I bought and almost immediately after I did the transmissions went completely out on me.

My dad is now in his mid 80's and has owned several cars and trucks in his lifetime and he tells me he has never changed the transmission fluid in any car he has ever owned and has never had a lick of trouble with a transmission.

I look forward to your comments.

Thanks!
Harkdodge


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if you bought it from a dealer, 95% chance they changed all the fluids before putting it on the lot. Should be documented on the carfax (which should be free). The 545RFE is not a traditional slushbox, it is mostly electronic. Dad put 297,000 miles in 6 years before we sold the 05 ram with the hemi and 545RFE changing the trans fluid every 10 oil changes.

 

Thanks magnethead for the info. How many miles did your dad put on the truck between oil changes?


This truck came from a deceased previous owner and his spouse said he did all of his own maintenance work and kept his records in his head, so there is no documentation anywhere regarding the maintenance on this truck. So all I have to go on is evidence that I can see, touch, or smell.


I hate to waste money duplicating something he may have already done not too long ago and use the money in areas where it is quite evident that needs some attention.


In my search for a truck I pulled several tranny dipsticks that immediately
revealed evidence that it was in desperate need for changing.
Thick brown filthy goooo on the dipstick that smelled like old burnt cooking oil. Just the opposite of what I am seeing here in this truck.
I would never ever allow the fluid to get to that stage to begin with and by then the tranny could be on its last leg.


As tight as money is and with expensive things that need changed like tires and the like, I want to be careful not to throw money at things that don't need done. That's why I'm trying to read the signs and study the evidence as best as I can an try to make good educated guesses.

 

It's actually the 45RFE in '01 but it's basically the same, just one less gear.

Since you don't know, change the fluid and both filters when you can. If it appears clean, don't rush it.

Then you can get it on a regular maintenance schedule - your own

 

whatever the sticker called for- 3,000 I think? Back then he drove 1,000-1,500 miles a week so if that says anything....something i thought about yesterday, we never replaced the fuel pump on it....that was a long life on that pump.

 

Because the fluid looks and smells good, and the tranny shifts fine I would leave it alone.

If it were darker then I would say a pan drop wouldn't hurt.

If you want peace of mind go ahead with the fluid change. I don't think you'll harm anything.

 

Holy Smokes!! 1,000 to 1500 miles per week!!
That means he was changing oil sometimes twice a month. And tranny fluid twice a year.


If most of those miles were highway miles I would think changing oil every 3,000 miles would have been a little on the side of over-kill. But....then again, that's why your dad's truck lasted so long and did so well.




Thanks again magnethead!

 

I think I will just leave it alone for the winter and change it in the spring. I can't imagine that changing it is going to break the bank. And then again I will have established a starting point for future tranny maintenance. Where right now it is just one big question mark.

 

Whenever I get a used vehicle, that I don't know the maintenance history on I'll do the fluid and filter. Had my car's trans flushed at 162k, by 167k I had no 2nd gear, so I never do flushes unless It's been done since day one. Regular filter/fluid changes are generally sufficient.

I agree with sxrsil3nt if the fluid looks clean/smells good, I'd run it for now.

 

Thanks Smikesxt! I agree.....I never do flushes either.