Hey all,

I have a fairly-new-to-me 2004 Dakota QC with about 100,000 miles. A couple weekends ago, I did a trans fluid & filter change, probably the first one of the vehicle's life. While tapping in the new filter seal, I managed to mangle it. The parts store was closed, so I checked the old one closely and it looked OK, so I reinstalled it. The new filter also seemed to seat fine in the old seal (though I didn't know what to compare it to).

I've driven it about 250 miles so far, and it seems to drive and shift fine, but in the back of my mind I wonder if I'd know if that seal wasn't fully sealing and the pump was sucking air. Anybody know what signs would point to the seal not sealing? Check engine light? Shifting problems? Or will I only find out down the road with an expensive repair bill?

I've tried to pay close attention for any abnormalities, but haven't really felt or noticed anything out of the ordinary. Maybe, just maybe, at very light throttle, the trans may be shifting a tiny bit later than it used to...or it could be that I'm just paying more attention and babying it more than normal.

Another question - I measured the fluid I took out, and it was just over 7 quarts. I've put in a little over 7.5 so far, and the level is still just slightly over the highest "cold" dot. (This is after a 35 mile drive, idling in park in my garage.) It's been cold here - 15 degrees yesterday - so I'm wondering if the fluid temp just isn't getting high enough to be in the "hot" area?

I don't know for sure if the level was correct before I changed it - it's quite possible that it was low before.

Thanks for any advice from y'all experts.

 

Trust me..if that filter wasn't sealed, you'd be going nowhere. Hell, $10 says the aftermarket you bought wouldn't fit the trans...most don't and do suck air. Only the mopar filters truly fit right. And any little bit of sucked air = no hydraulic pressure = no moving.