It's been raining a lot in ATL, so I spent some time in the garage changing out the oil and ATF. Mileage = 273,680 mi

Quaker State Ultimate Durability 5W30 and Fram Ultra Syn filter are my favorite combo. I think I'll run this filter for two cycles. The tranny got Supertech ATF+4. Its been roughly 18K since the last drain and fill. I find that if I jack the front end up really high, I can drain out a bit over 6 Qts, versus the normal 5.5.

Ordered PCV valve and air filter. Will do those along with new plugs soon. Almost 30K on these NGK V powers.

 

Drained the ATF again yesterday (six qts). Mileage now 298K, so roughly 24K on it. Never have had as much as an errant shift from this 545RFE. The fluid came out looking great. Still nice and red with crisp odor...



...in fact, the fluid was in such great shape, I recycled it. LOL. Used a large syringe to repeatedly empty the PS reservoir, the refilled with the used ATF. What went in looked a lot better than what came out. Raised the front end and turn steering lock to lock repeatedly on each refill, so it would mix. Fluid hadn't been replaced since I swapped the system to ATF back in 2013. Back then I also used used ATF to flush out the old PS oil, following up with fresh ATF. Time to wash this engine!



Note to self: The higher I raised the front, the more it drained.

 

Doesnt the 545rfe have a canister filter inside? I have a 2000 4.7, 4x4, 207k, the owners manual says to change the fluid and fliter every 12k.

 

Canister and flat filter. Changed them a few years ago. Never heard of any car where you have to change ATF every 12K. Mind posting the page from your manual?

 

Yeah service change only is 6.6 qts; if you had front raised you drained the TQ also most likely some so it will take more; just had same issue on mine; im hoping its my 3rd and 4th shift issue surging/slipping feeling to the point you had to manually shift 1st and 2nd. to keep going once it failed to go in gear. (Hoping anyways)

 

Adding a few good links regarding this tranny. This thread serves as my reminder of things transmission service related.

http://etereman.com/blog/fiat-transm...nd-here-is-why

One thing I've learned recently is that I was doing something wrong all along. When installing the flat filter's o-ring seal, I was placing it on the neck first, lubricating it and pushing it up into place, while on the neck. Although it worked for me, that was wrong. You're supposed to install the seal into the bore first, then push the filter neck into it.

I suppose a lot of issues I've read regarding failure to shift after maintenance, has to do with either screwing up this seal, or not adding enough fluid. Either issue will prevent hydraulic pressure from building as it should and can cause premature death to the transmission. The seal is the small o-ring pictured here....

 

 

That schedule is assuming a 4x4 stays off road. If you drive it to work like a normal truck, your fine every 60k dropping the pan and every 30k pump out from dipstick and replace.

 

Thanks for posting the pics. Make sure you're reading the schedule carefully. Is that break-in period, or severe duty? Is every drain 12K from the previous as you read through the manual? The jump from 12K to 30K drain already shows an inconsistency.

 

I like to document ATF service so here we go again. Just replaced 6 qts of Supertech ATF+4 at 325,000 mi. Single drain and fill - no filter change.

To prevent guesswork, I checked the fluid before draining and it was at proper level. I measured what was drained and added that exact amount back. It was actually a little over six quarts and I ended up making up the difference by pouring a bit of the old fluid back in.

The fluid removed was dark red and still had a crisp smell with 27K on it. The bottom of the pan had no metal flakes or specks.