Hello,

1998 Ram 1500 V6 recently purchased, 2 previous owners. Truck is in excellent shape and appears to have been properly taken care of.

219,000 miles.
No vehicle maintenance history available. Last owner had it only 1 year.

No problem evident with transmission, seems to operate fine. Fluid is redish pink just a few shades darker than out of the bottle fluid. No burnt smell to it.

I have been doing preventive maintenace on everything else and had scheduled an appointment at a Dodge dealer for a transmission service but then started hearing comments about leaving it alone because of the potential to create problems with a newer fluid.

I am a smart guy but uneducated on the mechanics of a vehicle.

Should I leave it alone or do a maintence transmission service at the dealer ?

Appreciate all opinions.

 

Recent purchase from a previous owner... yes, you should change ALL fluids. There won't be a fluid 'problem' if they use the correct fluid.

 

New fluid is not going to make an already present, but unnoticeable problem suddenly show itself. Regular maintenance will prolong your truck's life. You should go ahead and change the fluid if for no other reason than the spec on these trucks has changed from ATF+3 to ATF+4. Since you have no idea what's in there, might as well start switching to the newer fluid spec.

 

They dont make ATF+4 anymore so dont belive anybody's bull ****. Also, if the shop says that they use another fluid with an additive that makes it ATF+4 (hopefully I think that a Dodge dealer would'nt do that), turn around, walk out the door, leave, and never return to that shop again. Dont tell them no because you dont want to deal with idiots like that.

BTW according to my FSM, you cannot tell the condition of fluid by the smell.

Make sure that you have a drain plug installed in the pan to make removal eaiser.

 

Are you sure about that, young one? I can get ATF+4 all day long here.

 

+1 Got 6 qts. of Valvoline Synthetic ATF+4 at my local Napa today. And yes they had other brands including Napa's ATF+4. So we got both coasts covered as I see it.

 

yeah castrol makes atf+4 as well and while I was at the dealer yesterday I saw a whole case of MOPAR atf which is what I really want. let me ask yall this. I've got 228k on my truck and I know the fluid in my tpanny is wrong. should I change it since I'm not having problems?

 

Yeah, I think he meant ATF+3, which was superceded by the +4. Any lubricant loses its ability to perform over time. That's why you can't judge by color. I would follow any service interval recommendations to the letter on a truck with that much mileage. In fact, I might shorten them a little because an engine that old has looser tolerances and is harder on the shear properties of the lubricant.

 

I would also get it serviced, I am installing one now but the faults where known when I baught my beast. When I am 100% running it will have regular schedule servicing because I will be 6ft under ground sitting in the drivers seat of this truck

Oh and ATF+4 is everywhere (at least in Indianapolis)

 

i bought 2 quarts recently at my napa and know the other stores carry it too.