Alright,

I will be changing my fluids this weekend for the 48K service. It is under factory warranty, and I think they would rather have it done by a reputable business, but I can do it myself.

I was just wondering some things:

1. I have a hand pump that can be used to suck out fluids, as well as put fluids IN. Should I just suck the oil out of the diffs and put the fresh stuff in without changing the diff covers?

2. Can I suck out most of the tranny fluid with the same contraption out of the dipstick tube? THat way i do not have niagra falls when I remove the tranny pan. Or dies the dipstick tube not go down that far.

I am thinking I will use the pump to take the diff fluid out and then take the cover off to replace the gaskets and put some sealant on there.

ANy thoughts? To keep the extended warranty going, do I need to go to juffy lube or the stealership to have documentation? I just do not feel like paying 140 for front diff, 120 for read diff. Actually, i may need to take the tranny to the dealership so they can "adjust the bands" as the service states. I just do not trust that the dealership actually adjusts the bands.

LAST QUESTION: when they say grease the steering components...what the heck do they mean? The tie rods, and ball joints are not greasers...so how the hell do you grease them?



--Dan

 

I would think with the diffs, its just easier to take off the cover...all it takes it loosening the bolts a little bit, breaking the seal from the RTV/gasket, let it drain, then take cover off (good time to inspect for parts/pieces/shavings). I just did this and it was easy. Hardest part was prying the cover away from the housing. Just RTV'd the cover back on and no leaks. Also check if you need the limited slip/posi additive.

As far as the tranny fluid goes...whats the point of sucking out all of the fluid, and leaving shavings in the pan, and a dirty filter in? Just drop the pan like your diff cover (little at a time...let it drain before you try taking the pan off). Its also an easy process, plus you have a new, clean filter. Sure, leaving the filter in might be ok if you were getting it flushed.

Grease whatever has a zerk.

Not sure on your other questions. I know on my Jeep, if I keep the receipts and log it in the maintenance book, the dealership said that is fine.

Hope this helps!

 

The correct way to do it is to take the covers off (diffs) and drop the pan (trans). If all you do is suck out the fluid, and put in new fluid, you really have only done a half *** job. The reason to take the covers off is to inspect the gears and carrier for damage, see if there is anything on the magnet, and to clean out any metal pieces and shavings. Sucking out the fluid does none of this. For the trans, you need to replace the filter, and you can't do that by sucking fluid out the fill tube. Also, you need to inspect the valve body, and adjust the bands (if you have never done it yet, they are probably due). Lastly, draining the pan only removes about 70% of tht fluid in the system. The other 30% is in the trans and in the lines. So if you get 70% by dropping the pan, you'd probably get even less by trying to suck it out the fill tube. The best thing to do on the trans is to get a professional flush, filter change, and band adjustment. The flush removes nearly 100% of the fluid. I have mine flushed once a year since I have owned it.

Just curious, how are you still under factory waranty? Your mileage is low, but most factory warranties are based on mileage OR years, whichever comes first. By now, even if your truck is an '01 (basically the last year of the 2nd gens), it would be 9 years old. What factory warranty lasts for 9 years on a 2nd gen Ram????? New cars have those kinds of warranties, but I don't recall our trucks having that back 10 years ago. Just curious.

 

Thanks for the explanation (although i was gonna drop the tranny pan, I just wanted to know if I could get most of the fluid out before dropping the pan...i have a small catch can).

About the warranty, The previous owner bought an extended warranty from dodge in 2003 ($2600) when the factory warranty was about to run out. The mileage was 99,998 or may 2012. I had it transferred to my name at the dealership for 50 bucks less than a week after I bought it. There is actually a form that the prev owner has to sign to transfer the warranty. That was the guy's bargaining chip for me. For me to pay 10K for the truck, he had to do that paperwork. If not, he could have sold back the warranty to dodge for a pro rated amount (based on warranty used and what was left).

I think I will have to get the tranny serviced by a technician. At least i can do the diffs myself and save some cash. The truck is due for the 48K service which is pretty much every fluid except the transfer case (done at 36K).

 

Good deal. Although I do not think that warranties necessarely cover maintnance.

Make sure you put some limited slip additive in your rear diff (Off-Road editions have a limited slip rear diff). Fluid for both ends is 75W-140 Synthetic.

 

Thanks for the info. That makes it easier. I had to use limited slip with my 1996, so I know I need additive.

And I know warranty does not cover maint. The thing i was noting was if I did it MYSELF...will it void the warranty if the diffs ever went out. They could say I messed something up, but then again, they would have to prove that. That is why I am going to have the technician do the tranny maint because it says adjust the bands for 48K.

 

Doing your own maintnance will NOT void Any warranty. Now, if you mess something up, yes that can void it.

Change your fluid and dont worry about the bands...Dont fix what aint broken is what I learned.

 

It dies kick in and out of gears once in a while. For example, it goes 4-3-2-3 within about 2 seconds when going up hills. But I think everyone gets that. Could be the linkage.

Bad thing is I would like the peace of mind that the bands were adjusted, but then again, how will i know that the bands were actually adjusted. So doing it myself and not adjusting the bands makes sense.

--Dan

 

Yeah, that might be the TV (Throttle Valve) cable. That is really easy to adjust.

 

Don't skimp on the transmission maintence. I've got a 1500, '01 4x4 Off Road also. Since I bought it in 2000, I've always taken it to the dealership for the tranny fluid change and band adjustment. For perspective, I've been inside two transimissions and don't shy away from tearning down an engine but I take the Dodge to the dealership for tranny service. I'm holding my breath but I've never had a problem with the tranny and I've got 174K miles on it. Other people seem to have had a lot of problems with the transmission but I haven't. Maybe it's the maintaence, maybe I'm lucky, maybe it's something about the taller gears; I don't know.
Somewhere around 80K they dropped the pan on the transfer case and it had metal in it so they replaced the xfercase under the extended warranty with no questions and I did have the xfercase fluid changed at an independent shop. I suspect the seals leaked the fluid out and that's why it failed.
I always make sure the dealership knows I want the bands adjusted when I drop it off and I ask about it when I pick it up. The service advisor is always good about telling me how much, if any, the tech had to adjust each band. Sure they could lie but what's the point?
I thought about servicing the tranny this last time but I ended up taking it in. Some say adjusting the bands isn't hard, others say take it to the dealership. If you do it yourself, spend a couple of buck and buy a washtub to drain it into and don't skip the bands. I'm sure you know but keep everything very clean; keep any dust or other contaminates away from any of the internals and use brake parts cleaner to be sure everything is **** and span.
For the gear oil, I had always used 75W90 until this last change. I'm doing some serious towing now so I switched to 75w140 synthetic for the rear but kept 75w90 in the front.
Bottom line, don't take it to a non-dealer shop or if you do it yourself, don't skip the bands, especialy if it's shifting funny. Twice mine was shifting a little off and I told them when I took it in for the routine service and the problem went away after they serviced the tranny.