I was wondering how many quarts of ATF+4 my 97 Dodge 1500 with the 5.9L 4x4 takes. I replaced the tranny pan gasket the other day and the guy at the autoparts store said I would need 4qts. Well it sure seemed like a lot more than 4 qts came out of the truck when the pan came off. Ran great right off the bat, but now, every time it sits for a while, it doesn't want to go into gear from park. And at stop signs it slips. I checked the fluid level while it was running and in neutral, and low and behold...I see no fluid. So some fluid is going in until I see it at the right height. Just wanted to know a heads up on how many more quarts I need to pick up.

 

Mine took 7 but I let it drain for a few hours. I'd probably get 3 more though.

 

i used 5 1/2 or so to 6 qts

 

The best way to know is to measure how much you drained out. The amount that you need depends on how much came out. You let it sit (w/o a pan) for a week or two and you will probably drain all 15 or so quarts out, but if you just take the pan off, you may only drain 5-6 quarts.

 

with remote filter and cooler, mine takes 8.
w/o the filter and cooler, it was 7.

the 46RE has a very deep pan, much deeper than the old 727 which only took about 4 quarts.

check fluid level with engine running, in neutral, NOT park. pump doesn't run in park.

mine seems to be really hard to get to the full mark. the bottom of the stick gets wet due to the fluid that i just poured down the dipstick tube. the damn fluid is almost clear and hard to see. plus - it seems like there's a false wet spot on top, with a dry gap. so it reads overfilled on one side of the stick and low on the other...

 

Well.....I will pick up 3qts today and put in 2 of them and check where the level is at. Messure, and keep adding until I am at the right level. I agree...it is hard to see on the dip stick right after you put fluid in.

 

Yeah I kept getting false readings from the fluid in the tube. When I did mine I had to add a half quart, wait 15-30 minutes, run it through the gears again, check, add a half quart, wait.... Just another reason I wish I had a manual tranny...

 

Tell me about it! Lazy American consumers have pushed the manual transmission into almost an extinct beast. Nearly impossible to find. I stopped trying to find one in a full size truck with a back seat that WASN'T a base model no carpet or cloth truck. Odds of getting hit by lightning are better than finding one of those.

 

How often do you guys change the filter and fluid? Is there any way to drain the Tc? And if the trans is working correctly there is no need to adj the bands correct?

 

How often do you guys change the filter and fluid?
I change mine about once a year. mostly to see what the **** has broken and fallen into the pan. install a drain plug and it makes it easy to change. advance has a good kit with a rubber gasket.


Is there any way to drain the Tc?
no.
you can disconnect a cooler line and pour in new fluid while it pumps out old, but its messy as hell and unnecessary if you change it regularly.
after removing the fitter, you can temporarily put the pan back on and let it drain for several hours and get out more fluid.


And if the trans is working correctly there is no need to adj the bands correct?
correct. unless you know what you are doing, leave the bands alone.