UPDATE AT POST # 36....I finally changed it ....lol


I got the truck 05 dodge ram 1500 with 73 K on the clock, Trans fluid has never been changed, should I change it or leave it be, there is no noticeable slipping or clunking

truck has been driven mostly on interstate and only towed a 2000 lb boat on weekends for a total of about 800 miles of the 70 K...
20 K of that was put on the odometer in the last 2 years, the truck was mostly only used on weekends before that and a few 1100 mile trips at 70 mph.....old man was previous owner

oil was serviced on time regularly, but not the trans fluid

thanks for the help

 

I would. Some people say that once it goes so long without a change that changing it would cause damage I however don't see how that makes sense. If it was my truck I would change it.

 

ya no way new fluid is gonna damage anything as long as you us the right fluid (with new filters), its never a bad thing to change any fluid

 

Like everyone else said change it. I suggest you do a pan drop and filter change instead of a flush.

 

Change it. It was due @ 60K.

 

The best thing for any vehicle is Preventatice maintenance. The last thing you should do is wait until there is a problem to change out the fluid. I would reccomend unhooking the return line and sticking it into a bucket. Start your truck and idle it until the fluid starts to sputter and spit into the can. Shut your truck off and now you can drop your pan with ease since there will be no fluid in there to spill out all over.
Your tranny takes 2 filters and make sure you get the correct filters since 2wd is different than 4wd.
Button it back up and then pour 7 qts of new fluid in the filler tube. Start truck up again and wait until the fluid sputters into the bucket. Your gonna need to flush ~17qts of fluid through the trans to get all of it out so repeat filling and starting until you see the fluid coming out is bright red(NEW) then you know the old stuff is all out. You'll see new fresh looking fluid coming out the return line into the bucket. You may want to empty the bucket 1/2 way through so it doesn't fill to the top.
That is the easiest and best way to change your filters and flush your tranny. If you wait too long, you'll have gunk build up and then that is when flushing causes problems...ON vehicles that have lacked maintenence!
ATF+4 is what you need. Doing a pan drop only gets 40% of the fluid, the rest is in the torque converter and the trans cooler.

 

Absolutely! Do a drop 'n' drain, don't flush it. It probably has two filters. Change 'em both. Let it drain while you clean the pan. It'll want ~ seven quarts. It's a messy job, so make sure you have lots of newspaper. Be careful twistin' down the pan bolts - apparently, they're easy to snap. 105 in/lbs, torque 'em to 85 as if you were torquing down a cylinder head, then go back around and take 'em to 105.

 

DO NOT FLUSH IT.... but by all means replace fluid and filters

 

thanks for all the advice guys... I found a link to a DIY tutorial, so I be attempting this for the first time myself : I will definitely do a drop and drain
http://www.60ateight.com/DodgeRam/

I read where torquing down the bolts sometimes they can break, mine already show a good deal of surface rust and in the tutorial the guy broke ( I think) 3, where can I buy a set of OEM bolts for the trans pan ??

any recommendations on ATF +4 fluid, whatever Advanced auto part shas so spend more $$ and go with something else ??

 

Really nice link. Can't help with the OEM bolts, but they should be a standard SAE or Metric size.

As for fluid, others here will have better insights, but for certain, you have to make sure that it meets manufacturer's specs or better. I haven't bought tranny fluid in many years - back when there was Dextron II for GM and "Type F" for Ford (most Ford, anyway).