DanW
Well-Known Member
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- #1
I changed the manual transmission fluid today, at 20,148 miles. It was quick and easy and not too messy. Just make sure you don't lose the little metal washer/gasket on the drain plug. Mine fell off and I discovered it after I had filled it up with new fluid, so I had to fix that quickly while trying to lose as little of the new fluid as possible. I wound up losing 3/4 of a quart. Oh well, ATF+4 is cheap. I went with NAPA synthetic ATF+4, which is Valvoline. It is a fair deal at $7 a quart. It took very slightly over 2 quarts.
I then changed the T-case fluid. That is quite a bit messier because of the skid plate and because the fluid shoots waaay out from the drain hole. I used some Castrol left over from my JK T-case change last September and Valvoline ATF+4 for this.
Note: The Napa is Valvoline bottled for NAPA. It is maybe 70 or 80 cents cheaper per quart than the Valvoline branded bottles at Walmart. The T-case took very close to 2 quarts. All ATF+4 is essentially the same, anyway, so I'm not super picky. I've run Castrol and even Autozone brand before in other vehicles and the all are fine.
I typically change tranny, T-case, and diff fluids every 25-30k miles. I like doing the first one a little before that to get break in crap out of it.
Here is the transmission from the driver's side. The front of the Jeep is to the left. You'll need a bottle pump with a tube to reach the fill hole. The drain hole goes straight down and barely touches a brace nearly under it, so it is a much cleaner drain process than the JK's NSG370, which drains right on top of the exhaust pipe and requires an improvised tool to get it loose. The Aisin in the JL is a straight shot with a 24mm socket.
Here is the transmission drain plug. The magnet has trapped a fair amount of metal shavings. (Normal and about what I expected for the break-in period and 20k miles.) The pic after that is the plug all cleaned up.
Napa ATF+4. It says right on the back that it is made by Valvoline. No secret there. Valvoline makes most, if not all of Napa brand oil, gear lube, and transmission fluids. Good stuff.
I then changed the T-case fluid. That is quite a bit messier because of the skid plate and because the fluid shoots waaay out from the drain hole. I used some Castrol left over from my JK T-case change last September and Valvoline ATF+4 for this.
Note: The Napa is Valvoline bottled for NAPA. It is maybe 70 or 80 cents cheaper per quart than the Valvoline branded bottles at Walmart. The T-case took very close to 2 quarts. All ATF+4 is essentially the same, anyway, so I'm not super picky. I've run Castrol and even Autozone brand before in other vehicles and the all are fine.
I typically change tranny, T-case, and diff fluids every 25-30k miles. I like doing the first one a little before that to get break in crap out of it.
Here is the transmission from the driver's side. The front of the Jeep is to the left. You'll need a bottle pump with a tube to reach the fill hole. The drain hole goes straight down and barely touches a brace nearly under it, so it is a much cleaner drain process than the JK's NSG370, which drains right on top of the exhaust pipe and requires an improvised tool to get it loose. The Aisin in the JL is a straight shot with a 24mm socket.
Here is the transmission drain plug. The magnet has trapped a fair amount of metal shavings. (Normal and about what I expected for the break-in period and 20k miles.) The pic after that is the plug all cleaned up.
Napa ATF+4. It says right on the back that it is made by Valvoline. No secret there. Valvoline makes most, if not all of Napa brand oil, gear lube, and transmission fluids. Good stuff.
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