Dexron III / Mercon ATF by Chevron OK?

[e9999]

got a me a case of Chevron Dexron III / Mercon at Costco.
- This be OK for the 80 AT and also perhaps the PS?
- Also, it says something on there like "formulated with ISO Syn". This mean anything or just to make folks believe this is a synthetic fluid?
- And I guess short of the full flush, I can just drain the pan, add 2 quarts and do the same again at regular intervals?
thanks
Eric

 

[firetruck41]

I dunno, but I use Mobil 1 synthetic ATF like a lot of others, it has done fine for me ~$5 a qt. I drained and filled w/~6qts of fluid. I think regular flush and fill is a good way to go.

 

[RavenTai]

Chevron in general has a good reputation both here at BITOG and with manufacturers for both fuel and lubricants, but I have not seen any empirical data or testing of the ATF, but a good reputation was enough for me to use it for a cleaning cycle in my tranny, 4 QT's every oil change when I have gone through the 2 cases it will be as clean as I can get it and start putting in Mobil 1 atf,


also completely flushed the PS system with it, steering feels better after (placebo effect?) than with the old brown crap that was in there

here is how I did it remove the small return hose from the reservoir and plug the res port, hook in another piece of 3/8" hose with a hose barb run the open end into a drain pan, lift the front axle so both tires are off the ground try to space the stands to clear the tires through their full travel, with the engine off cycle the steering wheel lock to lock fill the res after each full turn and the piston in the steering box will pump the fluid through flushing the system at a nice controlled rate

 

[firetruck41]

Oh yeah, I only used the M1 on the tranny, haven't had to tackle the PS yet.

 

[cruiserdan]

Chevron is just dandy.


Cary almost has me switched from Valvoline

Oh, I've burnd Chevron gas for 30 years

 

[e9999]

RT, how come 4 qts? IIRC my FSM says that you lose only 2 qts on a drain...
E

 

[Gumby]

If you pull the plug you loose 2 qts. If you pull the pan and clean the filter, it's more like 4. I just did my 5th yearly drain and clean. Fluid was pink and brand new looking when it came out.

Carquest Dexron II/Mercron. Dunno who makes it for them. M1 every year seems like overkill.

 

[malcolm]

I used the COSTCO Dexron III in my 95 80. When I bought it at 127KMi the trans fluid was dirty, and had a little bit of a yellow color. I did a drain and fill of two cases of the DIII and it cleaned up. After that I heard that trasmission fluid has such a high detergent level (i.e.holds dirt in suspension) that one can dislodge stationary dirt and once moving in the fluid it can cause a problem. I don't know one way or the other. My PS was also bad and I took the return hose off, routed it to a milk jug, plugged the hole, filled the reservoir, jogged the engine, and repeated as necessary until clean. Also turn the wheel the full range to flush our the hydraulic cylinder. I had no problems after that.

I've always used the natural fluids rather thay syns. My theroy is, it better to change more often and drain out the bad stuff, than go further with a more expensive fluid. I have a 94 crown victoria with 210K miles that doesn't burn oil and still gets over 23+mpg and doesn't get anything but the necessary maintenance using castrol 20W-50 and dexton III. I think it's an economic issue.

 

[e9999]

so would not be foolish then to do a few partial drains over a period of time rather than a full powered flush all at once?

and this stuff is just Dino, right?

E

 

[cary]

FYI, there was a really big discussion about flush v. drain and fill last year.

Chevron Iso Syn- Group II+ oil, considered by many to bet the best mineral oil you can use.

Personally, I use Redline in my Diffs, Trans Case and Tranny. I have had very good luck with their gear lubes over the years and believe it is where redline shines. For the tranny, mineral Dextron is should be fine.


If it were me, I would just do the drain and fill routine a few times when you change the oil and then every other oil change after that (because you all are running synthetic engine oil and changing every 7500 miles, right!!!)

Cary

 

[RavenTai]

[quote author=Gumby link=board=2;threadid=16275;start=msg156024#msg156024 date=1084450258]
If you pull the plug you loose 2 qts. If you pull the pan and clean the filter, it's more like 4. I just did my 5th yearly drain and clean. Fluid was pink and brand new looking when it came out.

Carquest Dexron II/Mercron. Dunno who makes it for them. M1 every year seems like overkill.
[/quote]

mine dropped 4 qt's when I drained it via the plug, I thought I had heard others on this board report same?

 

[e9999]

RT,
cuz Lexus is a luxury truck?
or you don't have as much as you should somewhere else in the tranny? :-\
[assuming it is indeed 2 qts, of course]
E

 

[Rookie2]

Ditto on the 4 quarts.

How many quarts do you use to flush the Power Steering system?

Thanks,
Rookie2

 

[malcolm]

I'm sure I used 4 quarts or more. I took the return hose off the reservoir and put a little metal tube in it then clamped a clear plastic hose onto the tube. I put a foam ear plug in the reservoir nipple. When you refill the reservoir and jog the engine you can see the fluid go through the clear tube and you will know when it's clean. Don't forget to turn the steering wheel. I would be careful that you don't run the pump dry though. I only ran the engine for seconds at a time.

If you do a drain and fill on your trans also don't foget to go through the gears. And finally, there is a thin metal gasket on the trans drain plug that you may want to look for and not loose track of. It doesn't leak without it though (ha, ha)

 

[Gumby]

Should have phrased that as a maybe. I have never just pulled the plug. When I do pull the whole pan there is still quite a bit more in the pan after I let the plug drain all the way out. I just assumed... :-[

 

[e9999]

well, the FSM says 2 qts I think.
No biggie, got plenty. Will just try and see.
E

 

[Beowulf]

>> well, the FSM says 2 qts I think. <<

It has been well documented for years that the FSM is incorrect on this item. Many have speculated as to why the number is incorrect. Seems that some guys think the most logical explanation was imperial qts vs US qts.

-B-

 

[RavenTai]

[quote author=Rookie2 link=board=2;threadid=16275;start=msg156271#msg156271 date=1084470438]
Ditto on the 4 quarts.

How many quarts do you use to flush the Power Steering system?

Thanks,
Rookie2
[/quote]

mine was clear and pink after about 3, I put 5 through IIRC

 

[alaskacruiser]

What is the fluid capacity of the power steering system?

 

[landtank]

If you just drain the pan start out with 3 quarts minimum!!!! Then fill to the line.