Ye Ol' Cherokee

I have posted a thread about this a while back, and i am getting ready to do the deed, but i just wanted to talk to you guys quickly about some thoughts I've had.

Just as a recap of info: I have a 98 Cherokee 4.0 with the AW4 with approximately 130,000 miles on it. This vehicle is 100% stock and has never towed anything.

My fluid it burnt. Its completely brown on the dipstick and definitely smells burnt. The fluid is at the correct level, and the transmission operates FINE (from what i can tell)

Most of you guys told me to do the drain and fill method, just draining the pan, refilling those 4 quarts, and repeating every few hundred miles until it stays red

My concern is that while, obviously the transmission will fail at SOME point if i leave the burnt fluid in there, i'm afraid that the cleaning agents in the new fluid will clean out all the "crap" in the old fluid that the transmission got used to running on (by driving so long with burnt fluid etc.)

So with that in mind, do you guys advise doing the drain fill method still or just leave it in ? I know its like rolling the dice with this situation, but i am just trying to make the best decision here. Obviously maintaining a vehicle properly from the start is the right thing to do, but unfortunately i am stuck buying used vehicles.

Anyway, as a last note, what should i do? and what about the filter? should i wait to change it until i do a few cycles of the drain and fill ? And would you guys advise adding a bottle of Lubegard Red to the mix to help condition stuff (i dont know what it does, im a sucker, just heard some good things about it)

Also i bought 12 pack of DexIII/ Merc by Peak, any input on that?

pittman71

Drain and fill. I have done this before with improved results.

salad

If you crapped yourself, you'd change your underwear. Change the fluid. The filter is really more of a screen. It's not like an oil filter or like filters on other engines. You can clean it if you see a lot of crap or sediment come out.

Dexron III/Mercon is the good stuff.

sthon

hah!

RTorrez1

This is the perfect answer!

Turbo X_J

"transmission operates FINE (from what i can tell)"

Have you adjusted the TV cable? Late mushy shifts will burn up the clutches real quick. Drain & refill the fluid a couple of times as well, no reason to worry about what "could" happen. The filter is only in place to prevent rocks and small birds from circulating don't worry about that either. Just an FYI, ATF has very little if any in the way of detergents (cleaners).

belvedere

Perfect!

sthon

You win the internet for the day.

cruiser54

I'm proud of you, salad. Good analogy. Good advice.

70hemicuda

Mine has 129 000 and I just changed my fluid. It was completely black, burnt, and smelt horrible. I just bit the bullet and changed and all I can say is wow. The trans shifts so much and doesnt have sloppy shifts after driving for a while. Im still in the process of draining and refilling but after 4 drain and fills the difference is astounding.

sthon

Cruiser approved!

cruiser54

LOL. I love stuff like that. Those comments snap folks back into reality.

It's like folks who ask if they should replace all their tune-up parts on a Jeep they know nothing about, and are searching for a fix to a driveability issue.

Would you take a shower cuz you smelled funky and not wash certain parts of your body? I think I'll skip the old armpits. Probably not those.

xjsnake

Ye Ol' Cherokee

Okay thanks for all the answers guys.

One more thing:

Lubegard Red - add it or skip it?
-Obviously its no miracle worker, but many people have told me that its some really good stuff

xjsnake

Personally I'd skip it. Additives in ATF aren't generally a good idea. I think you will see a great improvement just doing the drain and fill and gradually getting up to a nice pink/red trans fluid.