Burnt Transmission fluid, help?
 

Hi guys,

I have a 98 cherokee with about 130000 miles.

the transmission fluid is burnt, and i know the "what to do" in this situation is very contraversial.

The fluid is dark. It is brown, not Black, but deffinitely brown. There are no particles in it, it looks clear. Kind of just smells dull and burnt, but not too bad, but its deffinitely been that way for a while.

The transmission shifts fairly well. Its not perfect, but i cant complain. If im not hitting the throttle hard and just accelerating calmly, it shifts like butter. If i accelerate a little harder, you can feel it shift, but not too roughly.

Many people tell me just to leave it, and drive it til it goes. So if im going to do that, i would like to extend that as long as possible, unless it is advisable for me to change the fluid (drop the pan and replace, not flush).

a few people have reccomended just leaving it, but removing ONE quart and adding a quart of LUBEGARD RED to the trans. I was never a fan of additives but so many people have said that while this stuff isnt a miracle worker, it deffintely has its benefits.

So should i:

1.) Leave it as it is and not touch anything

2.) Leave the burnt fluid but switch out a quart of it with LUBEGARD RED

3.) Change the fluid, and in what manner (drop pan and just replace that, filter no filter?)

3 with filter change.

ATF-4 turns brown after it has been in there for a good while. Chrysler has a TSB that explains this as normal. The red dyes don't hold up in ATF-4. If it smells burnt that is another thing.

Drain (using drain plug) and fill with any name-brand Dex III. Drive for a while (a couple days, couple weeks, whatever). Repeat. Do this a few times until the fluid is nice and red.

^this^ x2


Dex/Merc III. Don't put ATF-4+ in the trans regardless of what Chrysler says...

Anyone who tells you to leave it alone is probably thinking of a flush using a machine.. Nothing wrong with replacing fluid by drain and fill. DEX-III is cheap.

Drain and fill it is. Excellent advice here^^. 3.8 quarts of fluid for each drain and fill.

Compliments of Radi:

"Change the fluid, don't force-flush it- there's a drain plug, no need to drop the pan. About 4 qt will come out. Use Dexron III. Repeat once or twice more after driving a while.
Also adjust the TV cable, search up the "quick free fix" thread. If you've driven a 700R4 you may already be familiar with this adjustment, it's the same. Too loose creates low line pressure and mushy shifts. Too tight raises the line pressure and it shifts hard.
If it still shifts poorly, take a look at the TPS.

Staying in 1'st gear in 1-2 is normal. Sometimes it'll kick to second if you get moving fast enough."

eta: links here to adjust the cable and check the TPS:

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/inte...issues-165336/

Do you happen to tow much with the jeep. One thing that can really be bad on a transmission is it getting too hot. Most people when towing are usually watching the engine temp but not the trans temp. Also smooth shifting is not always the best. When you do a shift kit in an automatic transmission it creates a very firm shift. When the trans shifts smooth or very soft it is creating heat from parts slipping due to lower line pressure. When replacing the trans fluid when things have already gone bad is the effect of the detergents in the fluid. Most people i talk with recommend replacing the fluid/ filter and not doing the full system flush.

Hopefully, It is Not ATF+4 thats in there, irregardless of it being Brown colored. Dex/MercIII is the Correct ATF for the AW4,... not ATF+4. Chrysler BUILT Auto transmissions require ATF+4, like the Auto Trans found in Wranglers and 1994-Present Grand Cherokees(1993 Grand 4.0 Autos came with AW4s).

x3