So, I found out the aw-4 has a drain plug lol he fluid looked like used motor oil, 2 questions for ya's, 1: I drove it for about 15 minutes and rechecked when I got home, is that long enough or should I drive it longer?
2: the level after driving it was just a hair over the max line, is that too much fluid? I used the dex/merc 3, thanks for any input

Fluid level is fine. I'm guessing your changing it because it's dirty and not because your having tranny problems? If there are no problems I'd drive it for at least a couple days. I did a week between three changes. It's been about 6 months now and I'm going to do a final change and drop the pan to clean the screen.

Gonna do djb383's mod:

New filter/pan gasket is $20-25, iirc, so why not. Only reason to drop the pan is to change the filter. Nothing to changing the filter but the pan drop can be a hassle (ours was) due to the dip stick tube being stubborn to separate. A small tubing cutter, short piece of rubber fuel hose and 2 clamps will make future pan drops a piece of cake.
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It did start to act up a hit, a little "bang" going into drive from park, the a little bang first to 2nd nd 2nd to third then fine once it was warmed up, seems to be shifting a lot Better already

I plan on doing a few more changes till its the nice red color

That'll do it.

Not to thread jack, but does it make any sense to take it to one of those places that vacuums the fluid out/does a flush with their machine thingy?

These places use a "Univeral" trans fluid. Do not do this.

Stay with DEXIII/Mercon ATF.

Edit: And if you take it to the dealership, they will not only fleece you for the job but they will put ATF+4 in it.

NO NO NO NO NO DO NOT DO THIS!

The flush machines typically are a reverse flush system which will dislodge all sorts of crap and shot it into places in the trans that it was never intended to go. It can and often does lead to the death of your transmission.

Drain and fill or a fluid swap using a machine that uses the transmission to pump the fluid are the best ways to go for the health of your transmission.

@ezearl... thanks for posting that mod, may find it helpful if and when I change my filter..

I'm under the frame of mind that you should NEVER change all your tranny fluid at once but rather quarts at a time until you achieve perfect cleanliness...

I changed out all my fluid in my allison tranny once, 2 1/2 gals capacity iirc and within a week developed front seal leakage, bad...!!! coincidence ?? maybe, either way it cost me $400....

to many stories of people changing all their fluid and developing leaks that weren't there before..

$400?! Heck of an expensive lesson.

That is a good mod and I didn't want it to get lost. Thing is there is so much good info around here that it's impossible to keep it all in the forefront. I've got quite a bit saved though so I try to post it when it's applicable.

There is a thread on how 2 people can change out the fluid all at once, 1 shifting gears while the other pours in new fluid, forgot by who though, I didn't have a helper today so I just pulled the plug and drained what was in the pan, I'll do this until its red again, mine was black!

Courtesy of macgyver35:


Personally,
rather then draining the pan 4 or 5
times, I prefer the "let the granny
pump do the work" method.
Disconnect the upper transmission
line from the radiator. Push a 4-5
foot length of hose onto the fitting on
the radiator and drop the other end
in a 5 gallon bucket.
Tips: A length of old 5/8" garden hose
works for this. Use a worm clamp to
hold the hose on the fitting. Trust
me, you don't want this coming
loose. Place a 3" C- clamp or some
other contraption on the rim of the
bucket to hold the end of the hose a
couple inches inside the top of the
bucket. Again, you don't want this
coming loose.
Stick a decent sized funnel in the fill
tube for the tranny and arm yourself
with 8-10 quarts of the proper ATF.
Now you need a helper.
Have the helper start the engine and
keep their foot on the brake. As soon
as they do, your old black fluid will
start coming out of the hose into the
bucket. Your job is to pour new fluid
down the fill hole at the same rate its
coming out of the hose. Don't worry
about being exact, just keep the
funnel full. Keep watch of the fluid
going into the bucket. It should start
looking better. After your first gallon,
have your friend, with e-brake and
foot brake both applied, shift through
the full range of gears, stopping for
about a 4 count at each spot. Once
he's at the bottom, he can put it in
Park for the rest of the process.
When you see nice red fluid coming
out of the hose, stop filling the
funnel and let it empty. About 5
seconds after it does, have your
friend kill the engine.
Hook everything back up. You've just
done a complete, or nearly complete
change of your fluid, including all that
sits in the torque converter! This
method is a " forward flush" as
apposed to a "reverse flush" that
many shops do. The forward flush I'd
far less likely to damage all the seals
in the tranny and is gentler on things
as it uses the tranny's own pump and
normal operating pressures to do the
flush!
Once you're done and everything is
buttoned up, take it for about a 15
mile drive to get everything up to full
hot. Check and top off your fluid as
necessary.



And in case you are wondering, it is as fun as it sounds.

I read that after I did mine the multiple drain way. Does sound like good way to do it. I believe I'd want to drop the pan and clean or,if needed,replace the screen sometime soon after if not right after the fluid change though.

thanks----that's exactly the fix i was looking for.