Hi, I just bought my first Cherokee the other day and the transmission fluid is a light brown. I’ve been reading some stuff on here but haven’t found any definite answers to my questions. Since there could be friction material in the fluid, should I drain the fluid that’s in the pan and change the filter? Or am I safe to just flush the system? The Jeep has 137k miles on it and I don’t know when or if the fluid was changed last. Thanks!

 

blueridgemark has a great write up on how to do a full change using the transmission to pump the fluid out.

 

I've always heard that a fluid change can cause more damage because the loose friction material is still being used as friction material while suspended in the fluid, and if it is all flushed out, all that extra friction material isnt in the fluid anymore, so it will cause slippage. So basically what you already said... So I dont know what would be the best route unless you drop the pan to see how much friction material is actually laying in the bottom of the pan. And if its super fine powder or if there are larger particles... Does it smell burnt? or Just discolored?

 

My tranny fluid is slightly discolored a 139k and I plan on doing a couple drain and refills, that method sounds the best, once the weather warms up. So that's what I'd advise you to do. Losing friction material should really only be a concern if the fluid is in really bad shape. If the fluid is burnt your tranny is probably already gone. A light brown doesn't sound like something to be concerned about, you could always post a picture of the fluid. There have been lots of threads on this topic recently that I'm sure you can find with a quick google search.

 

This is a well discussed topic on this forum.

The worst AW4 fluid change I've done the fluid came out black with brown chunks. I did the fluid change in its entirety and replaced with dex/merc III. *The AW4 does well with fluid changes*