hey guys been doing alot of research and cant get a staight answer i have a 96 XJ auto AW4. From what i found on All data says dexronII/Mercon so is castrols Dex/Merc fine for my tranny? another one i heard of was dexronIII? and i assumed it would be backwards compatibale with dexronII correct me if i am wrong and the last one iv heard to use was ATF+4? can anyone on here clear this up for me????? thank you in advance

 

Use Dex/Merc III. Many have used ATF IIII and had nothing but problem.

 

DO NOT USE ATF+4 in an AW4. It is known to cause slipping and other issues (especially on higher mileage transmissions).


The AW4 originally used DexronIIE/Mercon, this is no longer made but DexronIII/Mercon is directly compatible and is what Aisin recommends for the AW4. Castrol Dex/Merc or any other reputable brand's DexronIII/Mercon compatible fluid will work.

 

Dexron III/Mercon or compatible only. My last change, I used the Valvolene Max Life as it is Dex III compatible. It shifts smoother than it ever has.

 

Dexron III/ Mercon as others have said. ATF+4 is a big no no

 

X2 on the Valvoline MaxLife.

 

For those who prefer visual stimulation versus typed words:

 

Or those that prefer red over blue (red is faster)
We don't have the Dex/merc here...we do have the Dex-3

 

That's because you're hanging upside-down on the earth and all the blood is rushing to your head.

Why else would you have a starting fluid named like this?

 

I was thinking about that ^...last night again haha.
Awesome isnt it, initially bought it just for the name, but its great stuff.

Wish I could send you a can, but it will unlikely be shipped...its actually kangaroo urine with some ether.. starts everything, including things that dont even have an engine..lol

 

1) If you look at the drain plug, it will have "DII" stamped on the head.
2) Recall the AW4 is actually a TOYOTA box, not ChryCo!
3) Dexron specifications are backwards compatible. So, the "Dexron II" that the AW4 wants will be satisfied by any Dexron Spec - stage II or higher (Dexron II/IIE/III/V/VI - all will work.)
4) Despite reports from ChryCo, their +3/+4 ATF seems to be STILL incompatible with the clutch packs in the AW4, which usually leads to chatter and slip rather quickly. You don't want that.
5) "Dexron" and "Mercon" specs are typically paired - seeing "Dexron IIE/Mercon on ATF labels was common when I was a parts monkey - but we still had Type F on the shelf then (Ford-spec. High detergent content. Made a great ersatz hand cleaner - use the Type F to get the crud off, use regular soap to get the Type F off...)

tl;dr:
- Use any Dexron spec, II or higher.
- Dexron/Mercon = Dexron.
- Avoid "multi-spec" fluid.
- Do not use "ATF+3" or "ATF+4"

 

If you look at the drain plug, it will have "DII" stamped on the head.

Hmmmm.


Since "if" is a conditional statement, an "if" statement always implies the opposite is true.


So, if you don't look at the drain plug, it will not have "DII" stamped on the head.



How does it know?

 

Wizzz gui...

Have fun with this one "Iff you look at the drain plug, it will have 'DII' stamped into the head."

Take that, sucka!

(Yes, there is a change in meaning. No, it's not a typo.)

 

awesome thank you guys so much dex/merc it is

 

I find your explanation both unnecessary and insufficient.


Let's try it this way:

"Iff you look at the drain plug, you will see that it has 'DII' stamped into the head."

(Of course, this assumes that there is sufficient light and the sight organs are working correctly.)

And the SQL to that story is, you will have improved Access to your desired goal of using the correct trans fluid.