Transmission oil change

Danonly55 · Post by **Danonly55** » 17 Nov 2021, 10:35

I have a 95 850 wagon with the auto tranny, I want to change the fluid. Now the book says it takes 2.2 us gallons, That sounds a bit much. How much should I have on hand to do a fluid change. ?

Post by **Sveedy** » 17 Nov 2021, 11:31

Howdy neighbor,
The whole trans might have 2 gal in it, but that's not what you'll get out of the drain plug. I think it will be closer to 3.5 qts.
Measure what comes out and replace with the same amount. Should be in that range. Drive the car a hundred miles or so and drain / fill again. Drive and repeat for a total of three changes. That should be good.
There are write ups and videos ( RobertDYI ) on it you can check out to make sure you've got it right. And of course check the level, particularly after the first drain / refill. There is a procedure for doing that as well. And keep everything CLEAN. There is no filter in these trans to replace, so you don't want any bit of crap to get in there. I have a designated funnel that I keep in a plastic bag just for this cars ATF. Our state is a bit dusty after all.

Danonly55 · Post by **Danonly55** » 17 Nov 2021, 12:16

Thanks, I always use lint free rags and a designated funnel kept in a bag. Learned that from my Mercedes days. I will be using liqi molly fluid so this will be a lil pricey but piece of mind is important.

crlande · Post by **crlande** » 17 Nov 2021, 15:37

12 qts or so using the tranny to radiator cooling line technique or until it starts to look a nice pretty red in the the clear hose line you will use. Plenty of write ups on this.

Post by **erikv11** » 17 Nov 2021, 16:36

If you're spending up for trans fluid I'd do it the way crlande suggests, rather than by a drain and fill approach. The hose method gets you 100% sparkling clean ATF in there, in one shot. I've not seen any ill effects of switching to all fresh ATF but my sample size is small, about 9 cars so far.

Post by **Sveedy** » 17 Nov 2021, 17:57

If possible post your results and the procedure you end up using. I'm interested in how the liquid molly does, as I haven't heard mention of it being used here before.

Post by **ZionXIX** » 18 Nov 2021, 07:18

You can can get a 12qt case of aisin Warner Trans fluid from fcp for about $100. I used this for the full exchange method. No problems on a transmission with 200k mi and 1st fluid change.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/aisin- ... in-atf-0t4

Post by **erikv11** » 18 Nov 2021, 09:14

Sure, the 3309 spec Aisin-Warner fluid is indeed backward compatible to the DexIII spec transmission in an 850. But it's only a couple bucks cheaper than Liqui-Moly's DexIII-compatible synthetic product (https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/top-te ... ly-lm20020). Is there any good argument to choose one over the other here?

While we are in the rabbit hole: In my P80 cars I use SuperTech DexIII, currently labeled as called "Super Tech Automatic Transmission Fluid." Cost is $15 per gallon so for $45 you get a full flush. I do a full flush when I get the car, then drain and fill 3.5 qts every 20-30k or when I have to pull an axle. As cheap as it is I have no issue keeping it refreshed. It's easy to get when I want it, no need to wait for mail order or keep some stashed in the garage. Never had shifting issues; e.g the 300k V70 did a lot of mountain driving the last three months. Until hear of (or have!) problems with dino Dexron spec ATF in high mileage transmissions, I'll probably not change the routine there.

Post by **MoVolvos** » 19 Nov 2021, 19:05

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Drain and fill with the same amount of dirty fluid you just pulled out with a cheap fluid (link below) and then flush. You really don't need to flush with 12 quarts of the cheap stuff. A pan full of the cheaper stuff is sufficient to clean and clear the way for the more expensive fluid. Just remember to account for this amount during the flush. If the capacity is 12 quarts then flush 12 plus the amount of the cheaper fluid added regardless if it is clean already. Always check capacity via dipstick after warm up.

Just did this on the 2003 S80 T6 that was gifted to someone. Work out well as I had received a second letter from the HOA for street parking violation. Only 2 cars allowed on the driveway and personal vehicle parking curb side is only 1.5 hours

as if they would know. Yes, it's stated in the HOA Rules and Regulation.

Valvoline DEX/MERC Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) 1 GA $13.97 GA
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Valvoline-DE ... A/15125788

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Post by **erikv11** » 19 Nov 2021, 20:14

MoVolvos wrote: ↑19 Nov 2021, 19:05 *
.... Just remember to account for this amount during the flush. If the capacity is 12 quarts then flush 12 plus the amount of the cheaper fluid added regardless if it is clean already. ...*

Negative. It's still just 12 quarts to flush with the "good stuff" ATF.

If the capacity is 12 quarts, then after a drain and fill with 3 quarts of "the cheap stuff" the trans will have ... 12 quarts of fluid. You will only need to flush using 12 quarts of the good stuff. During the flush hat last 3 quarts (from quart 9 to quart 12) will run clean, that's probably what you're thinking of. You've already "accounted for this amount" by doing a drain and fill.

If going to Wal-Mart for cheap ATF, another option is their house brand SuperTech, as mentioned above.