chris walrod

What have you TIP owners used for fluid type? Currently available is Dexron 4 or 5.

Thanks!

jimq

I am interested in this also as I would like to change mine.

pete000

I was pondering using Mobil 1 ATF. Is it ok to use??

stevepaa

I'll check what I did a year ago and be sure to fill to corrrect level as in the bulletin.

stevepaa

I used Chevron MD-3 dexron 3 equivalent. Doing again now.

nhdoc

Apparently the loss of the license to call the product "Dexron III" or to use it in the title of a product is what adds to confusion about the fluids currently available. I have found both Penzoil and Castrol make fluid that is Dex III, but can't call it that, however they do say they are for use in older transmissions. It is called "ATF" and says it is "for use in vehicles previously serviceable by Dexron III/Mercon Brands." This is the stuff I just used:

http://www.pepboys.com/product/details/9332076/00850/

I hope this helps.

PS - Don't forget to replace the gear oil in the final drive as it is supposed to be done at the same interval as Tip Service. You can use any GL-4 oil in it. In my case the Tip fluid looked like new but the gear oil was nasty. It only takes 5 minutes to drain and refill the final drive so I will likely do mine again just to make sure I got all of the old stuff out.

LouZ

BETTER HEED THE SAGE ADVICE!!

I'm dropping my engine today so I can replace the diffy! I put in a low milage TIP during the summer and just changed the ATF.

Well, I went to the track and got in a 25 minute session, then on our next session, we increased the time to 50 minutes. Car was great for 45 minutes, then....coming down the front stretch at 115 MPH, it shifted into 4th.

............................nothing.....................just coasted (at redline).............


Last week, I took the drain plug out of the diffy, I got about 10 drops of liquid, and glops of metal infused tar.

Fortunately, the original TIP has a good diffy, so I will swap pieces and parts to get a working one.

nhdoc

Also, getting the fluid level correct in the TIP is a tricky proposition without the Hammer tool. In order to check the level according to the book the engine should be running, in park and the fluid should be at 80*C but it is really hard to get the fluid that hot by normal driving. You can read my observations here:

https://rennlist.com/forums/964-foru...ervations.html

I recently was able to scan the TIP temp on my car after about 20 minutes of driving and it was only around 50*C. I've confirmed similar temps using an IR thermometer on the pan. It takes a long time to get it hot and even when you think it is hot it might not be and if you fill it when it is less than hot it will be overfilled if it ever does reach 80*C. The system has an ATF cooler and aux fan for it so it is designed to run cool. Ram air on the highway in low ambient temps will almost assure you the fluid will never reach 80*C.

When I filled mine I removed the "quick fill" valve and pumped fluid directly into the hole where the banjo bolt goes. You need to do this when the engine is running because if it is shut down the fluid level is above the hole and will run out. Even the quick fill valve doesn't seal perfectly and fluid will leak out when you shut it down. So you have to slide under a running car that's up on stands or ramps and pump the fluid in. If you use ramps you need to check the level over again once it is on the level ground. They really make this an "un-DIY-friendly" procedure.

Now that I have the level correct I will measure it next time I drain it and simply replace the same amount that drained out but unless you are sure yours is correct to start with you won't know if it is correct if you use this procedure, you will only know it is the same as when you started out.