wrong tranny fluid?
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wrong tranny fluid?
I was in the Czech Republic on Friday. Van was fully loaded with baggage and passengers. On a long hill, I noticed I was trailing smoke and sure enough, tranny fluid was flowing (not just leaking) through the front seal. Made it to a gas station and refilled it with 3 quarts of fluid. Problem: the fluid met all kinds of specs (Voith, Allison, ZF, Mercedes-Benz) but not Mercon/Dexron. Now what? Is this stuff good enough or will it create havoc within the tranny? Tranny shifts very nicely and on the return trip, the seal was absolutely dry - not a single drop formed.
Tom
'93 3.0 Ext.
Munich, Germany
Tom
'93 3.0 Ext.
Munich, Germany
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Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 3,818
Likes: 3
wrong tranny fluid?
Tom, Aside from Toyota, most other ATF fluids are similar in basic form. The major difference is the amount of friction modifier each manufacturer specifies for their transmission, mostly for cold weather performance characteristics. If it were me, I would just leave the fluid in and watch for any shift performance differences when colder weather arrives. If the transmission begins to shudder, when cold, then the fluid will need changed. That leaky seal may prompt a replacement before long anyway. Here's a link to some basic information on transmission fluid. Good luck! http://www.pennzoil.ro/carcare/pete/spring_1998/choose.htm
