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Trans ATF

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I'm going to change the ATF in my 1998 subaru.  I think the last time I drained and refilled the trans it was before Carquest bought Advanced Auto.  Anyway here are the following Carquest ATV fluids from their internet page.  Which one should I buy or should I buy a Castrol ATF from Walmart.

Dextron VI

Atf +4

Mercon V

Dextron III/ Mercon

Type F

Full Syntheric Multi Vehicle.

Edited by mikec03

Dextron lll/ mercon,  or   dextron lV   will work as well.   I would buy the walmart brand for a flush and refill, you'll want about 3 gallons to do a complete job.

EDIT)   Glad you got rid of that 2098 outback... 

Edited by montana tom

  • Author

Update. 

I don't think that the Conquest "Dextron III/Mercon" is actually in their stores, just internet and maybe not 1 gal containers.  I see on the internet that Valvaline Maxilife claims compatiblity with "Subaru ATF and ATF-HP."   That's probably alright. I'm not looking for something to take off "varnish,"  I just something like I have been using for many years.

Ps.  I was going to buy a 2098 figuring that would be an incentive for Subaru to keep me alive until then.

 

I just went through this with my Tribeca.

Read specs until my eyes were crossed. :blink:

In the past, I always went with Castrol, but after comparing specs with Subaru HP...

Mobil1 was the only off-the-shelf I could find that had a comparable viscosity@100 degrees Celsius.

Most all other brands thinned out at that temp.

14 hours ago, Subaru Scott said:

I just went through this with my Tribeca.

Read specs until my eyes were crossed. :blink:

In the past, I always went with Castrol, but after comparing specs with Subaru HP...

Mobil1 was the only off-the-shelf I could find that had a comparable viscosity@100 degrees Celsius.

Most all other brands thinned out at that temp.

The Tribeca being a 5EAT should have Subaru HP in it, which is a full-synthetic. There are a few aftermarket equivalents...

 

 

4EATs before 2006 just need Dexron III, which is the most common and cheapest form of ATF (usually labeled as Dex/Merc). There are plenty of synthetic and name brand alternatives, but you're transmission would be better off if you spend a third as much, and change it twice as often.

Suggest you drain and fill three times, with short drives between the fills, as only about half of the ATF can be drained out, the rest stays in the torque converter.  I have used Walmart house brand ATF Dextron for the past 12 years with no problems, though I don't think I save much money.

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