I drained my transmission fluid and I was allready to start filling it back up when I read the dipstick. The dipstick reads Dexron II, I purchased Dexron III. Does it make a difference? I have a 98 2.5 OBW Automatic

Someone correct me if im wrong but I believe the dexron fluids are backwards compatible. i.e 3 will work with 2 and 1. Same with DOT brake fluid.

 

I thought Subaru have Dexron3 listed in the owners manual?

I doubt you'll find Dexron II available -- in fact, I'm surprised that you found Dexron III, since GM stopped licensing production of it and II a while back. Dexron III, or something labeled as equivalent/compatible, should be okay in a '98 4EAT.

http://www.prilubes.com/product-info-sheets/pdfs/DIII(H)_MERCON.PERF.cwk%20(WP).pdf

 

Your good.

 

nipper

How many miles should I put on the wagon before I flush again?

How many miles should I put on the wagon before I flush again?

 

3/36000 is a pretty good rule of thumb.

(says he who is overdue for a tranny flush)

 

nipper

Someone correct me if im wrong but I believe the dexron fluids are backwards compatible. i.e 3 will work with 2 and 1. Same with DOT brake fluid.

 

I thought Subaru have Dexron3 listed in the owners manual?

 

I think you're ok on the tranny fluid.

 

The Brake fluid I think there would be a problem with. DOT 5 you need to replace the whole system - it's not compatable with anything else.

 

I don't know how DOT 4 plays with DOT 3 - but I don't think I'd mix them either.

 

I'd research the brake fluid before assuming that it's backwards compatable.

 

Dave

http://www.tccoa.com/brake-fluid/

 

Technically you can mix dot 3 and dot 4, but i wouldnt. Dot 3 absorbs water far easier then dot $, so you will not have the main advantage of dot 4, the abilkity to resist water contamination.

 

nipper

I am doing the drain and fill method. Should I do this again in a few miles to get all the fluid out that was in the converter?

I am doing the drain and fill method. Should I do this again in a few miles to get all the fluid out that was in the converter?

 

Drain -fill- drive around the block - repeat.

 

Or if you have long blocks drain - fill- go through all the gears for about 10 seconds each - repeat.

 

Tranny fluid is one of the few fluids that get refreshed with new fluid, so its not critical to get 100% of it out. i know some that do a drain and fill with every other oil change, almost works out the same.

 

nipper

My apologies - only DOT4 is backwards compatible with DOT3. DOT 5 is all synthetic and expensive.

 

As far as ATF goes, a little research revealed the following:

 

From Yotatech - "Dexron Mercon III supercedes all previous Dexron II specifications. You can safely use it. You can also use Dexron IV, which is even better and compatible with Dexron III and II specifications."

 

Also the parts guy at the local Jaguar dealer has said all Dexron standard ATF fluids are backwards compatible - except in old school GM trucks that require Dexron1