Just got all my gaskets today. Is the tranny fluid and filter change pretty straightforward? Just a matter of draining fluid from pan. Taking pan down, replacing filter and buttoning back up? What kind of tranny fluid do you suggest?

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'85 300SD (formerly california emissions)
'08 Chevy Tahoe
'93 Ducati 900 SS
'79 Kawasaki KZ 650
'86 Kawasaki KX 250
'88 Kawasaki KDX200
'71 Hodaka Ace 100
'72 Triumph T100R

If you turn the TC around to the proper position and have the right wrench, you can do a much more thorough fluid change than the pan-only sort. Best you consult a manual or FAQ site.

I always prefer AMSOIL.

The whole operation is fairly simple but it's best to look stuff up as Fimum Fit said. I know it's been covered several times.

Two caution points, make sure your allen wrench fits in the drain plug and the pan deeply so you don't strip the head of the bolts out. And don't tighten the pan down too much when putting it back on or it will leak.... toque #'s should show up if you do a search.

I also think that this is a place where using a good synthetic such as Amsoil, Mobil 1, Redline, etc. pays for itself in the long run.

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1985 300D Turbo ~225k
2000 F350 (Powerstroke) 4X4, SWB, CC, SRW, 6spd ~148k
1999 International 4900, DT466e (250hp/660 ft/lbs), Allison MD3060 ~73k

I would second (third?) the recommendation to use synthetic trans fluid. I switched at about 130,000 miles on my 123 and it made a big improvement in smoothing the shifts. At first it seemed like it made no difference but after 5-10,000 miles as the synthetic slowly disolved some of the varnish left from the dino oil the difference was quite obvious.

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LRG
1987 300D Turbo 175K
2006 Toyota Prius, efficent but no soul
1985 300 TDT(130K miles of trouble free motoring)now sold

So if I switch to synthetic I should drain the TC as well?

__________________
'85 300SD (formerly california emissions)
'08 Chevy Tahoe
'93 Ducati 900 SS
'79 Kawasaki KZ 650
'86 Kawasaki KX 250
'88 Kawasaki KDX200
'71 Hodaka Ace 100
'72 Triumph T100R

Very much preferred but not essential. The two oils mix just fine but without draining the TC you'll be leaving a lot of used fluid behind to mix with the new stuff.

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LRG
1987 300D Turbo 175K
2006 Toyota Prius, efficent but no soul
1985 300 TDT(130K miles of trouble free motoring)now sold

What about a higher mileage transmission where you don't know it's service history. Mine has 233k on it. The fluid looks good a little dirty but smells and seems to be fine. I would like to run Mobil 1 in it but am not sure if it will do more harm than good. I just got 8qts of Valviline(sp?) Max Life fluid for it. What say you?

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

If you're going to the trouble to do a trans fluid change, you should drain the torque converter regardless of whether you're switching to synthetic or not.

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Rick Miley
2014 Tesla Model S
2018 Tesla Model 3
2017 Nissan LEAF
Former MB: 99 E300, 86 190E 2.3, 87 300E, 80 240D, 82 204D Euro
Chain Elongation References

If you don't know the service history and the fluid looks even remotely suspect, change it out. This policy should be extended for all the fluids and filters of a newly acquired car. It provides a good starting point for future maintenance.

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95 E320 Cabriolet, 159K

Hello vwbuge , here are a couple of pictures of the transmission fluid/filter change:

http://www.insidemiami.com/transmission/transmission.html

I recommend Step 1(Trans-X for a couple of hundred miles) and Step 2(Trans Filter/Fluid Change)

I am still trying to learn more about these transmissions everyday.

Thanks,
Adiel

Thank you much adiel, but I'm having trouble with the link.

__________________
'85 300SD (formerly california emissions)
'08 Chevy Tahoe
'93 Ducati 900 SS
'79 Kawasaki KZ 650
'86 Kawasaki KX 250
'88 Kawasaki KDX200
'71 Hodaka Ace 100
'72 Triumph T100R