I know a lot of you are going to say go synthetic....but if I'm not going to, what kind of fluid do you think is best for my 96 854 n/a with 85k. Thought I's do the Bay 13 method of changing the fluid this weekend, by removing the top hose and "pumping" it out.
Thanks!

Heat == bad.
Synthetic fluid brakes down at a higher temperature than petrol based ATF.
Syntehtic based transmission fluid not breaking down == good.

If you don't use synthetic, don't worry about brand...so long as it dosn't have additives.
--
Brandon
95 854T 92k
Pictures =)

I doubt if it will make much difference which non-synthetic ATF you select. Unlikely to be much to set them apart, since they are all made to meet the minimum specs at the lowest cost.
Synthetics offer a lot of benefits at nominal (compared to cost of transmission) cost.

I use dino stuff, change every year cause it's easy to do. I use Chevron. They're the inventors of Dextron...

When I got my 850's, I flushed out the tranny, wait a 1000 miles or so, then flush it again. I use 12qts of Kendall Dexron-III for each flush. Then I drop what's in the tranny, via the tranny drain plug every time I change my (dino) motor oil (every 3k). That way I keep a close eye on its condition by replacing 1/3 of the transaxle's capacity.

It's the way I do it, YMMV
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RussB in Ct '96 855T - '91 944T

I was using Valvoline Dexron III before I started to use Mobil 1....it was okay and very inexpensive ($1.60/qt at PepBoys).
Will not go back to it though...I feel "safer" with Mobil 1, the regular fluid always looked nasty when I pumped it out. Syn conditions the seals, won't braekdown as easily and keeps the tranny cooler. Just my 2c....

When you covert to synthetic, do you have to flush even more through to be sure all of the non-syn fluid comes out? or is at least more diluted?

I used 12 qts of syn fluid - if you use clear hose, you can see the old dark fluid coming out to your bucket, when it turns bright...you are done (anywhere between 10 to 12 quarts).

I just changed mine last weekend. I am an unabashed Amsoil synthetic fan, however, I depart from this when it comes to my tranny. I use Chevron Dextron (<99 cents at Costco) and Lube Gard additive (NAPA $13). Chevron makes some of the the best lubricants in the industry. And as far as the additive goes, it is the only one I use, period. Everything else on the market is a bunch of garbage (oil additives, transmission additives, gear oil additives, etc.). Lube Gard is OEM recommended, and more importantly, they come highly recommended by B&M Custom Transmission (Fresno, CA), a nationally recognized racing and custom transmission shop. With my six-cylinder Jeep Grand Cherokee, I tow a 4,800 lb. boat all summer long. At the end of each summer, I flush the tranny. Even with all of the towing I do (not to mention all of the other driving year round), the fluid comes out looking new. This was not the case before using the Lube Gard.