68RFE Flush

[RAMPower2017]

My question is can I pump out some of the Tranny fluid using the cooler bypass block to lower the level in the pan, so I can manage the pan without making a mess. i would run in it neutral to pump out some of the fluid.
I'm going to flush it after I fill the pan with new fluid.

 

[Burla]

I use a mighty pump for this, be careful using trans oil pump for this, it runs dry convertor runs dry you lose. In theory you can do what you say, but mighty pump is cheap. Not only that you can probably use principles of siphon to lower it. Lts of ways to skin that cat.

 

[Burla]

this used to be 19 bucks, worth it man, so handy many things powers right to battery.

here even cheaper

 

[HEMIMANN]

Damn - never even thought of that. Well, at least I got a drain plug.

 

[Jeepwalker]

Yes. I've done it a bunch of times on various vehicles over the last 35 years. Gets all the fluid out. It's really a job for the guy who has his head screwed on straight.

Overfill the tranny a quart or two after replacing the filter, etc. Use a new clear vinyl hose diverted into a white 5-gal bucket. That way you can clearly see the fluid color ...as things happen real quick. Probably 15 seconds, maybe 20 and it'll be over. Don't use a dark bucket, you can't see the fluid color.

Have a helper start the vehicle (in park) while you monitor the progress. It pumps out quick. Watch the hose like a hawk. As soon as you see it turn 'clear' red, yell to the helper to shut off the vehicle. Top off the tranny. I've had it where I stopped the engine half way and added 2 quarts just for comfort. You might have your funnel installed on the fill tube ...and two quarts open, ready to go. Forget about adding as you go.... you can't add fast enough and your attention needs to be 100% on the fluid stream.

Hints:
Don't run the tranny dry
Don't walk away and answer your phone while the fluid is coming out.
Don't go over and talk to the neighbor
Don't go grab lunch...LOL
Do at your own risk.

I only say those things bc I actually know a guy who started changing his car's oil. He decided ..very hot day, he needed a cold. Drove his car to the local gas station a couple blocks away. Came home and planned to add oil. "Hey...what's that knocking noise??"

Good luck

 

[RAMPower2017]

With the old fluid still in the trans.....I wanted to drop the fluid level in the pan so I can then drop the pan without a full pan of fluid. Easier to manage. Then I would replace the two filters, fasten the pan back, and overfill the Trans with new fluid as you said and following your procedure. What do you think?

 

[Jeepwalker]

With the old fluid still in the trans.....I wanted to drop the fluid level in the pan so I can then drop the pan without a full pan of fluid. Easier to manage. Then I would replace the two filters, fasten the pan back, and overfill the Trans with new fluid as you said and following your procedure. What do you think?

That's basically it. A helper in the vehicle is really a must.

For safety, one could run the vehicle a short bit (pump out a couple qts into bucket). Stop there, add 2 qts (have a funnel on the tube and tranny fluid ready to pour so a guy isn't fumbling around for 2 minutes). Then a helper would immediately re-start until she runs 'clear'.

One other factor to be aware of is, if there is a thermostatic operated bypass valve, which most Ram trucks likely have, the vehicle needs to be operating temperature (hot) or no fluid will flow to the radiator cooler. Or ...the fluid flow line needs to be intercepted before any bypass valves.

Obviously... these are 'experimental thoughts and conjectures and how some other people may hve performed a procedure'. These are not specific instructions or recommendations for you or others ..or your/their vehicle. I, my family/estate shall not be held liable for any issues or problems/failures/etc.

 

[vetteyog]

I have a 65RFE, but I imagine my way would work on yours; I drilled a hole; low in the side of my pan, let all the fluid drain out, and replaced the pan with a new one with a drain bolt. Worked great and now I have a drain bolt for the next fluid change.

 

[Jeepwalker]

Just make sure the drain bolt stays tight.

I've installed (welded) in tranny drain bolts before. And sometimes I've detected a slight leak at the bolt some years later. Usually the bolt gasket. A slight leak results in enough leaked-out over time. My feeling these days is, most guys change the trans fluid so infrequently it's hardly worth the trouble or risk. Spend a couple bucks and go to a farm and barn and get a wide 3-gal metal pan for a few bucks and train the fluid in that. Tilt the tranny pan on the corner to get 'most' of the fluid out before unbolting. But if ya really DO plan to change it more often, check the pan now and then and make sure there isn't a 'drop' of fluid on the drain bolt or bottom of pan.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/behrens-utility-pan-3-gal-capacity

 

[HEMIMANN]

Yes. I've done it a bunch of times on various vehicles over the last 35 years. Gets all the fluid out. It's really a job for the guy who has his head screwed on straight.

Overfill the tranny a quart or two after replacing the filter, etc. Use a new clear vinyl hose diverted into a white 5-gal bucket. That way you can clearly see the fluid color ...as things happen real quick. Probably 15 seconds, maybe 20 and it'll be over. Don't use a dark bucket, you can't see the fluid color.

Have a helper start the vehicle (in park) while you monitor the progress. It pumps out quick. Watch the hose like a hawk. As soon as you see it turn 'clear' red, yell to the helper to shut off the vehicle. Top off the tranny. I've had it where I stopped the engine half way and added 2 quarts just for comfort. You might have your funnel installed on the fill tube ...and two quarts open, ready to go. Forget about adding as you go.... you can't add fast enough and your attention needs to be 100% on the fluid stream.

Hints:
Don't run the tranny dry
Don't walk away and answer your phone while the fluid is coming out.
Don't go over and talk to the neighbor
Don't go grab lunch...LOL
Do at your own risk.

I only say those things bc I actually know a guy who started changing his car's oil. He decided ..very hot day, he needed a cold. Drove his car to the local gas station a couple blocks away. Came home and planned to add oil. "Hey...what's that knocking noise??"

Good luck

Nothing happens "real quick" in my world anymore.

I'll stick to drain & fill x 3. Thanks for info for the quicker among us.

 

[06 Dodge]

Nothing happens "real quick" in my world anymore.

I'll stick to drain & fill x 3. Thanks for info for the quicker among us.

Agree if ya have a trans pan with a drain bolt to do a total of 3 times fluid change, imo its safer way to do so than by using trans cooler lines, yes is may take a bit longer but then ya know for sure your not going to run the trans low on atf..

 

[Jeepwalker]

Slightly off-topic here, but around Covid I was at a dealer garage in our area talking to a buddy of mine there ...in the shop bay. I got looking at their trans fluid flush machine which was nearby. Holy cow!!! I got looking at the hose ends (that hook to tranny lines) and it looked like they'd been drug through sand and dirt for 5 years! They were oily/greasy and had attracted whatever came off the shop floor, trucks and whatever. They were not clean at all! I asked him about it and he shrugged his shoulders and kept working.

The dirt/oil/grease was not new. It was long-accumulated. These are communal machines and it was obvious to me other guys (probably everyone in there) had been hooking the hoses up to people's vehicles ..for probably a long time ..years(??). Can you imagine that?! Some of that crud could easily make its way into a tranny if a guy was careless putting on the hoses. Sure I know that's why there's a tranny filter, but keep it clean as you can inside. You would think someone there would have taken 5 minutes and clean the hose ends off in a can of solvent every once in a while. And hopefully at other shops they do. The whole machine was greasy, grimy and gritty. And this was a nice, fairly new, clean, dealer garage (one of the big-3). I wonder how the trans flush machine looked inside!

I'm sure there are some (hopefully a lot) of shops which DO keep their flush machine hoses clean as a whistle (I would hope so). But that woke me up about taking my vehicle to a shop to have the trans fluid changed. Communal machines which guys never bother to clean. I would want to stand there and personally inspect the hose ends with my own eyes and as they were hooking up a machine, and make them clean them squeaky-clean first, if it were my truck.

.

 

[HEMIMANN]

Agree if ya have a trans pan with a drain bolt to do a total of 3 times fluid change, imo its safer way to do so than by using trans cooler lines, yes is may take a bit longer but then ya know for sure your not going to run the trans low on atf..

Plus, I'm using Red Line C+ ATF anyway, so it's not crucial to get every used molecule out with this high a quality trans oil. 3x changes is 87% new. Close enough. 4x changes is 94%.

I have a 66RFE trans.

 

[Grams]

Filters work better when they’ve been in-place for a short while. Unless there’s a failure already in-progress….not much is gained by replacing an un-clogged filter with a new filter…except to reduce filtration efficiency.… it’s a simple matter to suck out the fluid with an extractor….then refill with fresh fluid.

Do it often.

Your tranny will love you.

 

[06 Dodge]

Plus, I'm using Red Line C+ ATF anyway, so it's not crucial to get every used molecule out with this high a quality trans oil. 3x changes is 87% new. Close enough. 4x changes is 94%.

I have a 66RFE trans.

I'm getting my trans & t-case service on 1 July, I asked to be sure how much ATF I would need to bring for the service, the print out from Ram states it only take 5 qts if only changing out filters on my 68 rfe and 12 qts if draining and or replacing the torque converter, as for atf fluid, this time I am using Valvoline ATF 4+ as I've already spent over 1K getting 4 new tires and servicing my cargo trailer for the move back to IA....

 

[Burla]

It takes 8 quarts for drain and fill, I have no idea why they said 5 no way. That's 8 plus t case so 10 just for drain and fill.

officially...

Exact capacities for an initial service fill depend on your specific setup:

• 42RLE Transmission: ~5.5 quarts initial fill
• 545RFE / 45RFE Transmission (2WD): ~5.5 to 6.5 quarts initial fill
• 545RFE / 45RFE Transmission (4WD): ~6.5 to 7.5 quarts initial fill

68RFE Transmission (6-Speed)

• Standard Pan (Drain & Filter): Will require about 7 to 8 quarts of ATF+4 fluid.
• Total Dry Fill: Total capacity is 17.5 quarts.

 

[HEMIMANN]

I'm getting my trans & t-case service on 1 July, I asked to be sure how much ATF I would need to bring for the service, the print out from Ram states it only take 5 qts if only changing out filters on my 68 rfe and 12 qts if draining and or replacing the torque converter, as for atf fluid, this time I am using Valvoline ATF 4+ as I've already spent over 1K getting 4 new tires and servicing my cargo trailer for the move back to IA....

I plan on 8 qts ATF per gravity drain from my 66RFE. That's after letting it sit for a day or so.

 

[06 Dodge]

It takes 8 quarts for drain and fill, I have no idea why they said 5 no way. That's 8 plus t case so 10 just for drain and fill.

officially...

Exact capacities for an initial service fill depend on your specific setup:

• 42RLE Transmission: ~5.5 quarts initial fill
• 545RFE / 45RFE Transmission (2WD): ~5.5 to 6.5 quarts initial fill
• 545RFE / 45RFE Transmission (4WD): ~6.5 to 7.5 quarts initial fill

68RFE Transmission (6-Speed)

• Standard Pan (Drain & Filter): Will require about 7 to 8 quarts of ATF+4 fluid.
• Total Dry Fill: Total capacity is 17.5 quarts.

The 5 qts did not include the t-case ( thought it would take 6-7 qts just for the trans) so I bought 2, 1 gallon jugs of the Valvoline AFT 4+ & I also bought my own trans filters from Geno's Garage, I'm throwing them a bone and buying there $35 qt magic fairy dust t-case oil to keep warranty happy as even Amsoil does not have a recommend fluid to use for BW 44-44 or BW 44-45... I attached a copy of the sheet they gave me.