trans question

[Hemi1978]

I recently had my truck to the dealer and he told me that the tranny on my 2017 1500 sport is sealed and does not require service, that does not sound right to me. truck has a 94k on it, do I need to service the trans? fluid flush etc?

This comes up alot these days.. especially with dodge/chrysler as all of there 8 speed transmissions are marketed as "fill for life". There is an excellent video on this subject that is a little long but very detailed covering all aspects. It talks about fluids, sevice options and includes a chart showing all the specs side by side. The last section on tips has alot of good info. I found it very helpful.

 

[Daddyhas2boys]

Theres 2 so 1 looks similar to an oil filter and the other looks similar to an air filter...what year and transmission do you have?

 

[EdGs]

I recently had my truck to the dealer and he told me that the tranny on my 2017 1500 sport is sealed and does not require service, that does not sound right to me. truck has a 94k on it, do I need to service the trans? fluid flush etc?

Here's what my "lifetime" fluid looked like after 108k miles, and OE new fluid.


It was way beyond its lifetime.

 

[HEMIMANN]

I'd wager they don't define the word "lifetime"! More marketing games - nothing lasts a "lifetime" - it lasts for a finite time, and the only question is "how long"?

 

[TheEnder]

Here's what my "lifetime" fluid looked like after 108k miles, and OE new fluid.
View attachment 232605

It was way beyond its lifetime.

That looks just a step above trans replacement when it comes to how dark a fluid should be. On my 1500 with the RFE the fluid was still the same color after 110K miles on it. That was a while ago but i’m still able to remember, lol.


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[EdGs]

That looks just a step above trans replacement when it comes to how dark a fluid should be. On my 1500 with the RFE the fluid was still the same color after 110K miles on it. That was a while ago but i’m still able to remember, lol.

I sure as hell hope not. This truck has to last me.

If mine was this dark with no towing, and little hauling, how bad does the fluid in the ones that do tow and haul look?

 

[CVX20]

Your dealer is full of ****,it's impossible to have a totally sealed transmission,the tranny would blow the seals out everytime it got warm,as fluid expands and contracts with temperature.The 8 speed is vented same as every other automatic transmission to compensate for the expansion/contraction factor the fluid experiences.The vent is on the top of the tranny and has a vent hose attached to it,that terminates roughly at the back of the engine

They didn't mean it literally.

 

[CVX20]

There are lots of threads on ZF 8 HP70 transmission maintenance on this forum. If you search you will find that recommended fluid/filter change from ZF (not RAM) is 60K miles or so. I just did mine and changed to aftermarket pan/filter and Redline D6. Shifts much better now. I changed it at 66K miles.

Lots of YoutTube videos on the procedure.

Don’t recommend a flush. Solvents used at dealers/shops with systems for flushing are not compatible with ZF trans. Good luck.


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Tranny flushes are just plain bad.They cause more issues than they cure.

 

[Wild one]

They didn't mean it literally.

No but if you tell a customer that isn't exactly a gearhead that the transmission is sealed,that customer is going to assume it's sealed like a pop can is sealed,before you pop the top on the can,lol.Doesn't matter what they mean,especially if they don't elaborate to the customer the sealed for life means it's technically supposed to be not serviced,all the customer is going to think of is that it's sealed and no moisture or air can get in.

 

[Daw14]

Two filters? When I changed mine I only found one. Where is the second because it’s not in the pan.

Before the 8 speed , those transmissions had two filters in em.

 

[BWL]

This comes up alot these days.. especially with dodge/chrysler as all of there 8 speed transmissions are marketed as "fill for life". There is an excellent video on this subject that is a little long but very detailed covering all aspects. It talks about fluids, sevice options and includes a chart showing all the specs side by side. The last section on tips has alot of good info. I found it very helpful.

long video, but worth the watch. covers a lot of ground and he did the research short of going to fluid engineering school.