pjc360

hello everyone, i have a 1991 dodge power ram 150 with the A-518 automatic transmission with electronic overdrive and a non lock up converter. I recently had the transmission fully re-built and the owner told me that after i put 1000 miles on the re-build, to flush all the fluid out of it and put new fluid in it along with a new filter. I asked him what fluid should i use? and he said we put atf+3 in it, but +3 is really hard to find we order it in bulk from amalie.
I said how about +4 then? and he said ehh i dont know that i would run +4 in your transmission mainly because it does not have a lock up torque converter and the +4 fluid has a ton of friction modifyers specifically for the lock up converter, so when you run it in a non lock up transmission its going to make it shift really soft but them soft shifts come with a price and thats heat and wear. He said if you cant get +3 we can service it with +3 or you can just put dexronIII in it, he said in fact dexronIII was factory fill in the A-518s from 89-93 he said in 94 is when chrysler developed the atf + 7176 fluid, and the reason they made it is because in 94 they changed the A-518 a little bit basically making it more of an electronic controlled transmission with an electric lock up that would lock up and un lock with a speed or rpm sensor and chrysler realized the dexronIII was not able to handle the heat of them lock up converter locking in and out in and out and it was eating the converter clutches. He said but if its a 1st generation A-518 from 89-93 dexronIII will work just fine.
So after him telling me this i started to do my own research and found out he is pretty much right, i have talked to alot of different people about this same subject and i have had many people tell me to run type f fluid in it and others have said dexronIII and others say dexronVI is what they use and of course alot of people use +4, but im inclined to listen to my builder and not use +4 in my transmission.
My dad was a very knowledgable mechanic and he knew alot about the 727 transmission, and he ran type f atf in all his 727 transmissions, he ran type f in the 727 that was in his 70 plymouth cuda with a 440-6 pack and he ran it in his 727 that was in his 75 dodge pick up truck, unfortunetly he is no longer alive to ask him his opinion on using type f in the A-518, the only thing that i can see being different is the overdrive? but i have still talked to alot of people who run type f in the a-518. I have narrowed my desicion down to ether type f or the new dexronVI and was just wondering wich fluid of them two would you run?
The new dexronVI is a synthetic and it is compatible to use in any transmission that calls for dexronIII just like +4 can be used in a transmission that came with +3 and since dexronIII was factory fill in my transmission back in 1991 i dont see why dexronVI wouldnt work good and being that it is a synthetic obviously you can run it longer, and its going to handle heat better and its going to protect better. On the other hand type f is cheaper and it also handles heat pretty well and it allows for more firmer shifting increasing the life of the transmission, so i am stuck on wich one to go with? any ideas or opinions would be appriciated, thank you.

bremereric

What's the owners manual or better yet the service manual say? And or the Dealer's Service department.

pjc360

dexronIII or mopar type 7176 problem is mopar type 7176 you cant even get anymore only 1 company still makes +3 and thats amalie. its all +4 now that has a large amount of friction modifyers that a hydraulically ran overdrive transmission with a non lock up converter doesnt really need

pjc360

i dont want soft smooth shifts id rather have grabby type firmer shifts, and i know trying to get that from a fluid isnt the answer i do have a transgo shift kit that i will be getting installed shortly, but having a good fluid with low amount of friction modifyers im told is ideal for a non lock up transmission, thats why im kinda leaning twords the type f atf the most.

pjc360

the dexronVI is appealing because of its great heat handling ability and its longer intervals tho its a toss up really? the dexronVI will bring softer shifts compared to type f but yet it will handle heat slighly better and lasts longer, the type f is cheaper and will make it shift firmer but it has to be changed more often..... thats the delema im facing

bremereric

I have my Shelby Dakota with an A-500 and lockup convertor. My service manual says Mopar ATF Plus Type 7176. I can call the previous owner tomorrow and see what he last serviced the tranny with. I am pretty sure yours will have the lockup convertor also.

pjc360

nope i am 100 percent sure that my transmission has a non lock up converter, the lock ups have a 3 pin connector and the non lock ups have a 2 pin connector.
My truck has a 2 pin connector its a non lock up converter, not only do i know cause of the connector i also know because i asked for a lock up converter with my re-build and the owner of the transmission shop said that he could only get a non lock up for my year of truck with my engine. I have a 360 magnum engine in a 1991 truck, its not the factory engine, and the magnum didnt come out in a 360 untill 93 or 94 i wanna say 93. and maybe thats why he could not get a lock up converter for mine is because i have a magnum engine in 1991 when they didnt make a magnum 360 in 1991? i dont know for sure why but i know i have a non lock up converter.

78D200

Have you given any thought to B&M Trick Shift fluid? I think Red Line still makes an ATF+3 fluid too.

TVLynn

I would use the +4 They say it is backwards compatible. You should have had the shift kit installed when it was rebuilt...

pjc360

i didn't have the shift kit while it was being re-built, i just got it a couple weeks, and the b&m trick shift atf is just type f in a fancy bottle.

pjc360

the reason i do not want to run +4 is because of all the friction modifyers that my transmission does not need specially since its a non lock up converter. just because it is backwords compatible to +3 does not mean its the best choice.
My transmission was made long before +3 even came out, factory fill for my transmission was dexronIII, +3 didnt even come out untill 95 or 96.
dodge made the mopar type 7176 atf in 1994 due to the electronically controll lock up converter on the 46re's, they discovered that dexronIII couldnt handle the heat of the converter going in and out of lock up with speed or rpm and the converter clutches were being ate up because of it. My truck is a 1991 made before any mopar + fluid, dexronIII is what was used as factorty fill in it. the new dexronVI still has some friction modifyers but not nearly as many as +4 and type f dont have any, thats my delima what do i go with the newer dexronVI that is synthetic and can go longer and handle heat better? or the type f that will make it shift with less slip but has to be cajnged more often?

mikerp76

according to the lable on the bottle dextron VI isn't recomended for use on transmissions that use dex/merc. if you are wanting to run a synthetic fluid i would try something like royal purple atf.