00 Silverado fluid recommendations please

[Soupy]

I'm thinking about having my neighbor change all my fluids for me instead of taking it to a trans shop. The truck has 110,000 and the previous owner said nothing but oil and fuel/air filters have been changed regularly. Trans has never been touched and he said the rear was changed once.

I need fluid recommendations for front, rear diffs, and Torque converter and trans. I don't have the Manuel for this vehicle yet. This truck will be used for short trip hauling a 3,000lb load. I could probably use a recommendation on coolant too. I have the oil change under control

I am looking for types more then brands.

I may just do a pan drop and change filter on the trans then run A-RX in it for awhile then do a T-Tech flush.

My neighbor worked at Valvoline many years ago and said he would do the changes but is unsure of what fluids I need for my Truck. The trans shop gave me two prices on the Trans service depending on the color of fluid that is in it now. He said that if it is red (I think) he would need to change it to the blue stuff. Something like that. This has me confused a little?

[ August 05, 2006, 08:36 PM: Message edited by: Soupy ]

 

[Soupy]

Forgot to subscribe....

 

[Mike_dup1]

I have owned 1972,75,79,82,87,88,89,92,96,99,01 Chevy trucks and currently an 2004 GMC 4x4 e.cab Z71's

quote:

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The trans shop gave me two prices on the Trans service depending on the color of fluid that is in it now. He said that if it is red (I think) he would need to change it to the blue stuff.

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First of all, find another trans shop as there is no blue ATF fluid, that guy does not know what is going on.

The Transmission fluid is RED and is Dexron III-H spec. The TRANSFER CASE could have red or blue fluid, red prior to 2001 models. The (Blue color) GM AUTOTRAC II fluid is the latest iteration and thats the only thing you can use if you have the push buttom shift, no floor lever. No one else has a product for it, so get it from GM dealer. Don't beleive anyone who tells you otherwise

Front and rear diff' use GL5 gear lube. Synthetic 75W-90 was factory installed in the rear and minerial 80W-90 was installed in the front. You can use synthetic 75W-90 in both. Reason one got synthetic and one mineral was that they were mfg'd by different companies and shipped to GM that way.

As for the trans, use ATF Dexron III-H and avoid using any flush prouducts. Best thing to do for starters it to drop the pan and do a filter change and add fresh fluid to top off, should be less than 6qt compared to about 11 for the total system. If the pan is clean and little or no debris in bottom of pan then that means trans in good shape. IF THERE IS DEBIRS, SCUM ETC ON PAN BOTTOM, STOP. Save money for new trans because that is metal and means abnormal wear. Again, don't use any solvent or AutoRX in the trans, you don't need to do that. Thats like poking a hornets nest IMO, asking for trouble. Also, those flush machines are dangerous to a trans in the hands of amatuers and many who have them are indeed amatuers. Find a shop that can flush the trans using the purge method. In short, drain the pan and install new filter, seal up pan. Add enough fluid to fill pan, disconnect line comming from trans to radiator and direct to 5 gal pail. Start engine and add fluid to replace what it being pumped out. Make sure to have at least 1 gallon more than required to be safe in case you spill any, depending on how competent the person doing the work is.


btw
Think 2x about letting amatuers do this (Trans) for you unless you are willing to accept the risk that they DO NOT know what they are doing. I would let the trans to an expert and not a quick lube place but a well respected ASE shop. Lots of fly-by-shop's so be carefull who you trust.

Thats what I would do but what the heck do I know. I have just done this on 10 of my trucks since 1979.

[ August 05, 2006, 09:37 PM: Message edited by: Mike ]

 

[Islandvic]

Have him de-carbonzie your combustion chambers with SeaFoam and change the plugs.

SeaFoam Aerosol Deep Creep, toothbrush, and a shop rag is great for cleaning the TB.

Use a GM OEM or a Wix trans filter.

There is a drain plug on the pan that makes it easier. After the first pan drop and filter change, drain and refill a few times afterward. Safer than a flush.

I have used Wal-Mart Super Tech DexIII (licensed) with LubeGuard Red in a 165k mile 4l60e trans and worked great.

Valvoline MaxLife ATF, Castrol DexIII, Royal Purple, and M1 Synthetic are good ATF's for GM 4l60e's also.

Use the GM OEM AutoTrac fluid unless you have the manual style floor shifter and use DexIII.

Use some 75-90 Synthetic for the diffs, Royal Purple, M1 and Amsoil are good diff fluids. I have used Valvoline 80-90 GL5 SynBlend in my K1500 and Crown Vic's diffs and it has worked well so far.

Valvoline makes a Synpower P/S fluid that meets GM specs that is good stuff.

Good luck.

 

[The Critic]

Replace the plugs (and wires if equipped) with new ACDelco Double Plats.

Clean the TB and EGR.

For the transmission, drop the pan, replace the filter and refill with 5 quarts of Dexron-VI. Pennzoil and GM GoodWrench are the only brands currently avaliable. Purge via the cooler lines if desired, otherwise, do a 4 quart drain/fill via the pan drain plug at the next two oil changes for the same effect.

For electronic transfer cases, use OEM fluid only. Manual, use Dexron-VI.

75w90 Synthetic for Front/Rear Differentials.

Note: Dexron-VI is the latest revision of Dexron. Dexron-III(H) is also acceptable, but Dexron-VI is best.

 

[Soupy]

Thanks for the replys guys!

Mike , It was me that got confused on what the trans shop said. After you explain it I remember them saying the transfer Case.

Ilandviv , How do you go about de-carbonzie your combustion chambers with SeaFoam/

Critic , So Dexron-VI is backward compatible? Do you know were Pennzoil Dexron-VI can be bought? I have AutoZone, Advance Auto, O'rielly's, Napa, Car Quest, and of coerce Wally World.

 

[The Critic]

Dexron-VI is backwards compatible with most applications calling for Dexron-III(H) and below.

Current 4L60Es in the Tahoe still use Dexron-VI, so I can assure you that it's compatible.

Pennzoil launched their Dexron-VI product approximately two weeks ago, from what I was told by their headquarters. As for how long it'll take before the product reaches store shelves, is unknown, but they told me that Pep Boys should be the first to have it.

If you can wait, I'd give the Pennzoil a try as they'd probably sell it cheaper than GM, hopefully between $3.00-$4.00/qt. GM dealerships currently charge about $5.25/qt including tax.

If you cannot wait, head over to GMPartsDirect.com and order a case, part # 88861003. Including shipping, it is $4.53/qt but you must purchase 12 quarts at a time. Buy an additional quart at the dealership so you can have 13 quarts, 5 for the initial pan drop and 8 quarts for two drain and refills thereafter. They also have the OEM transmission filter (I think part # is 24208576, but double-check) for about $23.


Btw, pan drop on a 4L60E removes 5 out of the 11 total quarts, which is approximately 45%. A drain via the plug only removes only 4, as for some reason, the additional quart on GM automatics will only "come out" when the filter is removed.

Hope this helps.

 

[Soupy]

Critic, since the transmission has not been touched for 110,000 would you recommend the 6oz auto-rx after the filter change and 5 quarts of fluid then run 1500 miles and do a total fluid change? Should I change filter again after the total fluid change?

Thanks a lot for your help..

 

[The Critic]

Personally, I would add the Auto-RX first, run for 1500 miles, then do the pan drop/filter change, and continual with the gradual drain and refills.

Now, I'm only suggesting that as I'm too lazy to fuss with the cooler lines, as I'll probably make a huge mess.

However, if you (or your neighbor) does not mind manually purging your transmission on your driveway, then by all means, go for it. But for one, if you do decide to do a pan drop/filter change prior to add Auto-RX, the filter does NOT need to be changed for a second time after the treatment.

Its probably not that important to change the filter prior to adding Auto-RX unless its severely clogged, which I doubt at 110K.

 

[unDummy]

All you need is a bucket or container and the cooler line flush won't make any mess. Its also very thorough. I use clear hose from the local LoewsDepot to watch the ATF.

On a higher mileage unknown condition transmission, use the cheapest on sale rebated DexronIII-h you can find. But, stick with the new OEM ATF filter. If functioning normally, I wouldn't even spend money on the ARX, but thats your choice to make. If you decide to exercise the drainplug twice a year, I don't see the needed expensive higher end fluids.

75w90 synthetic gear oils for the front/rear ends. Synthetics like Mobil1, Castrol, Redline, QS, and Royalpurple are available at a bunch of stores. If you plan on working the truck, I wouldn't be afraid of using a 75w140 in the rearend or a 50:50 blend.

Reference the owners manual for fluid capacities and types. Check ebay or go salvage yard spelunking if you don't have one.

If the X-case requires ATF, than either use ATF or a manual transmission fluid.
If autotracII, use it, even though I know some rebels using ATF and Lubegard.

Flush or change the PSF also. I prefer synthetic ATFs in power steering systems.

Bleed your brakes with any DOT4 brake fluid.

Change your fuel filter prior to using quality FI cleaners like Regane, VentilSauber, Redline, Techron,........ and use a bottle every 3-4 months.

Use any oil you want for your OCIs. But, run at least ONE UOA specically looking for antifreeze. Not sure if your year/engine has the notorious leaking gasket self destructing mode. That being said, flush the coolant and use GM coolant tabs. Also, change the thermostat with new OEM. If ANY coolant shows up in the used oil analysis, have it fixed immediately.

 

[TDI's RULE]

How did you guys answer these questions without knowing what his vehicle is? If it is posted somewhere, please tell me.

 

[Soupy]

quote:

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Originally posted by TDI's RULE:
How did you guys answer these questions without knowing what his vehicle is? If it is posted somewhere, please tell me.

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I posted it in the title, but I did forget to mention the engine. It is the 5.3L.

Thanks