Castrol Import ATF....is it a good fluid?

[Ramblin Fever]

Just wondering what the opinions are on this ATF

I use it in my Isuzu and have for quite some time with excellent shifting, I do drain/refills every 15k miles on this truck....fluid is always good and clean.

I've heard some say it can break down quicker then other ATF's??? ....not sure if there's any truth to that?

 

[JTK]

Ramblin! Long time no talk! Glad to see you've STILL got the Rodeo?

I've never heard a negative comment about Castrol Import. It's good stuff. How many miles do you have on that 3.2L & 4L30E trans?

Joel

 

[Ramblin Fever]

It's sure been a long time hasn't it???....good to hear from you.

Yeap, we still got ole red, she keeps pluggin away, running [censored] good as ever...have no complaints....except I think the A/C needs recharged, can't complain for a 15yr old truck.

Truck has 200k miles and some change now; it's not a daily driver anymore though, for the last 4yrs I think we've averaged 6-9k miles on it yearly.

Cheap to insure and we don't have to fill it up much, I would never get much for it if I were interested in selling it....so we'll just keep it til it croaks.

 

[JTK]

I think the most I've read of mileage wise on a well maintained 4L30E was somewhere in the mid-high 200K mile range, so you're doing well! I still see quite a few Rodeos cruising around in the rust-belt. They hold up well. I do miss my 2002! The only thing my Santa Fe has on it is about 3 more miles per gallon.

Joel

 

[caravanmike]

lets make this a reunion. i used to be on af's rodeo's sight also with a 2000 rodeo. i remember talking to both of you. was it rodeo 02, and ramblin fever?. my screen name was 2000izusu. ramblin good to here the rodeo is plugging along! you are an inspiration to all 4L30E owners, with fluid changes.
F.Y.I.i sold my rodeo in 2005 for a jeep liberty.
Originally Posted By: Ramblin Fever

I've heard some say it can break down quicker then other ATF's??? ....not sure if there's any truth to that?


it is rumored to be a semi-synthetic. it falls in the category of hfm (highly friction modified fluid). the chemicals that make it a hfm fluid are synthetic with the base stock being conventional. whats the split? 70/30,80/20,90/10? we don't know because it is proprietary info. but it should last longer than merc/dex III! with your tranny change routine you will not experience it wearing out! but it will not last as long as a full synthetic.

i use castrol import in my brothers 04 santa fe with NO problems. mike

 

[cmf]

caravanmike sums it up nicely. The key points being that it's a conventional base stock, so it is going to be comparable in durability to the OEM fluid. As caravanmike said, you wont see this fluid wearing out with your current interval.

If you were to compare it to a synthetic fluid, then yes, it would break down much quicker.

 

[Ramblin Fever]

Originally Posted By: JTK
I think the most I've read of mileage wise on a well maintained 4L30E was somewhere in the mid-high 200K mile range, so you're doing well! I still see quite a few Rodeos cruising around in the rust-belt. They hold up well. I do miss my 2002! The only thing my Santa Fe has on it is about 3 more miles per gallon.

Joel


We bought our old, original 91 rodeo back from a friend, same transmission, it has 340k miles on it.

Think changing fluid every 10-15k miles may have something to do with it...don't know, but I no longer tow with it, it pretty much lives an easy casual life now....figured that was the best way to get the most mileage out of it.

My aunt has a Santa fe....LOVES it, not sure what year, earlier years I think.

 

[Ramblin Fever]

Originally Posted By: caravanmike
lets make this a reunion. i used to be on af's rodeo's sight also with a 2000 rodeo. i remember talking to both of you. was it rodeo 02, and ramblin fever?. my screen name was 2000izusu. ramblin good to here the rodeo is plugging along! you are an inspiration to all 4L30E owners, with fluid changes.


Thank you....it's good to hear from you again as well....some of the members here I thought sounded familiar, but I wasn't sure.

How are you liking the Liberty?.....is it smaller then the rodeo or no?

 

[caravanmike]

Originally Posted By: Ramblin Fever
Originally Posted By: caravanmike
lets make this a reunion. i used to be on af's rodeo's sight also with a 2000 rodeo. i remember talking to both of you. was it rodeo 02, and ramblin fever?. my screen name was 2000izusu. ramblin good to here the rodeo is plugging along! you are an inspiration to all 4L30E owners, with fluid changes.




How are you liking the Liberty?.....is it smaller then the rodeo or no?


great, my wife loves it! it will be a 10 year plus vehicle for this family.
it is shorter as you mentioned, with less cargo room, but we only feel that on vacation.
only un-scheduled repair so far was a seeping power steering hose under warranty.

do you still have the tacoma?

 

[Ramblin Fever]

Yep still have the tacoma.....same here, all of our vehicles are bought with minimum 10+yrs of ownership in mind. We wear them to the ground before finally parting with them.

Our last toyota p/up had 300k miles before we traded it for the newer one.

Right now, we don't have a single one below 120k; we did just recently inherit a 96 chrysler town & country minivan with all the bells and whistles from the time frame.

I LOVE this van, it's great, and still in immaculant shape at barely 119k miles.

 

[CharBaby]

Here is a recent post on this Castrol IMV ATF.
I'm using it in 3 different Asian vehicles trannys



https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/castrol-import-atf-ok-for-hyundai-elantra.155216/

 

[EricF]

the castrol import ATF works great in a 02 nissan altima which specs matic-j.
No issues, no shiftability issues.

I would not put it in at Honda tranny, I would continue to use Z1

and for a toyota that spec's T-IV, I would honestly use the T-IV.

 

[Ramblin Fever]

The transmission in the rodeo is a GM 4L30 design.

I use Maxlife ATF in my toyota; however the rodeo does fantastic with this castrol import for the last 100k miles almost....just wanted to know if everyone else likes it too.