how many quarts of ATF?

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I plan on changing the atf in my Stratus this weekend. Ive never done this before and I was wondering how many quarts usually goes into a tranny?
 
Get eight to be safe.
You can always take back what you don't need.
The owners manual should say the 'change' capacity.
Call a dealer and ask the service dept. if not sure.
 
It depends on whether or not you're going to do a complete flush or just a drain and refill.

It looks like the total fill is 9.2 quarts and only 4 quarts if you just drain and refill.
 
If you are doing the standard pan drop, in my experience, the Dodge/Chrysler FWD's take a little over 4 quarts, so get at least fivve. also, make sure you use ATF+4. your stratus may actually specify ATF+3, depending on its age, but ATF+4 is backwards compatable and is a better fluid than its predecessors. basically it has the same friction properties as ATF+3 but it uses a group III base stock so its more stable and lasts longer.

Walmart used to carry Mopar fluid, but no longer. you will find ATF+4 licensed fluids from Valvoline and others, including some house brands. expect to pay $4-6 a quart.
 
And as was previously stated, buy extra for those four letter word moments that always seem to happen when you spill half a quart and don't have enough ATF left to finish the job. I've been there and done that....
 
alright, bought 5 quarts of Valvoline full synthetic ATF+4. It was either that or Coastal brand. Is the extra for the synth worth it? BTW, I went to 3 stores, and ONLY autozone sold ATF+4
 
Originally Posted By: spursfan600
alright, bought 5 quarts of Valvoline full synthetic ATF+4. It was either that or Coastal brand. Is the extra for the synth worth it? BTW, I went to 3 stores, and ONLY autozone sold ATF+4


Most of us think it's definitely worth paying a little extra for syn atf, especially since it doesn't get changed that often. Those numbers I posted earlier came from the Amsoil site.
 
Originally Posted By: spursfan600
... Valvoline full synthetic ATF+4. It was either that or Coastal brand. Is the extra for the synth worth it?


Normally, yes.
In this case, no.
All licensed AFT+4 is at least group III and can be called synthetic.
 
Originally Posted By: spursfan600
so sould I return the valvoline and grab the generic ATF+4?


If you've already got the Valvoline, I wouldn't bother returning it. It wasn't that much more expensive, was it?

Licensed ATF+4 is a very tight spec.
All have to use the exact same Lubrizol add. pack. and the grp III base oil can only come from a few suppliers.
 
Originally Posted By: wafrederick1
Carquest does sell it too under their brand name and costs $6.00 a quart.


I'm not an expert on who makes what fluid but I think the Carquest oil products will have a note on the back of the bottle stating that they are made by Ashland. Since the ATF+4 spec is so tight, I would assume this is the exact same product as the Valvoline (made by Ashland) version.
 
Originally Posted By: spursfan600

The Valvoline actually cost me $30, the generic costs $11


Ok, that is a big difference. Personally, I probably would return it, but that's just me. I'm the type of person, though, who is comfortable with generics. There are many on here who would only be comfortable with the Valvoline version.

That's one only you can decide.

I will add that on an ATF specification that is performance spec. based and doesn't require exact add. packs, I would certainly lean toward the name brand. For instance, I probably wouldn't buy Coastal's Mercon V if I was looking for the best Mercon V fluid available.

BTW, the Coastal version is on the official licensee list:

http://www.centerforqa.com/licensedatf4brands.html

Here's a little more info on ATF+4 licensing:

http://www.centerforqa.com/home.html
and http://www.centerforqa.com/licensingprogram.html
 
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