Hey guys. About to do a full fluid exchange in the 2001 suburban. How good is the supertech atf? Anyone use it with good results? Thanks..
Supertech Dextron3 ATF
- Thread starter Realtech214
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It used to be well thought of on here. I have used it for almost 300K in a Toyota with no problems. There is always the chance, though, that Walmart might have changed the composition.
It still is good stuff, as I use it still in my 91' Chevy truck, no problems at all.
JHZR2
Staff member
There is no such thing as Dexron III. GM pulled all licenses.
So a D/M fluid is only as good as the trust you have in the company selling it.
I personally dont trust wal mart for pushing quality over cost on anything, so no way Id trust them for their no-name ATF. It may be "good enough" but who knows.
Id personally wait until the Mobil D/M fluid at Target is on sale and buy that. It still holds an Allison rating equal to Dex III, so to me that is a bit more trustworthy.
But Pennzoil, Castrol, Valvoline, etc., Id go for before wal mart, personally.
So a D/M fluid is only as good as the trust you have in the company selling it.
I personally dont trust wal mart for pushing quality over cost on anything, so no way Id trust them for their no-name ATF. It may be "good enough" but who knows.
Id personally wait until the Mobil D/M fluid at Target is on sale and buy that. It still holds an Allison rating equal to Dex III, so to me that is a bit more trustworthy.
But Pennzoil, Castrol, Valvoline, etc., Id go for before wal mart, personally.
personally I would go with supertech dex VI or maxlife dex/merc
but if you have a leaker.. I would run ST dexIII or the Super Tech High Mileage dexIII
but if you have a leaker.. I would run ST dexIII or the Super Tech High Mileage dexIII
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Dex VI is more highly friction modified than DexIII (no longer licensed,we know).
According to other GM forums,if used(dex vi) in an older, lets say 4l60e,with high miles
the frictions may encounter more slip as it did with mine.Some older trans love it and
it is a superior fluid but may not be right for others,backspec'd or not.
I went back to dex3 with some tractor hydraulic added to tighten up the converter and I've used this formula for a few years now with great results (no used oil analysis to prove it) along with a 26k lbs rated Hayden cooler.
I might try amsoil next time just for kicks AND do a used oil analysis. But I have used ST/ WM brand with many vehicles and it worked well.
According to other GM forums,if used(dex vi) in an older, lets say 4l60e,with high miles
the frictions may encounter more slip as it did with mine.Some older trans love it and
it is a superior fluid but may not be right for others,backspec'd or not.
I went back to dex3 with some tractor hydraulic added to tighten up the converter and I've used this formula for a few years now with great results (no used oil analysis to prove it) along with a 26k lbs rated Hayden cooler.
I might try amsoil next time just for kicks AND do a used oil analysis. But I have used ST/ WM brand with many vehicles and it worked well.
Originally Posted By: FL_Rob
Dex VI is more highly friction modified than DexIII (no longer licensed,we know).
According to other GM forums,if used(dex vi) in an older, lets say 4l60e,with high miles
the frictions may encounter more slip as it did with mine.Some older trans love it and
it is a superior fluid but may not be right for others,backspec'd or not.
I went back to dex3 with some tractor hydraulic added to tighten up the converter and I've used this formula for a few years now with great results (no used oil analysis to prove it) along with a 26k lbs rated Hayden cooler.
I might try amsoil next time just for kicks AND do a used oil analysis. But I have used ST/ WM brand with many vehicles and it worked well.
I noticed that with my Malibu. I switched to ST dex VI and and my transmission slipped quite a bit. I drained it and refilled with Dex III and if shifts great again. I currently have ST Dex III and couldn't be happier.
Dex VI is more highly friction modified than DexIII (no longer licensed,we know).
According to other GM forums,if used(dex vi) in an older, lets say 4l60e,with high miles
the frictions may encounter more slip as it did with mine.Some older trans love it and
it is a superior fluid but may not be right for others,backspec'd or not.
I went back to dex3 with some tractor hydraulic added to tighten up the converter and I've used this formula for a few years now with great results (no used oil analysis to prove it) along with a 26k lbs rated Hayden cooler.
I might try amsoil next time just for kicks AND do a used oil analysis. But I have used ST/ WM brand with many vehicles and it worked well.
I noticed that with my Malibu. I switched to ST dex VI and and my transmission slipped quite a bit. I drained it and refilled with Dex III and if shifts great again. I currently have ST Dex III and couldn't be happier.
Quote:
There is no such thing as Dexron III. GM pulled all licenses.
Look on the label for the Allison TES 389 approval. This IS Dexron-III under a new name.
https://fdlrd.swri.org/Allison/ApprovedFluidsList.aspx?Id=2
There is no such thing as Dexron III. GM pulled all licenses.
Look on the label for the Allison TES 389 approval. This IS Dexron-III under a new name.
https://fdlrd.swri.org/Allison/ApprovedFluidsList.aspx?Id=2
dnewton3
Staff member
The ST fluids typically compare favorably to the majors, overall, when you look at fluid properties and additives.
John in correct in stating that this Dexron III(h) fluid is no longer licensed (as also is the Mercon of Ford). And as such, there really is no controlling entity to validate the brews. Aftermarket alterntives will be seen as "Dex/Merc" or "D3/M" or such, becuase the full legal licensed names can no longer be used.
However, I've seen info on PQIA that shows the fluids from the majors and reputable houses such as Walmart, AZ, AAP, etc all still utlize a fluid that meets specs that would have been approved under the former systems.
I personally use house branded ATF (ST from Wally, AAP, AZ) and have never had issues when changed under the OEM guidelines. In fact, I've even had a couple used oil analysis done and they were just fine using the house brands.
Here are links to the PQIA info for some recent ATFs tested:
http://www.pqiamerica.com/ATFdecember2012/ATFdecember2012.html
http://www.pqiamerica.com/ATFdecember2012/ATFdecember2012p2.html
http://www.pqiamerica.com/July 2012 ATF/ATFjuly2012.html
http://www.pqiamerica.com/ATF Feb 2012/ATFFEBConsolidated.html
As you can see, they are generally all similar, and are likely to perform well in normal use. Any really poor performers are called out as such; the major names you'd recognize seem just fine.
Even though the standards (Dexron III / Mercon) are no longer licensed, the major players seem to be honoring the system well. There are literally millions upon millions of cars with applications for these two (extremely similar) fluids, and therefore I believe there will be a need for decent fluid replacements in the marketplace for years to come.
Also, Allison has a spec that is essentially a duplicate of the Dex III; it's called TES-389 and there are several brands that do meet that current spec'd criteria:
https://fdlrd.swri.org/Allison/ApprovedFluidsList.aspx?Id=2
One word of caution about GM "back spec'ing" the DEX VI into DEX III applications. In some older Allison applications, there is an issue with the chemistry package of DEX VI and the seals in older transmissions; eventual leaking is very possible. There is a long, detailed, no-love-lost story behind the whole GM/Allison fluid debate, but just know that if you have an Allison made before 2007, it may well be subject to adverse reactions to DEX VI. That is a major reason they then created the TES-389 catagory, rather than accepting the DEX VI, after GM sold Allison. They were forced to do it for about a year or so when DEX VI came out in 2006 while GM owned Allision, but once they split, Allison immiedately ceased the DEX VI approval. Any TES-389 or TES-295 approved fluid would work in a former DEX III / Mercon application. To confound things, it matters on who you talk to; GM or Allison. That is because even though GM sold Allison a few years ago, they kept the rights to manufactur the 1000 series on-highway transmission made in Baltimore, and use that Allison name for that one application in their popular light duty 2500/3500 trucks, and they are filled with DEX VI at the factory. But the Allision 1000 series transmissions made in Indy do not approve DEX VI, even though they are now made with seals that are compatible with DEX VI ...
Ah - corporate bickering at it's finest.
John in correct in stating that this Dexron III(h) fluid is no longer licensed (as also is the Mercon of Ford). And as such, there really is no controlling entity to validate the brews. Aftermarket alterntives will be seen as "Dex/Merc" or "D3/M" or such, becuase the full legal licensed names can no longer be used.
However, I've seen info on PQIA that shows the fluids from the majors and reputable houses such as Walmart, AZ, AAP, etc all still utlize a fluid that meets specs that would have been approved under the former systems.
I personally use house branded ATF (ST from Wally, AAP, AZ) and have never had issues when changed under the OEM guidelines. In fact, I've even had a couple used oil analysis done and they were just fine using the house brands.
Here are links to the PQIA info for some recent ATFs tested:
http://www.pqiamerica.com/ATFdecember2012/ATFdecember2012.html
http://www.pqiamerica.com/ATFdecember2012/ATFdecember2012p2.html
http://www.pqiamerica.com/July 2012 ATF/ATFjuly2012.html
http://www.pqiamerica.com/ATF Feb 2012/ATFFEBConsolidated.html
As you can see, they are generally all similar, and are likely to perform well in normal use. Any really poor performers are called out as such; the major names you'd recognize seem just fine.
Even though the standards (Dexron III / Mercon) are no longer licensed, the major players seem to be honoring the system well. There are literally millions upon millions of cars with applications for these two (extremely similar) fluids, and therefore I believe there will be a need for decent fluid replacements in the marketplace for years to come.
Also, Allison has a spec that is essentially a duplicate of the Dex III; it's called TES-389 and there are several brands that do meet that current spec'd criteria:
https://fdlrd.swri.org/Allison/ApprovedFluidsList.aspx?Id=2
One word of caution about GM "back spec'ing" the DEX VI into DEX III applications. In some older Allison applications, there is an issue with the chemistry package of DEX VI and the seals in older transmissions; eventual leaking is very possible. There is a long, detailed, no-love-lost story behind the whole GM/Allison fluid debate, but just know that if you have an Allison made before 2007, it may well be subject to adverse reactions to DEX VI. That is a major reason they then created the TES-389 catagory, rather than accepting the DEX VI, after GM sold Allison. They were forced to do it for about a year or so when DEX VI came out in 2006 while GM owned Allision, but once they split, Allison immiedately ceased the DEX VI approval. Any TES-389 or TES-295 approved fluid would work in a former DEX III / Mercon application. To confound things, it matters on who you talk to; GM or Allison. That is because even though GM sold Allison a few years ago, they kept the rights to manufactur the 1000 series on-highway transmission made in Baltimore, and use that Allison name for that one application in their popular light duty 2500/3500 trucks, and they are filled with DEX VI at the factory. But the Allision 1000 series transmissions made in Indy do not approve DEX VI, even though they are now made with seals that are compatible with DEX VI ...
Ah - corporate bickering at it's finest.
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