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Ben,
After months of researching this off and on, that is what I am about to do,
Looks like Royal Purple Syncromax and Penn. Synchromesh get the most often vote from what I can see.
What is the worst that can happen?... I fry some syncros and need to swap out the transmission?..wait that sounds pretty lame.....
Sounds like the old saying...
Two guys, checking out two women walking towards them.
One guy looks at the other guy and says I don't like the looks of yours.....
I change mine every 250000 miles.. NOW That this fluid is discontinued, The Dodge Dealer says you can now use ATF+4 in your NV4500,, NO THANKS, I bought all of the factory fluid he had. All 10 quart's at $27.00 @ quart,,
I Just did a Tranny rebuild at 376000 miles, And now have 1000 miles on it, I am getting ready to post some pix on that, it was amazing how good all the bearings looked at that mileage, Only reason I did the rebuild was Pilot Bearing was non existent,
I like the factory fluid, Just my 2 cents....
Originally Posted by oliver foster
So nobody here at DTR is changing their NV4500 fluid???
Y'all might think I'm crazy... I just fixed the fifth gear, and I had a bucket of tractor hydraulic oil from tractor supply. I pumped the trans and the transfer case full. We will see what it does. It's an 01 3500 dually. Hydraulic oil is a great lube. Anyway, if it's still in there with another 100000 on it then there will be a cheap alternative to all this overpriced oil. There it is on the trailer There's the lock collar put on. The rag was jammed in between the gears to keep the trans from rolling as I tightened it down.
It's not the great lube part we worry about, It's the Kevlar, Carbon Fiber lined synchro ring's that I worry about, Any good lube will take care of the bearing's.
Good Luck though,, Keep us posted..
Tuff to tighten that 5th gear nut to the Torque spec like that,, 250 to 350 Foot pound's. I have also done it like that the first time.
Last edited by Truckman; 08-31-2019 at 07:17 AM.
Reason: Info
I ending up using Pennzoil Syncromesh in that NV-4500. It seemed to get the most positive reviews when I researched it and I can find in on the shelf at Napa anywhere I go.
I towed with the rig all summer, even the rescue mission to pick up my black crew cab that sprung the injection pump leak on the way to the Carlisle Mopar show. It saw maybe 8,000 miles with 5,000 of it pulling a 10,000 trailer.
Seems to be working and shifting well. I did add a couple of the Trans Cool cooler plates in place of the OEM PTO covers.
Oh and now that I have solved the many the boost [2 ripped boots, 1 bad clamp, missing bolts and a bad gasket at the plenum ] leaks it had in the system when I bought the truck, it will smoke the new OEM clutch the P.O put in at will. I have a South Bend clutch Con - OFE sitting in the shop shelf, waiting to be installed in that truck.
Those 215HP P-pumped motors can be pretty strong with a few minor tweaks.
Hi All,
I thought we beat this horse to death years ago..
We all have our own opinions on what to use for fluid, People do not want to use the dealer fluid, Cause #1) IF you find it,It cost too much, Its hard to find,#2) Its discontinued now.#3) Confused from TO MUCH input, Many other reason's. I bought the last 12 quarts a local dealership had, YES Its Expensive!!! BUT Its the right fluid. IT's NOT about fluid that is easy on brass parts,That helps, Its not about the bearings being lubed. What I worry about is the Kevlar & carbon fiber clutch material that is on the synchro rings, IF you use the wrong fluid it WILL EAT THE MATERIAL away,, THEN 10, 20 or 30 thousand miles AFTER you put the wrong fluid in, The tranny starts grinding going into third or grinding going into fifth, OR shifting different, BY Then it's too late,, You can NOT put the correct fluid in NOW and expect it to repair the now Ruined synchro ring, WHICH is why it is grinding now.
Now that Mopar Part number #04874459 is discontinued, The dealer NOW says the ATF+4 can be used, Which has been used in transfer cases for YEARS!!! Which I think is a little thin, BUT It makes sense to use it JUST because of the material on the synchro ring, The synchro ring looks like a fiber clutch in an Automatic transmission if anyone has been inside one of those.
So you guys use what you want, Document your mileage when you put the fluid in. you can be the experiment to help others on this site.
We have beat this subject to death for years.
Die Horse DIE!!!!! hahahahah
See Bad Synchro below. Half of the material is missing that's why My Trans was grinding, Mine was not from wrong fluid, BUT from the 5th gear slider was put on backwards 4 years ago.
Last edited by Truckman; 02-13-2020 at 06:55 AM.
Reason: Info, pic
Hi All,
I thought we beat this horse to death years ago..
We all have our own opinions on what to use for fluid, People do not want to use the dealer fluid, Cause #1) IF you find it,It cost too much, Its hard to find,#2) Its discontinued now.#3) Confused from TO MUCH input, Many other reason's. I bought the last 12 quarts a local dealership had, YES Its Expensive!!! BUT Its the right fluid. IT's NOT about fluid that is easy on brass parts,That helps, Its not about the bearings being lubed. What I worry about is the Kevlar & carbon fiber clutch material that is on the synchro rings, IF you use the wrong fluid it WILL EAT THE MATERIAL away,, THEN 10, 20 or 30 thousand miles AFTER you put the wrong fluid in, The tranny starts grinding going into third or grinding going into fifth, OR shifting different, BY Then it's too late,, You can NOT put the correct fluid in NOW and expect it to repair the now Ruined synchro ring, WHICH is why it is grinding now.
Now that Mopar Part number #04874459 is discontinued, The dealer NOW says the ATF+4 can be used, Which has been used in transfer cases for YEARS!!! Which I think is a little thin, BUT It makes sense to use it JUST because of the material on the synchro ring, The synchro ring looks like a fiber clutch in an Automatic transmission if anyone has been inside one of those.
So you guys use what you want, Document your mileage when you put the fluid in. you can be the experiment to help others on this site.
We have beat this subject to death for years.
Die Horse DIE!!!!! hahahahah
See Bad Synchro below. Half of the material is missing that's why My Trans was grinding, Mine was not from wrong fluid, BUT from the 5th gear slider was put on backwards 4 years ago.
I too bought the last dozen QTs of the proper fluid years ago, when I learned it was getting phased out, but have now run out of it.
So your saying putting ATF+4 in the NV-4500 is your answer after all this horse beating you have been doing for years??
THE DEALER Is saying put the ATF+4 in, CALL your local dodge dealer parts Dept ask them for #04874459 , After they tell you it's discontinued, ASK them what does the manufacture recommend to use instead...
I say it makes more sense to me to put the ATF+4 in, INSTEAD of some gear lube that MIGHT KILL your fiber on the synchro ring.
WE Know for a fact the ATF wont eat the material on synchro, It will lube the bearings, Transmission might be a little noisier cause fluid is thinner.
Everyone needs to pick their own poison. I have almost 400 thousand miles on my truck, Have had the truck since there was 89 thousand miles on it,,,, MUST be doing something right..Im sure some wrong TOO.
Just because one person Says, I put vegetable oil in my NV4500 Trans and it worked GREAT,, NOW other people try it,, and your trans burns up, BLAME that on Yourself.
THE DEALER Is saying put the ATF+4 in, CALL your local dodge dealer parts Dept ask them for #04874459 , After they tell you it's discontinued, ASK them what does the manufacture recommend to use instead...
I say it makes more sense to me to put the ATF+4 in, INSTEAD of some gear lube that MIGHT KILL your fiber on the synchro ring.
WE Know for a fact the ATF wont eat the material on synchro, It will lube the bearings, Transmission might be a little noisier cause fluid is thinner.
Everyone needs to pick their own poison. I have almost 400 thousand miles on my truck, Have had the truck since there was 89 thousand miles on it,,,, MUST be doing something right..Im sure some wrong TOO.
Just because one person Says, I put vegetable oil in my NV4500 Trans and it worked GREAT,, NOW other people try it,, and your trans burns up, BLAME that on Yourself.
I say Make your own decision. and GOOD LUCK,
No wonder the "horse will not die" as no one has a decent answer.
I spent hours and hours of time researching this and asking Dodge truck guys what they use for YEARS before making my choice.
I will go back too making my own decisions, like you say, and blame myself if I have chosen poorly.
After days of Google research to compare oil specs, calling Dealers, calling transmission parts supply companies, and calling transmission rebuilders, I have decided to use the GM version of the Mopar fluid that is spec'd for these transmissions. Both are made by Castrol, both are discontinued, as is the Castrol Syntorq LT.
Mopar recommends ATF +4 at the dealer. I don't like that choice because, A) Mother Fiat doesn't care about long term use in these antiques, and B) ATF +4 is not the same viscosity of a synthetic 75-85W, which is closest to a 10W-40 engine oil.
I have found that Amsoil MTG reference both GM part #12346190 and Chrysler part #4874459 (which supersedes 4637579), as does Redline MT-85. Pennzoil Syncromesh specs are close but sketchy, as is the Valvoline Syncromesh that claim to be GL4 but neither call out the correct GM or Mopar reference.
This is the only NV4500 I own, and it looks like the oil has never been changed by previous owners.
Beating a dead horse is not my objective here, but I like to have good info on the parts and supplies I use. I am just passing along what information I have found. Good luck guys in your search for compatible gear oil for this transmission.
I hope this is the only one I own, and based on mysteryman's previous posts, I am glad the rest of my fleet runs the G360.
06-11-2019, 06:54 PM
...Ben
...Ben
Every 250000 Miles
hahahahah