My vehicle’s a ’00 Mitsubishi Pajero (12-valve 6G72) and I have quite a lengthy question regarding ATF. Over the years I’ve owned it (bought new), I used to trust the dealer to carry out my maintenance. This year, I decided I would take it to a trusted mechanic and supply my own parts/fluids – mainly because I wasn’t happy with their choice of lubricants. E.g. they still use 20W-50 motor oil, when 10W-30 makes the engine feel lighter and perform better – not forgetting to mention the gains in fuel economy.

The dealer’s choice of ATF was Gulf Dexron III, and my truck wasn’t too fund of it – if at all. Shifts were anything but smooth. The manual calls for “ATF Dexron II”, which I believe is no longer available and has been superseded/replaced by Dexron III.

Locally available products meeting this specification are all made in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Although people do use them with good results, I do not exactly trust the quality standards as much as I would with a European or American oil. The Gulf ATF was manufactured in the UAE for instance.

After much research, I switched to Motorcraft Mercon and the shifts improved significantly. My next step was to treat my transmission with Auto-Rx, and the results were substantial! Not only did it smoothen out the shifting, but there was a significant improvement in acceleration. When the time came to flush the ATF after treatment, I did a complete flush using Motorcraft Mercon V.

Yesterday, I checked my maintenance records and noticed I’m due for an ATF flush in about 8,000 km (5,000 miles). As my transmission was already treated with ARX, I reckoned it wouldn’t hurt to add 45 ml (1.5 ounces) of ARX to the ATF until the 8,000 km mark. I thought nothing of it, but when I drove the truck afterwards there was a noticeable difference. Shifts smoothened out, and a problem I sometimes had in reverse disappeared - when I shifted into reverse, I would have to wait a second or two before giving it a bit of gas – or else it would spin the rear wheels followed by a bang.

Speaking to the parts guy at the Mitsu dealer, I was told they now supply Mitsubishi’s own ATF – called Dia Queen SP-III. He said it has a more slippery formulation than that of Mercon V and said I should give it a try . As per my service manual, the type of ATF I should use is Dexron II or higher. There is no mentioning of Dexron on the jug, so I am not too sure on its compatibility. I know the new Monteros call for this, but I also know older ones are fine with Dexron.

At the moment, I’m not sure if I should stick with Mercon V, or just go with the SP-III ATF. I haven't come across any premium fluids (e.g. Valvoline, etc.) just yet - you have to really look for them and most of the time they are unavailable. Main reason is because people do not buy them - they are obsessed with the idea of using what the dealer uses. That being said, I'm still unsure as to whether or not SP-III is fully compatible with my transmission. Has anybody with a 2000 MY and older Mitsubishi/Hyundai/Kia used SP-III in their transmission before? Also,some peopleseem to reckon the transmission is built by Chrysler, and Mopar ATF +4 is a good substitute. Any proof to this? Thank you.

 

how often fo you flush your tranny?
is does not have to be so frequent as it will be a waste of money.
regarding to ATF,stick to what works.it doesnt hav to be one particular brand.auto tranny is sensitive to the fluid used.one wrong step and a hefty repair bill will be the outcome.

 

I've always done a flush every 35,000 km (22,000 miles) as per the service manual.