Going to do a drain and fill. Can someone tell me what type of Trans fluid I need, and how many Qts? I have a 2002 Montero Limited. Also where is the drain plug located.

Thanks

 

Drain plug is located conveniently on the transmission pan. Use ONLY MITSUBISHI SPIII ATF OR CHRYSLER ATF +4. Don't be fooled into buying fluids that claim to meet these standards as only a few of them actually do. Buy the real deal- your transmission will appreciate it (trust me on this please!)

Joel, CA

 

Joel,

How many quarts do I need to replace on a drain and fill? Also, since I havent looked under the car yet, do i use a Hex wrench or socket wrench to take out the drain bolt?

thanks

 

Maybe a 15 or 17mm socket.

As far as the fluid. Joel is the man, but I would not use ATF +4. It is not listed in the manual as acceptable. Plus it is probably not any cheaper.

SP III can be obtained at Mutsu, Kia or Hyundai dealers.

6 quarts is probably enough. Let me know how it goes. I am about to do my '03. Does your '02 have a 5 speed Auto?

 

Hey Guys, Mitsubishi want $6 a quart (here in So. California). What a rip off. Hyundai and Kia want $5.50, not much better but it pays to shop around.

Anyway, Mitsubishi tell me its 4 1/2 to 5 quarts for a drain and fill. Just depends??? Oh well, ill do what they say.

And yes Winshaw, its automatic, but not 5 speed. I may even do a pictorial on this, since I dont see alot of DIY's on this site.

 

Winshawn is correct as it is NOT in the owners manual. I mention it as an option as Chryler uses this ATF on all Mitusbishi powered Chrysler vehicles models. They also sell it in a 1 gallon bottle (if that makes it any cheaper?). Draining and filling will roughly remove about 4+ quarts or so. Just use the dipstick to be sure you're at the proper level when done.

Joel, CA

 

Well, that is definately not cheap, but it is not crazy expensive either. It has some synthetic oil in it which will help with operation when the tranny is cold or very hot. $6 is the same price as Mobil 1 ATF. While the Mitsu ATF does not have as much synthetic component as Mobil 1, it has a lot more than the generic Pennzoil Dexron III fluid which costs about $2.50. At least Mitsu puts a drain plug on the tranny, making is very easy for the DIY to do a drain and refill for $30 total. That is not such a bad deal considering most trannys require a new pan gasket, then making a mess trying to catch that fluid when you drop the pan, cleaning the gasket surface, etc. Bleh!!

 

Would it help anyone if I did a DIY photo shoot of this? If so, where do I post DIY's on this site? I havent seen any. Is there a place to post DIY's? Sorry Im the new guy

Im going it this weekend and ill post my pics if someone can show me where to post them.

Thanks

 

I think it would be helpful. I think it would be good to show a photo of where the drain plug is, and a photo of where and how you add the fluid. Also an accurate measurement of how much fluid you drained out would be good. A photo of the bottle would be good too. Many people are comfortable with changing their engine oil but not the other fluids. Your DIY would be reassuring. Just make a new post and call it something like ATF DIY fluid change.

 

If Joel's the same guy I know from another mitsu 4x4 forum, then he is the man and has the tech know how to back it up.

As an FYI, the tranny fluid replacement is about as easy as doing an oil change so you can probably understand why its not highly documented. You just have to make sure you're unscrewing the tranny drain plug (hard to screw up really) versus the engine oil plug. Both plugs are on their respective pans.

If you decide it's too big a pain to change this fluid yourself and bring it to an oil and lube place to do, BE SURE they use the right fluid as noted above. IF you do not, you may be buying a new tranny. That's how critical using the right fluid is on these tranny's.