Changing the Transmission Fluid in a Dodge Neon

It's time.

The way I was told by a machinist/mechanic. My father.

If you have a dipstick and can check the fluid levels. The transmission fluid should be changed around 60,000 miles.

If you have a sealed transmission then change between 100 k to 150 k miles.

All this also depends on your driving habits.

Working in a garage as a youth I was told if you have not changed the fluid on a regular bases don't start now. Something about how the new oil will effect the seals. To change it then only if its burnt. Will turn orange when burnt and have a funny burnt smell.

If you are going to change the oil it is all so recommend to replace the suction filter or clean the screen.

I don't think that transmission failure rate is that great due to frequency at which one changes the oil to cause transmission shops to close.

A repair manual for your Neon suggests replacing the transaxle fluid every 15,000 miles, if the vehicle is driven under extreme conditions, such as in mostly hot weather, lots of stop and go driving, used as a taxi, etc. If it were my car, and driven normally, I would double the suggested fluid change mileage. So, with the mileage on your Neon, I would change it, along with the filter. It is not a difficult job to handle yourself, but tends to be a bit messy with fluid going everywhere, since one must loosen the pan to allow the fluid to drain.

If you wish to tackle the job, suggest you purchase a service manual for instructions.

A 98 Neon with 100.000 miles and no problems is a good Neon . This vehicle is normally not a long distance runner . If you have been blessed with exceptional service from your Neon , i would suggest you not " change " the trans. fluid but " flush " the fluid . A normal trans. fluid change only drains the pan and valve body system which leaves another 60 - 70% of the old fluid in the tourqe converter !

To actually " change all the fluid " you must " flush " the trans. and of course change the filter . A garage can do this for approx. $150.00 or if you are mechanicaly inclined you can diy.

Check Skeeters info. also ., Check trans. fluid hot for proper level , check color of fluid , Red excellent , lite brown ok., dark to blackish , FLUSH .

A number of years ago, I was given a Ford LTD that had not had the trans oil cahnged and it had 75K miles on it., so I had the oil changed. Disaster struck immediately with slippage of the clutches. Now, I religiously change oil every 20K miles on every car (regardless of manufactures recommendations). But if it is an older car, where oil hasnt been cahnged in a long while I wouldnt touch it. If it aint broke, dont fix it...

Dear Dodge Neon Owner/driver: Sorry I can not Speak for your make, But have driven over 2 Million Miles, with about 125 different vehicles. I don't think I have driven any vehicle less than 110 thousand miles. I watch the Color of all the fluids in what I drive, it means far more to me than how far the vehicle has gone. If you have any Petroleum Allergies, don't use my technique:" I Taste Any & All Fluids(a spot on the tip of my finger is enough) in My Vehicles."

Parts Problems, change the color, and shortly before an in-experienced driver can see the difference the Taste of some Parts Wearing, is an earlier indication. I Have Never Had To Repair A Transmission On Any MAKE/Size or Use of Vehicle. (This includes Hyway Transports, EarthMovers, 17 ft Deep V - with 6 cyl. Mercury OutBoard, & Cars & Light Trucks by Chrysler, Ford, GMC & IHC.) I Wish you many happy miles of driving, I have not Quit, I'm seventy years old. Retired Diesel Mechanic,Carl.

a savvy mechanic told me to change the filter & screen; strain the fluid through something as cheesecloth, and pour the used fluid back into the transmission. Also as reported in this thread, it's a good idea to visibly inspect the fluid before reusing it.

Question: Is it Auto or Stick shift? If it's auto, I'm with the guys who say change/flush regularly. I do, at 30,000 km. I tow trailers behind small cars- works the trans and the oil hard-lots of shifts and high temperatures.

Although I change the gear oil in the stick shift cars at 100,000km, I can see no reason to think that your manual trans will be compromised at 100,000miles (160,000km) unless the previous owner or your kids give it a hiding-beating synchros and gnashing bits of metal off the gears. The suspended solids then dramatically increase wear on all components.

Eventually forms a grinding paste and then, goodnight gearbox.

Like the man said. Change it. In the great scheme of things, oil's cheap.

The only way to know if the fluid is any good is with an oil analysis. If the oil smells burnt, it is way too late-you have varnish throughout the transmission. Use the best fluid on the market. Do not wait, if you want to keep your equipment like-new.

Your transmission fluid does need to be changed. If it is a manual just drain and refill. If it is an automatic, Do the flush procedure, or do the drain and refill a few times till the fluid looks as good on the dipstick as it does in the container of new fluid. The color of the fluid is from clutch dust or fluid breakdown from overheating. A gentleman that owned two very successful transmission shops in the So Fla area told me that if the transmission fluid never overheated, he would be out of business. Transmission oil coolers extend transmission life. If your transmission pan has the appearance of varnish inside it, try adding a produce called Trans X. It will help soften internal and external seals. It will also help to devolve the varnish deposits. That means that you will need to change your transmission filter or screen sooner as the filter is collecting the solids that are being removed.

If the transmission insides appear free of the varnish, I would suggest Lube Guard. It will help reduce trans temperatures and wear. This product should stay in the transmission and not require the more frequent fluid changes. I am sure there are many additional products that are good on the market. These are two that I have used with success on many occasions. The real test as stated by others is the fluid color. Good luck. I hope to never rebuild or pay someone to rebuild an automatic again. Just hate it.

If you are going to change the transmission fluid make sure that it is changed in the transmission and in the torque converter also. A lot of shops just drain the transmission and don't drain the torque converter. First drain the transmission and put in a new gasket and filter. Fill the fluid up to full in the transmission. Find the hot line coming from the transmission to the radiator or the transmission cooler and disconnect it. Put a long tube on it and put that into a bucket. It works better if you have an observer at this point. Start the engine. The fluid from the transmission will start to pump out into the bucket. When the flow of fluid starts to sputter stop the engine. Add enough fluid to the transmission to bring it up to full. Continue this process until the fluid coming out of the tube is the same color as the fluid you are putting into the transmission. Now you have probably drained all of the yuky old stuff out of your transmission and you are ready for another passel of miles if the engine holds out. I use and recommend AMSOIL transmission fluid. Regular petroleum based transmission fluid starts to burn at about 285 degress F and leaves a deposit which usually plugs the transmission I am told. AMSOIL starts to evaporate at 600 degrees F and leaves no deposit. Oh yes be sure to put hose from transmission back onto the radiator or cooler. Fill the fluid level back to full. I also recommend AMSOIL in the engine. I don't sell AMSOIL just have a 92 Dodge Dakota with 212,000 miles that would be blown apart if I had't been using AMSOIL when the radiator fan gave out and the engine was severely overheated in very hot weather.

First of all, I recommend that you go down to the local auto supply store and get a Chiltons manual on your vehicle. It will give you fluid specifications and miles before changing them. At 100K miles, I think you are due. If you intend to do any serious repair on the vehicle, get a shop repair manual on your specific car. This is the bible!! They are expensive, but they are worth their weight in gold. Dodge Service Manual source.

Along these lines, I just replaced a starter in our Caravan. Chiltons says "remove two bolts". The Dodge manual explains that you have to take off alot of plastics before you can even get to the "two bolts".

I cannot speak for Dodge Neon, but I sure can talk about Dodge Caravan. We had a '94 and currently a '96. First of all, lets assume we are talking about an automatic transmission. Do NOT replace the fluid with ATF, or Dexron... or DexronII. Replace it ONLY with ATF+3, or ATF+4 (the latest version) unless instructed otherwise by a manual. Anything else will destroy the transmission. I learned this the hard way.

Anyhow, I hope this helps.

Bill

only when the fluid ain't pink. it can be little darker then new but if it is REALY DARK then change it as soon as possible. besides that your car should run along time. if any more ?'s then just reply back.

I have a 1995 Plymouth Neon (also was sold under Dodge badge) with automatic transmission. The Chrysler service manual for it says to change the ATF every 30,000 miles in severe service (schedule B -- freezing or very hot weather, lots of trips < 5 miles, lots of stop & go, etc) but on the standard schedule A for normal use, there is no recommended interval for ATF change. I read elsewhere on the Internet that changing the fluid now requires a new type fluid called ATF+4 and that also requires that the transmission control computer be "retrained" for the new fluid's hydraulic properties. It doesn't sound like a do-it-yourself project to me. I have 97,000 miles on my Neon. I think I'll change fluid now before I have trouble, but it's not on the Chrysler recommended service schedule. I don't know if the 1998 model year had the same recommendation, but probably so.