'99 Trooper tranny question

Hmmm... No leaks on a 7 year old 4x4 tranny?... interesting concept. The
lack of a dipstick or top-off plug seems like a very poor design for a 4x4.
But then, I am very old school and I go off-road a lot. So does my friend.
Every machine I've ever had leaked, at least a little, here and/or there. I
was thinking about buying that Trooper from my friend. I guess I will just
tell him about that design and look at other vehicles.

Axel

"GreenGas" <O2 RemoveThis @yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:a66dnXmJOJPlofvZnZ2dnUVZ_tWdnZ2d@comcast.com...
> Axel, there isn't a dipstick. You can't even open a plug up to check the
> level. You drain it per the manual, and then using the fill procedure
> specified numerous times in earlier posts on this group, you refill it
> after changing your filter. There should be no need to add fluid if you
> don't have any leaks.
> Hope this helps.
> r/
> Steve
>
> "Axel Grease" <SendNoMail RemoveThis @here.net> wrote in message
> news:126aokr603t6741@corp.supernews.com...
>> My friend bought a '99 Trooper with 4-spd auto, L-H range, auto 4x4
>> button on the dash, etc. (V-6, PS, PB, AC, etc,etc)... a pretty nice car
>> for the $$ he paid.
>>
>> Question is - Where is the dipstick for the tranny? We looked all under
>> the hood and found nothing but a crankcase oil diptsick. Does this
>> vehicle require crawling under there with a wrench and opening a plug to
>> check the transmission fluid level?
>>
>> Axel
>>
>>
>
>
>
 >> Stay informed about: '99 Trooper tranny question 

Well, mine's a 98, and it doesn't leak. Never did, and hasn't yet. It's got
85K miles on it. I've drained and refilled it per the manual's instructions
once - and it was pretty messy, but it worked ok. Remember, quality control
of these things has gotton a lot better in the last 10 years.
My guess is that your friend still got a bargain, depending on the shape the
Trooper's in and the number of miles on it.
r/
Steve

"Axel Grease" <SendNoMail RemoveThis @here.net> wrote in message
news:126sdvjko4d8d14@corp.supernews.com...
> Hmmm... No leaks on a 7 year old 4x4 tranny?... interesting concept. The
> lack of a dipstick or top-off plug seems like a very poor design for a
> 4x4.
> But then, I am very old school and I go off-road a lot. So does my
> friend. Every machine I've ever had leaked, at least a little, here and/or
> there. I was thinking about buying that Trooper from my friend. I guess
> I will just tell him about that design and look at other vehicles.
>
> Axel
>
> "GreenGas" <O2 RemoveThis @yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:a66dnXmJOJPlofvZnZ2dnUVZ_tWdnZ2d@comcast.com...
>> Axel, there isn't a dipstick. You can't even open a plug up to check the
>> level. You drain it per the manual, and then using the fill procedure
>> specified numerous times in earlier posts on this group, you refill it
>> after changing your filter. There should be no need to add fluid if you
>> don't have any leaks.
>> Hope this helps.
>> r/
>> Steve
>>
>> "Axel Grease" <SendNoMail RemoveThis @here.net> wrote in message
>> news:126aokr603t6741@corp.supernews.com...
>>> My friend bought a '99 Trooper with 4-spd auto, L-H range, auto 4x4
>>> button on the dash, etc. (V-6, PS, PB, AC, etc,etc)... a pretty nice car
>>> for the $$ he paid.
>>>
>>> Question is - Where is the dipstick for the tranny? We looked all under
>>> the hood and found nothing but a crankcase oil diptsick. Does this
>>> vehicle require crawling under there with a wrench and opening a plug to
>>> check the transmission fluid level?
>>>
>>> Axel
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
 >> Stay informed about: '99 Trooper tranny question 

Thanks GreenGas,

I understand what you mean about the QC and newer tranny's, but I am not
gonna feel good about those "sealed" rigs until I can see a lot more success
stories over years of hard use. If you spring a leak where the cell phone
doesn't work, on an icy/muddy, January Sunday, 25 miles from town, you are
still in deep doo-doo unless you can add some new juice from the top (into a
dipstick tube) every couple of miles. (yes, I carry a gallon of spare fluid
for everything while I am in the back country... been there, broke that...
more than once).

My friend's '99 Trooper has 105K miles on it and he gave $3,200. It had
some body damage, which he fixed fairly easily (he's a very good bodyman and
a professional metals painter). He got no Owner's Manual with the car and
has no idea how old the tranny fluid is in there.

I searched through the older postings in here and read where some guy had
blown his tranny twice after 40+K miles between juice changes and some other
owner recommended changes at 20K intervals as a more effective prevention
method. I called my friend and recomended he change the tranny fluid ASAP.

Axel

"GreenGas" <O2 DeleteThis @yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:6ZqdnSPNYLFvTvLZnZ2dneKdnZydnZ2d@comcast.com...
> Well, mine's a 98, and it doesn't leak. Never did, and hasn't yet. It's
> got 85K miles on it. I've drained and refilled it per the manual's
> instructions once - and it was pretty messy, but it worked ok. Remember,
> quality control of these things has gotton a lot better in the last 10
> years.
> My guess is that your friend still got a bargain, depending on the shape
> the Trooper's in and the number of miles on it.
> r/
> Steve
>
> "Axel Grease" <SendNoMail DeleteThis @here.net> wrote in message
> news:126sdvjko4d8d14@corp.supernews.com...
>> Hmmm... No leaks on a 7 year old 4x4 tranny?... interesting concept. The
>> lack of a dipstick or top-off plug seems like a very poor design for a
>> 4x4.
>> But then, I am very old school and I go off-road a lot. So does my
>> friend. Every machine I've ever had leaked, at least a little, here
>> and/or there. I was thinking about buying that Trooper from my friend.
>> I guess I will just tell him about that design and look at other
>> vehicles.
>>
>> Axel
>>
>> "GreenGas" <O2 DeleteThis @yahoo.com> wrote in message
>> news:a66dnXmJOJPlofvZnZ2dnUVZ_tWdnZ2d@comcast.com...
>>> Axel, there isn't a dipstick. You can't even open a plug up to check the
>>> level. You drain it per the manual, and then using the fill procedure
>>> specified numerous times in earlier posts on this group, you refill it
>>> after changing your filter. There should be no need to add fluid if you
>>> don't have any leaks.
>>> Hope this helps.
>>> r/
>>> Steve
>>>
>>> "Axel Grease" <SendNoMail DeleteThis @here.net> wrote in message
>>> news:126aokr603t6741@corp.supernews.com...
>>>> My friend bought a '99 Trooper with 4-spd auto, L-H range, auto 4x4
>>>> button on the dash, etc. (V-6, PS, PB, AC, etc,etc)... a pretty nice
>>>> car for the $$ he paid.
>>>>
>>>> Question is - Where is the dipstick for the tranny? We looked all
>>>> under the hood and found nothing but a crankcase oil diptsick. Does
>>>> this vehicle require crawling under there with a wrench and opening a
>>>> plug to check the transmission fluid level?
>>>>
>>>> Axel
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
 >> Stay informed about: '99 Trooper tranny question