Hey Scotty! I have a 2003 Jeep Liberty 3.7 V6 RWD that I only use in the summers in Puerto Rico. She has 120k miles and doesn't skip a beat. I was wondering what your thoughts are on changing her transmission fluid if she runs prefect but with that somewhat higher mileage? (Now babied and driven around 1k miles a year).
Some say yes, some say no, I’d do it, personally.
When was the last time it was changed? What does the fluid look like? If you drain and fill (change filter if any), I would KEEP the old fluid when it drains just in case there are any issues.
If you wanted Scotty’s insight:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OxKC2hs6T5w
If the fluid is clean (red or just a little brown) it should be safe to change using the drain & fill method. (Doing that 3 or 4 times, driiving for a while between times, will gradually introduce new fluid and replace about 90% of the old stuff.) If there is a filter that should be changed out as well, but some transmissions only have a metal screen that doesn't need to be serviced.
If the old fluid is seriously black, gritty, and/or burned I would not take the chance. When it gets that bad frequently it's only the grit in the fluid providing enough friction for the trans to work with worn clutches and bands.
