J Lent

I recently had my tranny rebuilt & it is working great. The guy who rebuilt it filled it up with GM oil & told me that it was the same oil that Dodge uses in the NV4500. I asked if I needed any special additives....he said no, but I just have to make sure. What fluid is working best for smoothest shifts...Amsoil, Castrol Syntorque? Any help is appreciated.

gunnie

royal purple 75x90 been in mine for a few months seems to work fine

J Lent

I have this same post over TDR & was told that it says a GM part # on the PTO cover as well as a Dodge #.

pind

Ok, GM and dodge 4500 series transmissions use the same oil spec. Either part number will work, both are rebadged syntorque.

That being said, I am running Amsoil MTG in mine, for over 50k now, and no problems at all, I would recommend it to anyone looking to upgrade their trans oil.

J Lent

What is the Amsoil MTG rated at 80-90w? Did it really make a difference over Syntorque?

wadecool

J Lent, I wouldn't put anything in your nv4500 but Castrol Syntorque. Anything else could mess up the syncromesh. Chevy used to put nv4500's in their HD trucks & you can usually find cheaper at Chevy dealers because it isn't in high demand for them and is collecting dust on their shelves.

chuxtruk

I had mine serviced the other day @ the local Jiffy-Lube and they used Penzoil Synthetic 75x90. I mentioned this tranny as being a thin oil user but they told me that they check the "book" and fill it with what the factory recommendation is. When I checked it it was a tad bit low so I thought let's just have it serviced and be done with it. The rear end will get the same treatment soon.....

pull-do

Hope it's not the same thing they put in the rear end, if it is, it's the wrong stuff, I'm sure the guys on here will correct me if I'm wrong, but I did a lot of research on this before I did mine, and what I came up with is that the rear end lube requires a GL5 grease and the 4500 requires a GL4, is that right guys?
Anyway what happens is, if they put the GL5 in your tranny the additive in it will attack the brass in your transmission, synchronyzers, or it's the other way around, my buddy that owns a Kwik-Kar lube place also verified this.
So I just bit the bullet and went and bought it at the Dodge place,------ Castrol Syntorq, I believe is suppose to be the same stuff as the Dodge stuff, but I didn't take the chance.
I'd like to try the Amsoil, but I'm skeerded

tenbrooks

better use the castrol, this tranny has fiber syncros. syntorque is designed specificly the the "mighty cummins diesel application". I wouldn't let the monkeys at jiffy lube change the air in my tires search for nv4500 syntorque on this site and others. there is a complete write up on it.

chuxtruk

He told me that "this is what the book calls for for your Dodge pickup tranny oil" so that's good enough for me. I do keep receipts in case of any problems. I'm going double check however with what my large service manual says....

wadecool

I agree with Tenbrooks! The guys on this site live & breathe everything about our trucks. Do you think the guys at Jiffylube know anywhere near as much as folks on this site? Receipt or not, do you think Jiffylube will pay to replace your nv4500 when it tears up with the oil they put in it? Look up quad4x4.com and call & ask Dan what he thinks you should put in it. He knows more about nv4500's than anyone. IMHO, if I were you I'd go today & get some Castrol Syntorque and put it in your tranny. Its high, but not as high as a new tranny.

atf8611

I have a somewhat off topic question. how often should you change the tranny fluid? is it easy to do myself? the engine oil was easy, but i have never done a transmission. its a 99 5 speed 2wd.

wadecool

I don't think the guy at jiffylube knows more than the guys on this site who live & breathe everything about our trucks. I also doubt jiffylube is gonna buy you a new nv4500 tranny when their oil screws up your current one. I HATE the scam Dodge has going with these tranny's, making them only able to use one type of oil which you gotta buy from dealers at jacked up prices. But its still cheaper than a new tranny. IMHO, I would get some Castrol Syntorque & put it your tranny ASAP. I just hate to see anybody mess up their 5spd over what some Jiffylube guy said.

wadecool

Sorry about the 2 posts back to back, I didn't think the 1st one went thru.
Its easy to change the oil on a nv4500. Just take out the center bolt on the bottom of your pto cover(its the drain plug). Then fill it up to the bottom edge of your fill plug. You can also pull off the shifter & top cover of the tranny and pour the syntorque from the top, which is less messy than using the fill plug. 4 quarts & that's it.

dspencer

How often to change?