Pan Drop Service or Leave It Alone? 2006 Liberty 3.7L 4WD / 42RLE @ 200k Miles

[monstermangraphic]

Hey Guys, Thanks for all your help over the years.

My 2006 Liberty Sport 4WD (3.7L / 42RLE) is approaching 200,000 miles.
The transmission currently works fine: no slipping, no delayed engagement, no harsh shifts, and no codes.

Around 150k miles, a transmission fluid line came loose or failed while driving on the highway. I don't know which line it was or how much fluid was lost, but the Jeep had to be towed and repaired. Since then I've put about 50k miles on it with no transmission-related issues.

I recently acquired an OEM filter, gasket material, and ATF+4. My plan would be a simple pan drop, magnet cleaning, filter replacement, and refill. No flush.

The attached photos shows the current fluid on a paper towel.

Given the mileage, current condition, and history, would you:

• Leave it completely alone?
• Do a pan drop, filter change, magnet cleaning, and ATF+4 refill?

Any advice from those with experience on high-mileage 42RLEs would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Scott

 

[lfhoward]

The fluid isn’t as red as it used to be but it’s not brown or black. Does it smell burnt at all?

If not (and maybe even so) I would lean towards a pan drop with fluid and filter change (not a flush). I’m at 238,000 on mine and it’s been about 60,000 since the last change, so probably about time for me to do this job too.

The pan magnet will tell you a lot when you get access to that. Here’s to a healthy high mileage transmission.

On your 06 do you have a dipstick? By the 08 the fill tube is still there but the dipstick has been replaced by a cap that says “Dealer Use Only”. LOL.

 

[eric1514]

I recently dropped the pan on my 2005 because it had 172k miles and I didn't know the history of it and the fluid was darker than it should have been. Two things made this a very easy thing to do, and I recommend you do the job.

1) Don't drop the pan full of fluid. Suck the ATF out through the dipstick tube into a container. There are lots of methods for doing this. I have a small 12-volt, $12 pump I bought years ago for changing the oil on a FIAT 500. Look at some YouTube videos and search Amazon. You'll see tons of mechanical vacuum devices like this one. LINK They're mostly in the $40-$50 range. I'd have bought one if I didn't still have my small pump. People use them to perform oil changes. Dropping a pan full of fluid makes a mess on the ground and on your Jeep.

2) Buy a new pan. They're cheap and it's very likely you will bend the old one removing it. They're glued on pretty good and cleaning the old one is another messy job. Just clean the magnet and transfer it to the new pan. Here's the pan I bought. LINK

Good luck, it's easy and can't hurt.

 

[monstermangraphic]

The fluid isn’t as red as it used to be but it’s not brown or black. Does it smell burnt at all?

If not (and maybe even so) I would lean towards a pan drop with fluid and filter change (not a flush). I’m at 238,000 on mine and it’s been about 60,000 since the last change, so probably about time for me to do this job too.

The pan magnet will tell you a lot when you get access to that. Here’s to a healthy high mileage transmission.

On your 06 do you have a dipstick? By the 08 the fill tube is still there but the dipstick has been replaced by a cap that says “Dealer Use Only”. LOL.

Thanks, that's kind of where I was leaning as well.

The fluid doesn't smell burnt, and I agree the magnet will probably tell the real story.

I'm leaning toward a simple pan drop, filter change, and refill rather than leaving it alone.

And yes, mine still has the dipstick.

 

[JeepJeepster]

I'll always believe in dropping the pan and changing the fluid. I dont care how many miles are on a transmission. Heck, do it twice.

 

[Robochop]

I agree with the idea of dropping the pan and doing the entire fluid change. Not sure, but I think the maintenance manual says either 15k or 30k miles! I added a drain plug to my ****** pan because I have several liberty's and keep up on my routine maintenance.