i am about to change my transmission fluid, and have been reading up on which fluids to use, and i got confused

according to a sticky i read, allison has approved dexron VI for my allison 1000, but my manual says use only dexron III

so, which is it? both? which offers more protections?

also, how much fluid do i need to buy to change the transmission fluid?

thanks

Dexron VI superceeds III. It is what the dealers fill them with now. It is a better fluid. Use the VI.

If you decide on synthetic, may I suggest AMSOIL Torque Drive, which is the equiv of Allison TES-295

I would caution against using DEX VI for a vehicle that old. There are seal compatibility issues that GM does not acknowledge, but Allison specifically calls out with a serial number cut off.

For the 2006 (after cutoff) and newer units, the DEX VI is a better choice than tradtional DEX III fluids. TES-389 fluids are OK as well.

For 2006 (pre cutoff) and older units, the DEX III fluids are the correct choice.

For all units, you can upgrade to TES-295 approved fluids (such as Transynd or Delvac ATF, etc) or the clones (such as TorqDrive or 204S-AT or AutoTrans-5).

Moved to Maintenance & Fluids...

cool...found transynd for 35 dollars a gallon

thanks guys

funny thing

the freekin allison dealer i went to didnt know diddly squat about dexron 3 or 6, nor the seal problems putting the 6 in a an ALLY 1000

plus they told me i would need 3 gallons to drop the fluid and change the filter....i poured 2 gallons in, and its a tad over

effen dealers

One thing to keep in mind is that while we here on TDP think of the Allison as the end-all-be-all of trannys for our light duty trucks, the reality is that the 1000 series tranny represents a fairly small portion of the whole Allison product line. It's not at all supprising that a local Allison dealer doesn't consider the issue of DEX III vs. DEX VI. They just don't deal with it much.

Further, that's likely another reason that GM actually kept the 1000 series when they sold off Allison. It is a good match to the light duty trucks, but is not as useful in total market share to Allison's heavier market product lines, where they make the big money.

Some Allison dealers are willing to work on 1000 series trannys, but not all are. And, GM will NOT pay for any warranty work on a 1000 series tranny done at an Allison dealer. They specifically reserve that work for a GM dealership.

The whole topic of fluids became very convoluted once GM simultanously came out with DEX VI and also decided to rid itself of Allison.

TES-295 fluids, and the clones, will function perfectly fine in the 1000 series (at least up until this point), but don't expect any type of clear guideance from either GM or Allison at the local level. And in the future, who knows what changes GM will make to the 1000 series that Allison will have little knowledge of, and no control over ...

i thought the 1000s were the 5 speed and the current allisons in the gms are 2000's???

I believe the 1000 is the automatic and the ZF is the manual trans.

Is the TES 295 a superior fluid to a synthetic Dex VI? Or vise-versa?

Thanks.

royal purple too

I would say that if you wanted to see a "heirarchy" of tranny fluids, here's a generalization based upon performance abilities.

1) TES-295 certified fluids (typically PAO based, top end with great additive package)
1a) TES-295 clones (likely every bit as good, but not "certified" by Allison)

2) DEX VI (very shear stable and great longevity, but not as good as TES stuff)
2a) DEX III based "synthetics" like Mobil 1 ATF and others (also PAO based, quite often)

3) DEX III/Mercon fluids (all are "former" because the license systems don't exist for these now). Doesn't make them bad; they just are no longer being licensed. Still good performance for shorter OCIs.

Do not discount the need for TES-389 type fluids in earlier Allison 1000 and 2000 trannies, per the Allison sticky at the top of this section, due to seal compatibility issues.

thanks dnewton3

In your opinion, would a TES 295 fluid be a good fluid in a transfer case? Better than Dex VI?

Thanks again!

i thought the 1000s were the 5 speed and the current allisons in the gms are 2000's???
Nope, the 6speeds with the manual tap shift are still 1000 series

Is the TES 295 a superior fluid to a synthetic Dex VI? Or vise-versa?

Thanks.
TES-295 is top of the heap when it comes to ATF. It is also the most expensive. Unless you are caught in the pre-serial number cutoff and concerned about seal compatibility, DEX VI should be more than adequated for 99%+ of GM HD owners. I am 2006, but was manufactured in third qtr of 2005 and am pre-serial # cutoff. I will likely go with TES-389 fluid for seal compatibility when I change it out. However, if I can stomach the $10/gal I may just go to Transynd and forget about it for 100k mile change intervals.

Remember to check with us about our DP members offer if you want to use the Amsoil Torque Drive (clone). It would be a couple bucks a gal cheaper than what Rich Cheese found with the Transynd.

Dane

TES-295 fluids in the tranny and t-case would be an excellent choice.

I am a big fan of the TES-295 clone products, such as Torqdrive (Amsoil), 204S-AT (Schaeffers) and AutoTrans-5 (DA lubricants). They give you every bit as much performance, without the extra cost that comes with the associated licensing fees. It is true that because these are not certified by Allison via the TES-295 spec, they cannot claim to be as good. But, UOA reports and analysis show that performance wise, they are right up with the licensed products.

TES-295 licensed fluids are REQUIRED when you're in an extended service contract with Allison for warranty. Since nearly NONE of us meet that criteria, there's little reason to pay for the fully certified products, when a clone will do the job for less cost.

Thanks for all the great info guys!