Clutch/ trani fluid change

[MACH4444]

I'm looking to change the trani fluid and flush/ replace the clutch fluid myself and was wondering if anyone has any written instructions and/or any hints or tips to pass along. This will be my first time performing this myself on My Viper. Any help would be greatly appreciated. 2000 rt/10. Thanks

[bluesrt]

if you have to ask, its no different than a ford pinto basically, just put the correct fluid in it- its not a Ferrari, so don't worry, simple as any other American muscle car

[LifeIsGood]

Here's a quick DIY I just put together...

Tools:

• Ratchet
• 15mm socket for the splash shield bolts
• 3/8" plug socket for both the drain and fill plugs
• Drain pan
• Pump to get the fluid up to the transmission fill plug (I used a cheap hand pump from Wal-Mart)

Parts:

• MOPAR Synthetic Manual Transmission Lubricant SAE 75W-85 (NV-4500, Mopar #04874459), 4 quarts
• PTFE tape

Standard Procedure - Drain and Fill Transmission (Service Manual 21-4, with a few of my own additions)

Raise and support the vehicle. The fill process will be more accurate if the viper is level.
Remove the underbody splash shield (15mm).





Remove the transmission fill plug (3/8" plug socket) located on the left side of the transmission case.
Place the drain pan under the drain plug location.



Remove the drain plug (3/8" plug socket) located on the right side of the transmission tail housing.



Allow the transmission fluid to drain (I didn’t do a good job guessing where to put the drain pan).
Install the drain plug using the PTFE tape into the tail housing (torque to 28 ft lbs).
Use the pump to fill the transmission with MOPAR Synthetic Manual Transmission Lubricant SAE 75W-85.
The transmission is full when the fluid level is even with the bottom of the fill hole.
Install the transmission fill plug using the PTFE tape (torque to 20 ft lbs).
Install the underbody splash shield.

[Creatre]

Is there any way to fill without using a pump? Curious if there were any tricks.

[Bugman Jeff]

Sort of. What I've done in similar circumstances was put a nozzle on the bottle like gear lube bottles have, then attach a hose to the nozzle(gear lube bottle nozzles will screw onto oil type bottles). Squeeze the bottle, and it'll pump the lube into the trans. The down side is that you can't get all the lube out of the bottle, only as much as you can squeeze out. After dumping all the leftovers into one bottle and pumping that in, I'm generally I'm left with 1/4 quart that I can't squeeze out. Have to be careful the hose doesn't slip off too, it makes a heck of a mess...

[Steve M]

Is there any way to fill without using a pump? Curious if there were any tricks.

I've not found any better way when working on transmissions...with my old Camaro, you could remove the shifter and just pour the transmission fluid in through there, but after managing to spill a little fluid on the carpet, I stopped doing it that way.

Although pricey, the best thing I've personally found is this setup:

http://motiveproducts.3dcartstores.c...llon_p_79.html

Pour the fluid in, add some compressed air through the included Shraeder valve, open the 1/4 turn ball valve and watch the fluid go. I have two...one for heavier gear oils and one for transmission fluid. Both work great; if you are resourceful, you could make your own out of a garden sprayer from your local big box store.

[Policy Limits]

What's average clutch life on a viper?

[bluesrt]

What's average clutch life on a viper?

5 miles to 150,000 miles

[Policy Limits]

On "AVERAGE?"

[bluesrt]

depends on how you drive. average out of 100 cars, I guess about 100k

- - - Updated - - -

look up on u tube yellow corvette blows clutch, lol

[C.J]

NAPA has a fluid transfer pump that works fine. Sorta looks like a grease gun, but it acts like a syringe. I think they are pretty cheap too, so this is good to have.

Speaking of good to have, a Dodge service manual for your RT/10 would be something useful to find out on ebay. Money well spent.

[WetOne]

LifeIsGood, that is a very nice DIY guide. Thank you.

[MACH4444]

Life is good, thanks for the fantastic write up.

[Viper_oman]

Here's a quick DIY I just put together...

Tools:

• Ratchet
• 15mm socket for the splash shield bolts
• 3/8" plug socket for both the drain and fill plugs
• Drain pan
• Pump to get the fluid up to the transmission fill plug (I used a cheap hand pump from Wal-Mart)

Parts:

• MOPAR Synthetic Manual Transmission Lubricant SAE 75W-85 (NV-4500, Mopar #04874459), 4 quarts
• PTFE tape

Standard Procedure - Drain and Fill Transmission (Service Manual 21-4, with a few of my own additions)

Raise and support the vehicle. The fill process will be more accurate if the viper is level.
Remove the underbody splash shield (15mm).





Remove the transmission fill plug (3/8" plug socket) located on the left side of the transmission case.
Place the drain pan under the drain plug location.



Remove the drain plug (3/8" plug socket) located on the right side of the transmission tail housing.



Allow the transmission fluid to drain (I didn’t do a good job guessing where to put the drain pan).
Install the drain plug using the PTFE tape into the tail housing (torque to 28 ft lbs).
Use the pump to fill the transmission with MOPAR Synthetic Manual Transmission Lubricant SAE 75W-85.
The transmission is full when the fluid level is even with the bottom of the fill hole.
Install the transmission fill plug using the PTFE tape (torque to 20 ft lbs).
Install the underbody splash shield.

great write up thanks