99 montero transmission fluid

[vanatee2000]

I'm gonna change the transmission fluid in my montero this weekend. The owners manual says dexron 2, the mitsubishi dealer said sp3...then I asked "even if the manual says dexron 2?" he said that it didn't say that so I brought the manual in and showed the parts guy, he referenced it with his service manual and it also said dexron 2. He said sp3 is what they always use though. I asked what happens if I put in sp3 and the transmission dies, he said tough luck basically. So my question is: is sp3 a dexron 2 equivalent, is it alright to put in, and is there any input that you would like to give on this situation. The stickied post says dexron 2 or sp3 depending on manufacture date but I see nothing about that in the owners manual nor did the parts desk.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

What's SP3?

 

[vanatee2000]

It's mitsubishi diamond sp III. their proprietary fluid. Some people say if it requires that fluid and you don't use it you will destroy your transmission

 

[Eric M]

What's SP3?

The fluid used in the 5 speed transmissions in the 3rd gen Monteros Also used in other vehicles. Supposedly similar to Dexron III.

 

[jlocster]

If your owners manual specs Dexron 2, and the shop's service manual specs Dexron 2, use Dexron 2.

SP3 is a a higher spec fluid, and can be used in place of, or mixed with Dexron 2, in a vehicle spec'ed for Dexron 2. However, it's far more expensive and in your case, in a Gen 2.5, there's no advantage to using it, since it's not required.

Gen 2s, on the other hand, are spec'ed to use SP3. Running lower spec Dexron 2 or mixing it with SP3 in that application could very well result in early trans failure.

I'm betting the dealership is just playing it safe by putting SP3 in everything.

I'm currently running Dexron 2 in my year 2000 Gen 2.5.

 

[vanatee2000]

What brand are you using? Obviously I can't really find proper dex 2, but I can find dexron that is dex 2 compatible

 

[Eric M]

As far as I know, Dexron is backwards compatible. So you could use Dexron III or IV in a transmission that calls for Dexron II.

 

[vanatee2000]

Hmm my dealer sells the sp3 For 7 bucks a quart..so it's only like 2 bucks more than what I could get at the local parts store. I think I'll just go with the sp3 since the price difference in total is pretty minimal

 

[Eric M]

I would rather get Dexron than put SPIII in it.

 

[jlocster]

Oops, for clarity, when I said I'm using Dexron 2, I should have said I'm using Dexron 2 compatible fluid, which is really Dexron VI, the latest and greatest incarnation of Dexron which has superseded previous versions since about 2006. Like Eric mentioned, Dexron VI is backwards compatible with 2. The brand I'm using is Valvoline, and the oil is a full synthetic.

If there's not much of a price difference with using SP3 where you live, and you want to use it, you should be fine. But I agree with Eric, when the manufacturer recommends Dexron, I like the idea of staying with Dexron.

For the record, SP3 is a semi synthetic fluid.

If you'd like to read more about ATF, and oils in general, bobistheoilguy.com is the place to do it.