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Been checking for ATF fluid for my 05 LGT. Not much out there other than oem Subaru ATF HP but I did run on to this http://www.royalpurple.com/transmission-chart.html Looks like Royal Purple Max ATF works for the HP. Any thoughts on this? Also, if I drain the pan and change filter, how much is typically needed to refill?

 

Thanks for the input and assistance.

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Been checking for ATF fluid for my 05 LGT. Not much out there other than oem Subaru ATF HP but I did run on to this http://www.royalpurple.com/transmission-chart.html Looks like Royal Purple Max ATF works for the HP. Any thoughts on this? Also, if I drain the pan and change filter, how much is typically needed to refill?

 

Thanks for the input and assistance.

 

bg, amsoil, RP, or oem,

 

drain and fill will take about 4-5 quarts.

 

why not flush?

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I play it conservatively with ATF. My wife's Acura specifies only Honda ATF Z1 and warns against the power flushes pushed by so many service outlets. I realize Honda builds their transmissions like no one else, but the original fluids were specified to suit the special characteristics of each transmission type.
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Actually Honda auto trannies have less than stellar track record. There are many machines out there that don't force fluid in or out, they rely on the automatic transmission's pump to flush it. If you want to play it conservatively then stick with OEM. It makes no sense to dillute new, expensive, synthetic ATF with old stuff, especially since you're only replacing about 4-5 quarts out of the 10 that are in there. The OEM ATF is plenty good.
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Hello guys:

I sent an email to Red Line inquiring about the 5EAT tranny, this what they have to say:

 

From: David Granquist <Dave@redlineoil.com>

Date: Fri, Jun 25, 2010 at 3:17 PM

Subject: Re: Subaru 5EAT

To: Efrain N Alers <nativoperformance@gmail.com>

 

 

Efrain,

 

The D4ATF is a suitable replacement for the OEM Idemitsu HP fluid as well as the Castrol Transmatic J, Transmax E & J as well as the Pennsoil ATF J, yes the D4ATF is the correct fluid for your Subaru automatic.

 

 

Regards, Dave

Red Line Oil

 

 

 

Any comments from you guys,

 

Efrain

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I called my local dealer and they said the HP runs $14/qt.!!!!!!!! The parts manager said he would NOT spend that for ATF. He said you could use just about any ATF out there. What do you all say to that? RUN AWAY??????
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Dealers will usually not do OEM, lol. Too much money. Lots of dealers around my neck of the woods use BG products. I use them in my shop/personally. The company does a lot of r and d on its products before they list them for use in a vehicle. They also back the fluids 100% against failure.
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glen9010, your local dealer parts guy sounds like the typical ignorant. $9 per quart here, and the tranny does not take any ATF. Dexron 4 for example would not work. Ask him if he would put it in writing, signed, that he will guarantee the "any ATF" he would put in there would not cause a failure.

 

Malt Beverage: issue I have with BG is you can't find the tech specs or compatibility chart anywhere.

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This is what Red Line's technical data says about it's D4ATF:

 

Synthetic D4 ATF is suitable for use where Dexron® III, Dexron® III H, Dexron® II, Toyota T-IV, Hyundai, Voith, ZF, Nissan Matic-J, Honda Z-1, Mercon®, or Mercon® V fluids are recommended.

The D4 ATF is designed with superior low-temperature properties compared to a Dexron® III fluid, and the improved shear-stability requirements which is part of the new Mercon® V specifications. The D4 ATF also provides significantly improved gear protection and will provide a GL-4 level of gear protection, making it a superior product for transmissions and transaxles.

The balanced frictional characteristics provides smooth and consistent shifts for extended drain intervals. The superior stability compared to petroleum ATFs allows high-temperature operation without varnishing valves and clutches which leads to transmission

failure.

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i invested on mine. did the 11 quarts from the dealer and took it to jiffy lube. for a total flush. i was having a little jerking issue from 2 to 3 gear it didnt help since i herd its a software issue.

 

in my opinion either a total flush or no. i saw what the old fluid looked like through the machine reddish black. so the 4 to 5 quarts is a total waist of money.

 

oh btw your spin on filter for the tranny 5eat is behind the battery

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Amsoil site says their Universal ATF is recommended for the Subaru ATF-HP. If I go this route, would you suggest having it power flushed? Would have to find a competent shop to do this. I have Royal Purple in my truck and it helped with temps a great deal while towing. Any thoughts on RP Max ATF?
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supafla777, as far as I know flushing machines require 16 quarts to do a flush, how did Jiffy only take 11? Are you sure they didn't dillute it?

glen, I would stay away from power flushes, machines that FORCE fluid in. Go with a flushing machine like BG's, which has 2 bladders and lets the tranny's own pump do the fluid exchange.

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Get under the car and drain the tranny.

Remove both supply and return lines from the front left of the tranny and let them drain.

Remove the battery and change the filter (buy the Amsoil EAO12, same as the oil filter).

Hook up only the supply line (lower one) to the tranny again.

Start the car and let a few quarts of fluid pump out of the tranny.

Stop the engine and add a few quarts back in.

Repeat until you see the fluid coming out of the transmission is bright red. Re-attach the return line, take a short drive to get the tranny fluid up to temp, top up fluid (gas stations are a nice level spot to do this).

 

This is what I did when I installed my tranny cooler and put Amsoil ATF in at 144,000km (90,000m). There are a couple walkthroughs, for both fluid change and cooler install, that will help you pinpoint the supply and return lines.

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supafla777, as far as I know flushing machines require 16 quarts to do a flush, how did Jiffy only take 11? Are you sure they didn't dillute it?

glen, I would stay away from power flushes, machines that FORCE fluid in. Go with a flushing machine like BG's, which has 2 bladders and lets the tranny's own pump do the fluid exchange.

 

 

Well what i did i went to the dealer and asked total flush how many quarts. he replied back 11. my buddy runs a jiffy lube, told me about this new machine they have. it was weird looking one. it looked like a dialysis machine and it had a clear tube going down towards the tranny section. i saw the reddish black fluid coming out with my own eyes than followed by the bright red new fresh tranny fluid.

 

i saved 150$ by doing it this way. but one thing to say is thanks SOA for putting the spin on filter behind the battery. not even the dumb ass tech at the dealership knew it was there took 30 min to find it.

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^That's it, the dialysis machine, also known as a machine with two bladders :lol:

I agree on the spin-on filter, many trannies have an internal filter that require you drop the pan to replace it.

Our 5EAT takes a wee bit over 10 quarts, but imagine the waste my wife's Mini tranny flush is going to be, it only takes 8 quarts total at most and the flushing machine still requires 16 to complete. That's how much flushing machines take to fill up and you need to do it to complete the fill, that's why I asked how you ended up only having to use 11.

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You know, the more I look around, the more I start "opening my eyes" to this kind of stuff and start realizing universal ATF fluid that meets the specs can be used without worry. I mean ... Amsoil, BG, Red Line, Valvoline, they all have synthetic fluid that meets Matic-J spec. I'm up for a flush both on mine and wife's car. Amsoil route will be at least $200, Valvoline charges $130 and they use their Max Life syn ATF. I am reticent to do it but really, technically, there is no reason why it should not work.
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Has anybody tried Wolf's Head Super Universal Synthetic ATF? I'm about due for my first fluid change. The thought of a universal fluid sounds scary to me. Can one fluid really cover that many different specs.

 

www.wolfshead.com/specsheets/universalsynthetic.pdf

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I'm with Fishbone. IPT did my VB mod a while back and ever since I've used Amsoil. I alternate drains and flushes every 15k. Probably overkill but the tranny is my biggest concern with this car. The fluid never looks or smells bad. I also use Amsoil for the front and rear diffs.
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  • 3 months later...

Does anyone have any experience with aftermarket synthetics? I'm running into serious headaches trying to decide the route to take with my transmission fluid.

 

The dealer charges 262.00 for a flush and 9$/qt for the atf hp fluid.

 

Monro will do a flush with valvoline max life synthetic for 119.99, but only if i sign a waiver not holding them responsible since subaru does not list it as an acceptable fluid.

 

As far as I can tell, the acceptable alternatives by subaru are not available in the us. I've placed a support email to valvoline to see what they have to say on its recommended use for atf-hp applications.

 

Are the amsoil or rp options cheaper? Also, this isn't about "cheaping out" as so many have mentioned. It's about principle, if there are acceptable equivalents out there, it isn't right for subaru to not acknowledge them.

 

If I try and do a drain/fill with atf-hp, you are talking about $110 worth of fluid and a few hours of work for me each time

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Amsoil has been prove to work, in fact they say right on the bottle it is compatible. I thought Valvoline was compatible too. Check their site, I'm on my phone now so I'm too lazy. BG should work too. There was a time I used to think there was something magical about our tranny. There isn't. Any synthetic ATF ought to work but I would stick to those that the manufacturer stands by the compatibility. Go Amsoil. In fact for a buck extra per quart you get a WAY better fluid than oem. For a flushing machine you'll need 16 quarts. A 2.5 gallon jug is $95.95 plus 6 quarts $10 or so each. I paid around $170 the other day at a local Amsoil dealer.
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Folks, I think I'm on to something here. This is much a much cheaper alternative. Anyone have any experience with it? They specifically call out the JASO-1A spec which is the spec subaru atf-hp lists. Is this the US market version of Castrol transmax J?

 

Castrol Import Multi-Vehicle Automatic Transmission Fluid is specially designed from a technologically advanced multi-vehicle

formula that does not have the limitations of a traditional DEXRON®-III/MERCON® multi-vehicle formulation. Castrol Import Multi-

Vehicle ATF exceeds the requirements of the JASO-1A performance standard created by Japanese Automobile Manufacturers.

This standard is recognized by Japanese OEM's in certifying ATF for use in their vehicles.

 

http://www.castrol.com/liveassets/bp_internet/castrol/castrol_usa/STAGING/local_assets/downloads/p,q/pds_ImportMV.pdf

 

 

Any thoughts...

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