Questions and Answers

Dodge B250 Transmission Screeching Q. Hello: I have a 1984 Dodge B250 van that I bought last year, with a rebuilt automatic transmission. The engine is a 5.2 liter, 79,000 miles showing, I'm sure it's 279,000. The leftover fluid from the rebuild, I guess, was in back of the vehicle. Over the past several months the transmission has been making a "screeching" noise on startup, and will not pull at all.

After warming up the screeching finally stops, and transmission works, although still has a slight slip from time to time. All my life I've heard Chrysler transmissions use ATF, or 7176 fluid, but the fluid left in the vehicle was Dexron. Would you guess that the guy who rebuilt the transmission used the wrong fluid?

Also what exactly IS the right fluid for this vehicle, I hear many different opinions on the web. Last, but not least, is it too late to change the fluid and save the transmission do you think?

Thanks for your advice...
Steve

A. The 1984 B250 vans came with one of four different automatic transmissions; A727, A904, A998 and the A999. All of these transmissions use, as specified from Chrysler, either AF or AP type automatic Transmission Fluid. The only exception was the automatic transmissions with a Lock-Up Torque Converter required Type 7176. In later years all the Chrysler used the Mopar ATF +3, Type 7176, Automatic Transmission Fluid.

If the Dexron meets the AF or AP specification, I don't recall offhand if it does or doesn't, then according to Chrysler it is the right ATF for that transmission.

As for your last question, I think it's worth a shot. Replace the transmission fluid and filter and see what happens. and I would use the Mopar ATF +3, Type 7176, Automatic Transmission Fluid. If it doesn't work, all you lost was some time and a few bucks.

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