Filled my fluid drive

[busycoupe]

I moved back to Massachusetts last fall after living in eastern NC for 5 years.  In eastern NC the biggest hill is about 35 ft above sea level.  My old  Dodge with fluid drive loved it.  Now I am in central Massachusetts.  It seems like every road either goes up hill or downhill, nothing is level.  One of my favorite jaunts includes a stretch of about a 25% grade. My destination is a state park with an elevation about 550 ft higher than my house.  I noticed that the car was acting like the  clutch was slipping, either that or the fluid drive unit was slipping.  Today I put 2 quarts of aw32 hydraulic oil in the drive (don't be hate'n James Douglas). The car runs much better now! More zip, no more slipped clutch feeling.  I was wondering how much the unit holds, how low is 2 qts down? After searching this site, alpar, the imperial site, Aaca, I finally found a source that says that 8 cyl Chrysler units held 9 qts or 8 qts depending on model, and 6 cyl cars had 6 qts in the fluid drive units. Here is the link to my source:

[greg g]

Now you got to wonder where those 2qts went and how long they have bee AWOL.  Any signs of leakage?

[Dodgeb4ya]

 

Between 6-8 quarts is roughly how much they hold as you already found out.

Don't say that ought to be enough!

Fill it till it's to the fill plug hole level....that's when the FD coupling is filled properly.

You must have a bellows seal or graphite ring leak if you have to fill it.

[busycoupe]

I have had the car 10 years and it has always had a slight leak from the bell housing.  Not a lot, just marking its location in the garage. I keep a scrap of carpet under it to soak up the drops.  I have not filled the fluid drive in 10 yrs, and doubt that the fellow I bought car from ever did.   It may have been leaking for decades.  I will watch it closer now that it is full.

[Dodgeb4ya]

Yep.....

Best keep it full.

[MarcDeSoto]

What do you fill your fluid drive these days?  Last I heard, it was Ford automatic trans. fluid.  IS this still correct?  marc.

[busycoupe]

I am no authority.  Several people on this forum recommended tractor fluid ISO 32 viscosity 10W, so that is what I used.  James Douglas strongly recommends a Mobil dte circulating oil, but I could not find that. One of the local Advance Auto stores had tractor fluid in one gallon containers, so I bought that. 

[Dan Hiebert]

I used Type F automatic transmission fluid when I changed my fluid drive fluid 11 years ago.  I suspected it had never been changed, and would be low because I had an annoying level leak as well.  It was "only" 1/2 quart low, but like yours, the car sure runs better.  The fluid shouldn't be more than 10w, and should have an anti-foaming ingredient - transmission fluids and "tractor" fluids do (stuff's all essentially hydraulic fluid).  A controversial subject is whether or not an ingredient that reinvigorates (swells) the seals is appropriate, as the seals in these units aren't designed with that in mind and are rumored to deteriorate quicker with that ingredient.  BUT, that's what Type F fluid has, and we've had nary a problem since, or any leaks for that matter.

Edited September 13, 2017 by Dan Hiebert

[Dodgeb4ya]

The two components that keep fluid in the coupling.... a floating graphite seal ring and a copper bellows seal assembly....NO RUBBER seals!