Took the car to the shop, tips from machanic...
 

Hey I took the car to the shop the other day (thank god, it needed it!)
First of all, I got 2 engine mounts, a front alignment, and new head gaskets
So I am sure that I will get a little bit of a MPG gain from the alignment depending on how bad it was before hand.

Think the engine mounts and gasket could do anything (even if little)
I figure maybe a super small improvement from the 2 mounts since it will be less strain possibly on the engine or trans since there would be a correct alignment with it. And I have no idea about the head gasket...

Anyways, 2 questions for you guys

1) He said my trans fluid looks a little nasty but I shouldn't change it b/c it would mess it up worse, true? I'm guessing that's true somehow
and
2) He said to DISCONTINUE using synthetic oil b/c it is thinner and will leak out of any little hole it can find and since the engine is old I should use normal. He said it was worthless anyways unless you have a car with almost no miles on it... Opinions?

I changed the atf in my manual trans the old stuff was very thin had a nice copper shimmer to it particles from the syncros still shifts great and seems a bit quieter, going to syn in the trans next just wanted a good flush first.

1) ATF

ATF has a lot of detergents in it. These break down or get used up over time. If you don't regularly change it, this adds a whole lot of cleaning properties to your fluid. This can disolve & dislodge a lot of gunk from inside your transmission. This loose gunk can clog small orifices & passageways as well as clog the filter. This can starve parts or all of the transmission of fluid. Some of the gunk may have been artificially sealing gaskets & seals. With this removed it may leak more.

I hate the idea of knowing I have crappy fluids in the car but I don't know what the proper fix for the situation is. Hopefully someone here does.

2) If it's had synthetic from day one I would leave it in it. If it starts leaking, you can change it then.

automatic or stick? im assuming this is on the neon

if its a stick, use Mobil 1 10w30 High Mileage ONLY! It is 99.7% the same as the correct mopar fluid according to oil analysis, and is the only oil other then the mopar fluid that has the right ingrediants to ensure long life for the synchros, which are made of a special material. 75w tranny oil will destroy the synchros in a neon.

Also, if its a stick, drain your fluid, and put the mobil 1 in, after 98, dodge decided to cut costs and put atf in the stick shift trannys. It works, but its a cheap bandaid fluid.

No its not a manual, its an auto 2000 dodge neon

The automatic Chrysler products in the later years use a "Lifetime" trans fluid which is actually called ATF +4 or ATF AP4 and other names. There is no such thing as "Lifetime" fluid. Trust me! I owned a 1997 Dodge Ram 1500 4X4 and the transmission was the worst part of the entire vehicle. I would at least drop the pan, replace the filter and renew what fluid was lost every 30K.

If your trans has well over 100K and no record of fluid changes, then forget it. Changing it that late may cause more problems.

Yeah no records, 184K miles so I guess I loose :(

Tough call. If you want to keep the car for a significant amount of time, I'd look into changing the fluid slowly. Like 1 quart at a time. It's wasteful of fluid, but it scratches the "gotta do something about it" itch, and won't damage the transmission since you're introducing new fluid slowly.

If you want to get spendy with additives, look into Auto-RX. It's a great cleaner that's not a solvent.

A Magnefine transmission filter could help, too. Then you'd be catching the particles in the ATF, and at least have clean old ATF.

i vaguely remember reading something about the replacing of the head gasket increasing compression and that somehow leads to improved mpg....... i dunno. i really couldn't tell you though

0W30 synthetic will save you fuel and lubricate better while the engine is warming up, so that's what you should use. If the engine burns oil, add more. If it leaks out, replace the bad seals and gaskets.