My DII was neglected by its previous owner, so I am doing lots of preventive maintenance. The transmission already shifted smoothly enough, not very fast but never jarring at all. I decided to drop the pan and change the filter and fluid because I expected the fluid was 80k old and the filter original. I didn't hope for any improvement in shift smoothness or speed, but it is much quicker which feels smoother due to the shorter interruption in power delivery. It shifts as well as my 44k mile BMW 5 series' ZF 5 speed now.


Bought 12 quarts from but it only took just shy of 5. "Valvoline VV324 MAXLIFE DEXRONIII/MERCON ATF"

 

Did you check the level when running? I added 7-ish qt to mine after the last drain and fill.

 

I put that exact same stuff in.
New filter.
Flushed it three times by draining it, running it, draining it.
Did not change anything for the better or worse.
Same exact performance.

 

Same fluid I use, I also use it in my power steering system, but the DI came with ATF from the factory in the power steering.

 

Took just 5 as some trapped in the torque converter. Swap out fluid again and you dropped that, drive a few days, do fluid drain and fill again, and you have diluted most of what was in the torque converter, which circulates while tranny is in gear.

 

I will change the fluid once more since I don't have enough left over to do it twice. If half the fluid is coming out each time that puts me at 75% new fluid. I don't expect any more improvement because it's already silky smooth but I might as well make use of this extra product. ATF changes on this vehicle are really easy, what a pleasant and infrequent surprise

 

Love hearing this! To the garage I go with my '02 Disco... Now, gotta go find a good filter kit to replace mine as well.. Guess I will go with that Valvoline Dex/Merc option

 

I just did the same on my DII and it went off without a hitch. Mine took about/almost 6 qts.

I wanted to use the Max Life Dex/Merc, but they didn't have the gallon size (only quarts) and I have a hand pump that only fits gallon mouths. So, I used Castrol Dex/Merc instead.

My wife even noticed the smooth shifting.

I'll probably do the filter before the Winter. That way I get more new fluid swapped in there, plus the new filter. But in the meantime, just this alone made a world of difference.

 

Here's the one I used: Land Rover Transmission Filter Kit (Same Fit As Genuine Part # RTC4653)

Went off without a hitch. Just remember to clean the gasket interface before re-mounting or you will introduce contamination or have a bad seal. Also, use a torque wrench on the pan bolts because they're not heavy duty at all. I torqued mine to 12 ft-lbs as mentioned in the kit's brief instructions.

 

Sounds good.. will do.. Sounds like a pretty easy job on this Disco.

Parts and oil, here I come