ATF for 84 ae z

dexron 3 is spec for it. i dont see the newer synthetic hurting it but never tried them.

Thanks bro which one of these would you recommend?

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/…rchTerm=dexron

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/…rchTerm=dexron

If your 80s transmission is "starting to go" and the fluid and filter haven't been changed in tens of thousands of miles, or ever, most of the time changing it will just make the tranny die faster. This isn't z31 specific, it's just an unfortunate fact of life. Autos are complex closed systems that don't respond well when stuff changes after 80,000 miles. If your buddy is doing it for a case of beer, may as well go for it because you've got a dead tranny either way, but if you're actually paying for anything besides the fluid you might be better off just saving the money for the rebuild you're gonna need.

(PS, I have said this in another post, but transmission rebuilds are almost always "worth it." The 4N71 is bog simple and any transmission shop will do a perfectly fine job, and for 80 per cent of z31 owners a rebuilt tranny will massively outlast anything else on the car. The problem is that the up-front cost is high.)

When mine was rebuilt by Level 10 it was updated to Mercon.

Dexron is the same thing as Mercon. Just made by different companies.

You are correct, Mercon is Ford and Dexron basically GM. I should have been more specific.****
However some homework always needs to be done to make sure you have the right class of Dexron or Mercon or whatever for your vehicle.

Or go manual and avoid this crap altogether.


Mercon—introduced in 1987 and similar to Dexron II. Ford ceased licensing Mercon in 2007 and now recommends Mercon V for all transmissions that previously used Mercon. Mercon is a suitable replacement for Type H and Type CJ fluid, but not for Type F.

Mercon V—the most common Ford ATF in late model Fords, it is very much like Dexron III. Should not be used in a transmission requiring Ford Type F.

**** Mercon LV—the latest Ford ATF, it is factory fill in 2008 and later Fords. The LV stands for "low viscosity." It is a fully synthetic ATF. It is not compatible with earlier Mercon fluids, so it should neither be mixed with Mercon or Mercon V used to replace those fluids. It is not compatible with any other fluid, either.


Nissan Matic C—Nissan fluid, which is Dexron II, superseded by Nissan Matic D.

Nissan Matic D—a Nissan fluid, which is Dexron III.

Nissan Matic J—factory specified for certain Nissan models.

Nissan Matic K—factory specified for certain Nissan models.



Dexron, Dexron II, IID, and Dexron IIE—these are the original GM Dexron ATFs and are no longer licensed by the company, having been superseded by Dexron III, which has now itself been superseded by Dexron VI. The difference between Dexron, II, and IIE was mostly in the oxidation inhibitors.

Dexron III and IIIH—OE ATF at GM for many years and widely adopted by other manufacturers. General Motors nowconsiders all of them to be obsolete and discontinued licensing Dexron IIIH in 2006. Dexron IV was an upgraded version of Dexron III, which was used by GM only briefly.

Dexron III/Saturn—a version of Dexron III developed for certain Saturn models.

Dexron VI—the newest GM ATF, it was developed specifically for the new six-speed automatic and is a synthetic blend (meaning it has some conventional base stocks). That transmission has tighter internal tolerances and required a fluid that had higher shear strength that Dexron III.

It was introduced with the 2006 models. GM considers Dexron VI to be "backward compatible," meaning GM recommends it for use in any vehicle that originally used any earlier version of Dexron and that it can be mixed with them. However, GM specifically recommends against using Dexron VI in non-GM made vehicles that used Dexron III as original equipment. It is also the specified ATF in certain non-GM models that use GM transmissions, such as BMW. It is not, however, specified for GM brand vehicles that have non-GM transmissions, as mentioned above, or are imported to the United States.

NOTE: Dexron VI is not recommended for: Pontiac Vibe and Wave, Chevy Aveo, Epica, and Equinox, Saturn ION with CVT or AF23 transmission, Saturn Vue with CVT, AF33 or 5AT transmissions, or 1991–2002 Saturn S. These are vehicles with transmissions that were not manufactured by General Motors.


From Tech Tips
By Ralph Kalal