2009 Dodge Ram 1500 Pickup Owner Manual - Page 471

MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE 469 Automatic Transmission Fluid and Filter Change Appearance Care and Protection from Corrosion Refer to the "Maintenance Schedule" in Section 8 for the Protection of Body and Paint from Corrosion proper maintenance intervals. Vehicle body care requirements vary according to geoNOTE: If the transmission is disassembled for any graphic locations and usage. Chemicals that make roads passable in snow and ice, and those that are sprayed on reason, the fluid and filter(s) should be changed. trees and road surfaces during other seasons, are highly It is important that proper lubricant is used in the corrosive to the metal in your vehicle. Outside parking, transmission. Refer to "Fluids, Lubricants, and Genuine which exposes your vehicle to airborne contaminants, Parts" in this section for the correct fluid type. road surfaces on which the vehicle is operated, extreme Special Additives hot or cold weather and other extreme conditions will Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) is an engineered have an adverse affect on paint, metal trim, and underproduct and its performance may be impaired by supple- body protection. mental additives. Therefore, do not add any fluid addiThe following maintenance recommendations will enable tives to the transmission. The only exception to this you to obtain maximum benefit from the corrosion policy is the use of special dyes to aid in detecting fluid resistance built into your vehicle. leaks. In addition, avoid using transmission sealers as they may adversely affect seals. 7