On my jeep Cherokee 1991, I wanted to change the transmission fluid and filter. Will I need ramps for this? Are ramps safe? Also Is there a way I can make a DIY ramp because they are 50 dollars, and I am anticipating only to use them once?

 

For a drain and refill a ramp is not needed. Also depends if you have a lift (more space underneath) , and your body habitus . Mine only has a 1" lift , plenty of space underneath

Keep in mind , the "filter" is more like a screen, it usually doesnt need replacing but some owners do it while they have the transmission pan off.
For a normal refreshing of the fluid, you dont have to go through the hassle of removing the pain, just draining from the plug.

If you do a search for "transmission fluid forward flush" or something alike, you'll come across info that explains how to do that. With the forward flush way, you don't even have to crawl under the jeep at all. Furthermore, you'll get even more fluid replaced than with a simple drain and refill because you get practically all the ATF out including the ATF in the torque converter and replace it with fresh fluid.
Others do several drain and refills via the drain plug until it starts to get clear and red. Choice is yours.

PS: I would not try and build a ramp yourself. Its asking for trouble
Some people have steep sidecurbs and use them as " ramps"

See how you go

 

Agreed!

How much is a trip to the emergency room? How much is a funeral?

That 50 bucks is starting to look like a very good deal!

And why would you think you are only going to use them once???? You are never going to work on your car again? Then why bother with this?


As for whether or not ramps are safe, well, that depends on the ramp. Rhino Ramps are really good.


See my sig, #3, for tips on flushing your trans.

 

What transmission do you have? AW4? Does it have the a drain plug? Ramps are safe as long as you use the parking break, chock the wheels or both. As far as homemade ramps it would be tough to tell if their strong enough to hold the vehicle while you work on it.

I did the pan gasket and filter on my '99 (AW4) recently and I did it on flat ground, no ramps. I pulled the plug and let it drain for a while, maybe 20 minutes or more. I took the blots near the plug out first and progressively loosen bolts towards the center of the pan so I could tilt the pan down and drain the rest from the pan. It was a little tough to pull the dipstick tube apart but it was much harder to push back together, I used a rubber mallet from the top and moderate tapping force once I had all the bolts back in, worked very well. I got my pan out without removing the cross member and it took 4qts to refill, although I let it drain for longer than most.

 

Just change the fluid.......Dex/Merc aA

F. Have 4 quarts on hand. All you need to do.

 

There are plenty of YouTube videos on how to make your own ramps, some good, some bad. Some are pretty solid and many people prefer them. I made a set once and they worked great but they were very heavy took up too much space. They were perfectly safe though. As for the price, I don't think you'd save that much.

Mine were similar to these...

 

How much fluid would come out if I just drain the plug?

 

Between 2.5 to 4qts, so estimate around 3.

 

I think the fluid has never been changed before.(or at least for a long time) Would I still need to change the filter?

 

Unless the "filter" is torn or damaged, just clean and reuse. I can only assume its the same for all AW4, but the FSM for my 97 refers to it as an 'oil screen', and says to clean it using solvent and dry it with compressed air. The FSM says the pan bolts are 53-70 INCH pounds (or 4.42 - 5.83 ft-lbs), and the oil screen bolts are 80-90 INCH pounds (or 6.66 - 7.5 foot pounds). I used Googles convertor for foot pounds.

 

How likely is the filter to be damaged?

 

Not very

 

Shouldnt be. Unless to last guy or gal to touch it was hating life at the time.

 

a decent set of ramps isn't going to break the bank by any means... I don't need them for my jeep, but use them all the time when maintaining my wife's car that only has about 6 inches from lowest point of the body to the ground.
Safe and make the job so much easier.

 

Ditto, don't bother dropping the pan. It's a headache and the filter (really just a mesh screen) doesn't need changed.