Carver Owners Forum

Did a lot of research and see that the Dexron II fluid is yellow or light brown, so I was confused abouit it being gear lube. What has replaced this for my Hurth filter and fluid change? I see that Dexron VI is backwards compatible for Dex II?

Are you sure? I've been around for pretty many years and I don't recall any Dextron transmission fluid being anything but pinkish red.
Even in 70's and 80's cars.

AFAIK Dexron II is a standard although the name is/was a brand as well. So here (Europe) we find a standard DEX II (or higher, and with more detailed designations such as Dexron II-B) and there's a list of manufacturer's standards such as Volvo, BMW, VW specific with their own codes.



for example:

Dexron IID

MB 236.6/236.7
Ford Mercon/M2C138-CJ/166-H
MAN 339 Typ Z1/V1
Allison C4
Cat TO-2
Voith 55.6335 (G607)
ZF TE-ML 09/11A/14A

So I understand that Dexron is a high level designation and each manufacturer gives it its own twist and gives it a codename. If there is physically something different in those variations may be but that's a complex matter and I take it as the same in normal conditions.

Special circumstances may demand that specific manufacturers version, such as service under warranty (so more a legal issue) or very hot/cold/heavy use/extremely light use etc.

Before you go changing what is in there....I would find out what it is first, maybe take a sample and send it to an oil testing lab like Blackstone. If it is mineral based then changing to a much newer synthetic ATF may cause seal issues down the road.

Call or Email Hurth for a list of their compatible oils for that year trans. Someone may have used another hydraulic fluid for a reason, who knows. Simply Dexron under many different numbers is basically a GM branded fluid that has changed for car trans needs and EPA reasons over the years.

Good luck with this new adventure.

I got the last change from the marina who did it…Dexron III, so that is what I used.As for filters, I got aftermarket from AMAZON. Poor choice. Even though a high rating, they had a sloppy fit at the top O ring. To get even a close fit, I had to reuse the small o ring. I just ordered genuine Hurth filters to replace. 5 quarts out, 5 quarts in. Filters looked good for 100 hours too.

Good job...that should ensure no drama......wondering, are those filters the cleanable types ?

Yes they are cleanable. But for short money I opted for replacement.