Check Auto Transmission Fluid

So does anyone know how we can check our tranny fluid without paying the dealer to do it?

The manual states there's no reason to check the fluid level unless there is a leak, such as spots on your driveway, etc.
Then you take it to the dealer.
Apparently they are confident in the assembly, so less for me to do is better, IMHO LOL!
I'm sure a manual will end up online in due time.

GM hasnt had a trans dipstick in a LONG time. Only time you need to check it is if its leaking or you are doing a trans service on it. There is usually a "weephole bolt" to take out on the side of the trans to measure the amount that is in it.

bballr4567 said:

GM hasnt had a trans dipstick in a LONG time. Only time you need to check it is if its leaking or you are doing a trans service on it. There is usually a "weephole bolt" to take out on the side of the trans to measure the amount that is in it. [/color]

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Yup, put your finger in it, if you feel fluid, it's fine LOL!

I guess a long time not to have a dipstick might be six years. I like to check for color and smell. Been doing it for 40 years. Would rather not go to dealer for service unless absolutely necessary. My 95 Impala SS 99 Firebird and 04 Envoy all had sticks.

you have to have the vehicle running and on a hoist so that it is level. You have to run the tranny through all of the gears on and then wait about 3 min for everything to settle. With it still running hten you remove the fill level bolt and see if anything runs out. it should be right at that level. You can't put your finger in there, the hole is too small!

carguy332000 said:

you have to have the vehicle running and on a hoist so that it is level. You have to run the tranny through all of the gears on and then wait about 3 min for everything to settle. With it still running hten you remove the fill level bolt and see if anything runs out. it should be right at that level. You can't put your finger in there, the hole is too small! [/color]

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good info, I was thinking of an old LT1 vette 6-speed manual tranny, that's how I'd check the tranny fluid, take the plug out and feel with your finger.

Anybody?

Since I tow the Terrain behind a motorhome, the manual recommends checking transmission fluid before travel. It does not seem like an easy thing to do.

I do see some signs of slight fluid/vapor leak around the black cap on the top of the transmission. I will show this to the service manager on my third trip for service on the "inoperative rear defogger" issue.

mnussbaum said:

Anybody?

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Hmmm something doesn't look quite right here for two reasons - This is the 2.4 right??
If so, in my experience looking at these pics, the distance from the placement of the horizontal bolt(second pic) to the bottom of the casing is very shallow to hold 9 quarts of trany fluid (8.5liters) as yes the fill port is too small to reach in by hand so I use a piece of metal hanger bent at the end to reach in with.

Second - I've never seen drain and fill bolts like these before if in fact that is what these are. The plugs usually have a gasket on them not thread lock or thread tape as seen here. And most newer trany's are using Hex bolts - Hex socket (the use of an Allan key)

Give me some time and I'll try and find the Service Manual image for the 2.4 and the V6 while I'm at it.
Hopefully that will provide some clarity[/color]

ccharlie said:

We have no tranny fluid dipstick? Manual says it is difficult to check and change. They tell you to buy a Service Publication. That's a crock! Anyhow, how the heck do we check our tranny fluid?

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one trades the vehicle in on a Mercedes

mnussbaum said:

So is this the drain (small bolt at left sticking out)? And the fill is the small horizontal bolt?

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Transmission case drain and fill are the same for either 2.4 or 3.0
Plug #64 - drain and Plug # 63 - fill
Don't use #51 to fill - that's the port for pressure testing

Good call on this one mnussbaum and good pics[/color]

THX for the picture - you 'da Man (or Wo-man, in your case) !

I think the transmission fill is actually located up above on the driver's side, there's a plastic cap you can unscrew. I'd take a photo but it's kinda late.

mnussbaum said:

I think the transmission fill is actually located up above on the driver's side, there's a plastic cap you can unscrew. I'd take a photo but it's kinda late.

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Yep you can do it that way too, it's directly underneath the battery on the engine side.
To answer ccharlie, one can do both from underneath, (from your pictures and my drawing) my Hubby uses a pump for gearboxes and differentials, that's why I posted it so either way.
Obviously if you wanted to just check the level every once in awhile, the easiest option is from the top[/color]

What is the exact plug # I use to check for the correct level? Is there anything special you need to do when checking the level?

looking at the diagram , then you fill and check level on plug #63
and drain on #64, and no special use for #51 just to measure the pressure?