Transmission fluid

[Giuseppe Hardblast]

How hard is it to change?. Mine needs done but I don't have a jack

 

[bullfrog]

It would help to know what you are trying to change it in! Some of the newer vehicles don't even have a fill tube!

 

[Giuseppe Hardblast]

93 Chevy g20

 

[highdesertranger]

it easy to do but it is also easy to make a mess. I wouldn't even attempt it without the proper equipment.

is this just routine maintenance or are you having problems?

highdesertranger

 

[Giuseppe Hardblast]

Routine maintenance. Was trying to save a couple bucks. I have tools and stuff. I should just stop being lazy and look up what's involved. Just wanted to check with the more experienced members to see if it was worth doing.

 

[highdesertranger]

does it have a drain plug. if it doesn't you need a huge drain pan. because that is where the mess comes it. it's very easy to make a mess trying to remove a transmission pan that is full of fluid. there is kinda an art to it. highdesertranger

 

[Giuseppe Hardblast]

I'm pretty sure it has a pan

 

[Cajunwolf]

Yes, in almost every case, you have to remove the pan to change the filter. Only in an industrial application have I seen an automatic transmission with an external filter. Some transmissions have drain plugs, but not many. You have to pull the pan anyhow is the thinking. It's not hard, but as mentioned, it can be messy if not done correctly. You're going to have to loosen the pan, do not remove all of the bolts yet, to where hangs down in the rear and let it drain. Once finished draining, remove the rest of the bolts along with the pan. Your filter is a flat looking screen held in place by screws, and, like my Jeep, you might have an additional spin-on filter too. At this point, the most important thing is absolute cleanliness! The tolerances within the valve body are such that the most minute speck of dirt can be catastrophic. Once your filters are changed, clean all gasket surfaces, apply the appropriate sealer, a new gasket, and replace the bolts tightening in a chris-cross pattern evenly all the way around until to torque specs. All that's left is to refill with the proper fluid to the appropriate level, and you've now changed your transmission oil and filters.

 

[Doubleone]

Not difficult to do... just messy because there are no drain plugs in the pans. Remove about 12-14 bolts and the entire transmission pan comes loose then swoosh all the fluid comes out at once. It tends to splash all over. I usually leave a bolt or two in place to help slow the flow by keeping the pan close to the transmission. After you get the pan off the bottom of the trans you scrape the gaskets, install a new filter screen, clean the magnet and gasket surfaces with solvent and reinstall the pan. The magnets will have some black slimy stuff on it and that is perfectly normal, and don't panic if it has a little bit of metal 'glitter' too. Eyeball the pan gasket surface and use a hammer to make it straight and dead flat if needed. Use a name brand filter kit because I've had some generic stuff not fit right. The big secret with cork gaskets is to not over tighten the pan bolts. A little more than fingertip pressure on the wrench should do it. If you overtighten the bolts they tweak the pan, squash the gasket, and will possibly cause a leak. Although the book says to install the gasket 'dry' I always find it helpful to glue the gasket to the pan with some 3M adhesive or low volatility silicone. Be careful not to get any sealer or gasket trash inside the trans. I typically add about 8oz of TransX with a fresh ATF change; it keeps the seals plasticized. BTW, I also add some TransX and drive it around a bit before the fluid change.

 

[badmotorscooter]

Messy, but easy. Without a drain plug you can loosen all of the transmission bolts until the lowest point starts dripping. The goal is to have the tranny fluid flow out of the lowest corner by loosening the appropriately located bolts. This will require loosening all of them up a bit, but concentrating more on the low point to have most of the fluid drain from there into a large pan. The more you loosen the pan in that area, the more fluid will dump out. The remaining amount will not splash much if you remove all of the bolts and use one hand to push up on the pan keeping it level. Once the bolts are all out, gently lower the pan keeping it level and dump the remaining fluid in the pan.

It will still drip a bit on you or your face, but not too much. Unscrew the filter and swap in the new. Scrape the old gasket remnants off the pan and the bottom of the transmission housing. Bolt the pan with new gasket back on using a cross hatch pattern and several stages. Don't over torque the bolts. If it has a minor seepage you can retighten later as needed.

 

[FrankScott]

Original oils traditionally have a higher price, but they are easier to choose: if your car's manual specifies a specific fluid, it is sure to fit a particular automatic transmission. Do not even think about choosing a new composition while the vehicle is under warranty. But on the other hand, if there are no obstacles to pouring universal oil, what is the point of paying more? Oil is selected based on the manufacturer's recommendations because the developers took into account all the peculiarities. It should be noted that transmission fluids for automatic transmission have the most complex composition of all the lubricants for cars. But again, it all depends on what kind of car you choose.

 

[Weight]

The problem. You can not drain all, or even most of the fluid. A large quantity stays in the Torque converter, then you hope the replacement fluid is compatible. This is one job you will miss having a lift to work under. I took mine to a trusted mechanic for filter and flush.

 

[MotorVation]

I don't have anyone I can trust with my transmission. I can't even get the idiots to grease my ball joints etc when I get an oil change. They all say they'll do it then of course they don't do it. I check.

That said. My worse nightmare would be my auto transmission taking a dump on me.

I dropped the pan myself and put a new filter in before I headed out west last December. I used Mopar tranny fluid (Dodge van). With the filter and fluid (it took around two gallons) it came out to just under a hundred bucks if I remember right.
.
It's not a difficult job. It just sucks. I hate the taste and smell of used tranny grease. Aside from cleaning the mating surfaces, I cleaned the threads of the bolts so I would get an accurate torque reading when reinstalling the pan. That's important. It's easy to over/under tighten them if there's crap in the threads and that could distort the pan.

 

[kklowell]

I've done this job many times, both on a lift and on ramps. It is easy, but it's also messy enough so I would never do it again without a lift.

 

[tripper]

If your current pan does not have a drain plug then order a magnatek finned aluminum pan. It will hold a few quarts more fluid and keep the fluid a bit cooler. Plus it has a drain plug which makes changing tabs fluid way easier. Also being cast aluminum it has a perfectly flat surface and tends to seal better.