How to Drain/Refill Automatic Transmission

I’ve used this several times with success:

$17 Slippery Pete Fluid Pump for Gallon Bottles and Wide Mouth Quart Bottles (Not for Standard Quart Bottles) - Transfer Gear Oil, Transmission and Differential Fluid, Antifreeze with This 30cc Hand Pump

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DTS8N7P

 

The tranny do not have a vent - it is a sealed system

 

The transmission does have a vent.

 

All transmissions have a vent setup. ATF expands as it heats up. Without a venting system, the seals would rupture. When they say the transmission is sealed, it means it does not have an external dipstick.

 

Thank you for this thread! Made changing my trans fluid and filter a piece of cake.

 

The truck definitely has to be running when the overflow plug is pulled correct? I did a full flush and filter change seven years ago. I’m doing just the drain and fill now. Only 2 1/4 quarts came out, I put 2 1/2 back in. AT light came on solid very quickly (truck still warm) and nothing out of the overflow. I added to a total of 3 quarts, went through the process and still nothing out of the overflow. Was it under filled? Last time went flawless. The overflow gushes out without the vehicle running. Add more fluid and try again?

 

Yes the engine must be running when you set the level.

On a properly set fluid level, the initial drain should release 3.5qt of fluid.

So you need to add another quart and do the temp check again.

 

Engine running, trans temp 95-115F to check.

 

AT light went solid very quickly. I was thinking maybe it wasn’t reading right, so I let it idle until it was blinking to ensure it was reading when it was too hot. I’ll let it cool, add another quart and try again. I thought for sure it was perfect last time. Everything went flawless. Idk, must have been under filled.

 

That’s all she needed was another quart. Everything’s as it should. Thanks for the reassurance fellas!

 

You might also note the state of “leveling” which should be attained before checking the fluid, as it can make a noticeable difference in capacity. If not specified, owners might make an incorrect assumption based on their experience with a different vehicle.

For some vehicles, the accepted procedure is to level the chassis (frame), while for others it will be recommended to level the transmission. On my 2014 Ram, the rear wheels must be blocked up to get the transmission level.

 

I made the dumb ass mistake and drained my transmission fluid instead of my oil. It's hard being a woman and learning the hardest way all the time cause I have no one to teach me. I ended up making a homemade device out of an enema bag and hose it worked like a charm..

 

welcome Jess. You aren't the first one that did that... and probably won't be the last. I had read comments on here about one of the guys doing that, so when I did my oil the first time, I double checked I was pulling the correct drain plug. TW is a wealth of knowledge. Before you do any maintenance, search the site for help.

 

It's happened many times, at least you caught your mistake and didn't drive the truck and fry the trans like many people have done.

 

Good thinking! Now leave it in the garage - it’s permanently repurposed

 

Or a gen 1 with dipstick,

 

Is parked on concrete good or does the frame need leveled?

 

The truck should be close to being level to check the level of fluid. I usually drive my front tires into wood planks to get it level and put a level on the frame to check if it’s level.

 

Did mine today. Dang close to level.
2012 with factory trans cooler
Bought 4 qts and had a half qt from my daughter’s car.
Got 3 qts drained
Put in about 3.7 qts taking in consideration a little left in bottom of bottles and some in pump.
Got to 98-99 pan temp on scan guage and pulled overflow.Nothing.
I shut off and added the other half qt and got back up to temp and pulled overflow.
Good flow instantly and let drain until it started to slow.
I bet it ended up with 3.7-3.9qts said and done.
My fill plug had a o ring,is that normal?