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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / Maintenance and Repair / December 2004WARNING! No Dip Stick
I change my engine oil (Mobil 1) every 3,000 miles. I change the transmission fluid and filter every other engine oil change, every 6,000 miles. Since I am already under the car doing an engine oil change it not that much more work to drop the transmission oil pan. My son-in-law asked me if I would do the oil changes on his 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier if he bought the oil and filters. I told him I would. I switched his Cavalier over from the factory fill to Mobil 1, 5W-30 as soon as he got the car home. At his second oil change (6,000) I dropped the transmission pan and changed the filter. When I went to put the ATF back in the transmission I could not find the dip stick. Up until now I had never seen an automatic transmission that did not refill through the dip stick tube. So I got out the owners manual out of the glove compartment and sure enough the owners manual says there is no transmission dip stick. The owners manual says not to change the fluid until 100,000 miles and there is no need to check the fluid level before then. I swear to God I am not lying. The manual actually says there is "no need to check the fluid level". I sat there and read that over and over. I could not believe that GM actually put in writing that you never need to check the fluid level in your transmission. The manual does not even tell you how much fluid to put back when you do change it. So I carefully measured how much I took out (7 ? quarts) and put that much back through a threaded plug in top of the transmission case. This week I was looking at new 2005 Ford Explorers for my company. While I had the hood up on one Explorer the salesman proudly pointed out that there was no transmission dip stick and that you go 100,000 miles before a fluid change. I know there are at least 2 vehicles that do not have transmission dip sticks (2004 Chev Cavalier and 2005 Ford Explorer). So as a word of caution, if you are like me and do not believe in 100,000 mile fluid changes, check and see if there is a dip stick. If there is no dip stick you will have to accurately measure what you took out to know how much to refill. I do not like not having a dip stick. If you had a small leak you might not notice it and could be low on fluid. Without a dip stick you would have no way of knowing how much you were low. > If there is no >dip stick you will have to accurately measure what you took out to know how >much to refill. Are maybe fill it to the hole? Differentials don't have dipsticks either! >> If there is no >>dip stick you will have to accurately measure what you took out to know how >>much to refill. > >Are maybe fill it to the hole? >Differentials don't have dipsticks either! OP has a point. If you are driving around with burned tranny fluid, you're killing your car without having any way of knowing about it. > the owners manual > says there is no transmission dip stick. The owners manual says not > to change the fluid until 100,000 miles and there is no need to check > the fluid level before then. I swear to God I am not lying. Welcome to the world of (forgive me) World-Standard transmission fluid (Type "WS"). You'll find the change procedure on at least some cars (Toyotas specifically) to be similar to changing the fluid in a manual transmission, with one twist: There are TWO plugs to be removed from underneath when filling. Plug one is the one on the side, like all manuals have had for 90 years. Plug two is on the bottom, and opens up a standpipe similar to that in a household toilet. You remove both plugs, fill from the side until it runs out of the bottom, then put both back. Done. Some people are leery of the 100K change interval and change it at 30K or so anyway.  SignatureTeGGeR? > This week I was looking at new 2005 Ford Explorers for my company. While I > had the hood up on one Explorer the salesman proudly pointed out that there > was no transmission dip stick and that you go 100,000 miles before a fluid > change. I know there are at least 2 vehicles that do not have transmission > dip sticks (2004 Chev Cavalier and 2005 Ford Explorer). Lexus (Toyota) has been playing that stupid game for a number of years now. I'm not surprised that GM has lost its collective sanity also, but I'm sorely disappointed in Ford. Especially in a vehicle like an Explorer- I could halfway understand it in a dispose-a-car like the Cavalier or a Focus. > > This week I was looking at new 2005 Ford Explorers for my company. While I > > had the hood up on one Explorer the salesman proudly pointed out that there [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Explorer- I could halfway understand it in a dispose-a-car like the > Cavalier or a Focus. do you know what year they started doing this on the Lexus models? I'll be looking at a 98-00 GS400 in a few months, just curious if that has it. >>>This week I was looking at new 2005 Ford Explorers for my company. > [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > do you know what year they started doing this on the Lexus models? I'll be > looking at a 98-00 GS400 in a few months, just curious if that has it. Nope, I don't own anything toyota and never will. I think it was within the past 5 years, but I can't say for sure. >> do you know what year they started doing this on the Lexus models? >> I'll be looking at a 98-00 GS400 in a few months, just curious if >> that has it. > > Nope, I don't own anything toyota and never will. I think it was > within the past 5 years, but I can't say for sure. 2004 is the first year for it. SignatureTeGGeR? > > This week I was looking at new 2005 Ford Explorers for my company. While I > > had the hood up on one Explorer the salesman proudly pointed out that there [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Explorer- I could halfway understand it in a dispose-a-car like the > Cavalier or a Focus. I wonder - how difficult would it be at the first fluid change to remove the transmission pan and weld in a fitting for a flexible transmission dipstick? These are popular with people who add headers, seems to me that just because the manufacturer thinks a dipstick isn't necessary doesen't mean you have to accept that. Ted 95 Toyota Corolla has no transmission dipstick either. >> This week I was looking at new 2005 Ford Explorers for my company. While >> I [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > I could halfway understand it in a dispose-a-car like the Cavalier or a > Focus. > 95 Toyota Corolla has no transmission dipstick either. Total nonsense. You're not looking hard enough. It's got one, provided you're talking AUTOMATIC. SignatureTeGGeR? Sorry, I meant 2005 Toyota corolla has no auto trans dipstick.. " Sorry, I meant to say a 2005 Corolla has no transmission dip stick. >> 95 Toyota Corolla has no transmission dipstick either. > > Total nonsense. You're not looking hard enough. It's got one, provided > you're talking AUTOMATIC. > Sorry, I meant to say a 2005 Corolla has no transmission dip stick. > >>>95 Toyota Corolla has no transmission dipstick either. >> >>Total nonsense. You're not looking hard enough. It's got one, provided >>you're talking AUTOMATIC. so true, on the upper line, 2004 Lexus LS430 also does not have an automatic transmission dipstick. the new ATF-WS is supposed to be a lifetime fluid, assuming none leaks out. it seems to have different thermal properties as in it doesn't change volume with temperature as radically as ATF-TIV or ATF-DEXIII do. SignatureBen Jerew ASE Master Technician New Country Lexus of Latham, NY Amateur Off-Roader > I change my engine oil (Mobil 1) every 3,000 miles. I change the > transmission fluid and filter every other engine oil change, every 6,000 [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > carefully measured how much I took out (7 ? quarts) and put that much back > through a threaded plug in top of the transmission case. > This week I was looking at new 2005 Ford Explorers for my company. While I > had the hood up on one Explorer the salesman proudly pointed out that there > was no transmission dip stick and that you go 100,000 miles before a fluid > change. I know there are at least 2 vehicles that do not have transmission > dip sticks (2004 Chev Cavalier and 2005 Ford Explorer). > So as a word of caution, if you are like me and do not believe in 100,000 > mile fluid changes, check and see if there is a dip stick. If there is no > dip stick you will have to accurately measure what you took out to know how > much to refill. I do not like not having a dip stick. If you had a small > leak you might not notice it and could be low on fluid. Without a dip stick > you would have no way of knowing how much you were low. But, there is a way to check if the fluid is full. On the right hand side of the transmission by the inboard CV joint there is a small plug that you remove while the car is running and level. If transmission fluid starts to drip out once the plug is removed the fluid level is fine. There is a simple logic behind this. You should of noticed a very shallow pan on this transmission. Fluid level can no longer be accurately checked with a dip stick and unless there is a leak there is really no reason to check it. For people that choose to ignore what the car maker recommends you can wear the pan bolts out changing fluid every two weeks if you want. You are just going to have to do a little more work to check it every other week between fluid changes... |
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