How To Check Transmission Fluid

If you’re having trouble finding the transmission dipstick on your vehicle, or if you’re just not sure what to look for when checking your automatic transmission fluid, this video is for you. Watch this video and find out how to check transmission fluid.

How To Check Transmission Fluid

The internal workings of a car is a fascinating thing and one of the modern improvements that have further improved the whole experience of owning and driving a car is the automatic transmission. It has made driving a car so much easier as it automates an entire aspect of driving – shifting gears. However, it does come with a caveat. An automatic transmission is a bit more complicated and if something goes wrong with it then fixing it can be both difficult and expensive. They are, however, quite easy to keep in top shape. All you have to do is ensure that the transmission fluid is at the optimum level. How to check transmission fluid? Read on to find out.

Park on level ground before checking:

Transmission fluid, while being important, is only needed in small quantities. This means that if the car is not perfectly level, it can give a drastically wrong reading and you might end up breaking the transmission system by adding too much fluid. A bubble level comes in quite handy in determining if a surface is perfectly horizontal or not.

Warm the transmission up before inspecting levels:

This is another very important step in ensuring that you get the correct reading. Even a small difference in temperature can make a big difference. The transmission fluid can appear to be low in a car that hasn’t been running. So, it is necessary to run the engine and drive the car for a little while and bring the engine up to operating temperature. This will ensure that the current level of transmission fluid can be determined as accurately as possible.

Consult your car’s manual for dipstick location:

There is no ‘one size fits all’ method of checking transmission fluid that is applicable for all cars. While the general approach is the same, the exact details can vary and that is where the car’s owner’s manual comes in quite handy. All cars with automatic transmission will come with an attached dipstick. The exact location of this dipstick can vary and that is where the owner’s manual comes to the rescue.

It will let you know exactly where the dipstick is. It will also let you know the ideal level of transmission fluid that is necessary. Once you have figured out the position of the dipstick and how to access it, consult the owner’s manual further to know the exact conditions under which the dipstick should be used.

Some cars need the engine to be running while others just need the engine to be warmed up but switched off when the transmission fluid is checked. Once all this is clear, take out the dipstick and wipe off the transmission fluid on it with a clean cloth. Insert the dipstick back all the way, take it out and take a reading of the level of transmission fluid.

If it is still in the ideal level then you can go back to driving the car. If it is below the recommended level then add a small quantity of transmission fluid. It is very important to do this in small quantities as you can always top up the transmission fluid if it is less but if you add too much, it can be a pain to remove the excess transmission fluid.

Then someone mentioned the impact wrench that is so handy for many jobs big or little. I was not familiar with the impact wrench. So my friend explained that it is a very versatile power tool that fits in the hand like a drill or other portable tool, and can be used for tightening or loosening of bolts or screws, or any such fastener.

Sometimes things are bolted in the factory, especially things like car parts that take more strength than the human hand can manage. And sometimes relatively small bolts and screws can be rusted or corroded to the point that it takes a lot of power to loosen them in order to replace with uprated performance parts.

Which is usually my problem with fixing things around the house, whether it is the lawnmower or the car. The impact wrench that is air powered or pneumatic is great for working on the car. The loud zip sound that you hear in an auto repair shop as they remove the bolts that hold tires on is the pneumatic impact wrench.

All You Needed To Know About Checking Transmission Fluid

There you have it. Checking your car’s transmission fluid should no longer feel like a mystery hunt anymore.