How to check your car’s automatic transmission fluid

Checking Automatic Transmission Fluid

Before you check your car's automatic transmission fluid make sure your car is parked at a fairly even and level surface and put on the parking brake.

• Turn on your car.
• Shift the car in P - park position and let the engine run on idle.
• Open the hood of your car
• Pull out the transmission dipstick - refer to your owner's manual for exact location of the dipstick in your car's engine compartment
• Clean the full length of the stick with a clean rag (lint free)
• Put the transmission dipstick back - all the way down
• Pull out the dipstick again and read the fluid level looking at the bottom of the stick - opposite end of the handle
  The levels read HOT and COLD and if the car engine is warmed up the fluid level should be close to the HOT section.
  If the fluid level is near to COLD you may need to add some transmission fluid to top it up.

The fluid should be pretty clean looking and transparent - new transmission fluid is reddish. If the fluid on the stick looks black or brownish and dirty it may be time to change the transmission fluid - check your owner's manual for specifics and at what intervals it recommends the transmission fluid changed.

If you need to add more fluid into the transmission you need to use a specific transmission fluid to your car. That is very important, if you are not sure what the correct fluid is take the car to a repair shop or check the owner's manual.  The new fluid will need to be poured in from the pipe the dipstick is located. Add a little bit of fluid at at time and recheck. Do not add too much.

At the end place the dipstick back to it's pipe and close the hood and you are done.

Articles that may be related to this one

• April 15, 2010 -- Transmissions and Transmission Repairs