Couple things went right.
1-Dexron VI on sale.... so I bought 11 quarts.
2-I recently passed 50,000.
Since I do alot of severe driving (stop and go LA traffic) I decided to drain the transmission.
Note ....this is a PARTIAL drain... as more fluid remains in the trans cooler, lines, torque converter.
My plan--
drain 5 qts-
refill-
drive for a few hundred miles to circulate the fluid and repeat.
Manual says 5.3 qts of fluid on a drain.
I MARKED the full line on the bottles... for reference later.
with a hot engine/trans- I checked the trans dipstick several times to see the current fluid level. On mine it reached the HOT mark.
You will need
plastic sheating (paint supply section of Home Depot).
Cardboard (I use it to absorb any splash drops- and to help me slide in/out easier.
7/16 socket or wrench.
a container to catch used fluid. (I Used a square 28 qt container from Wal Mart).
5-6 qts of Dexron
a long funnel to reach the trans- for refilling fluid.
THe Drain plug is very easy to get to--- MUCH easier than the engine drain bolt... Im thin-- I didnt even need to raise the vehicle and slid in from the front of the vehicle.
![]()
I personally marked the drain plug and trans- with a Sharpie- so I have reference when I put it back on. note the little black line....
Remove the drain plug- and allow it to drain. (I also opened the trans dipstick).
![]()
The bolt is in good condition. It has that thread sealer stuff on it.
![]()
Once its done draining put the bolt back in. The reason for the mark--- once the marks lined up as in the 2nd pic above- I turned it about another 45 degrees so that the thread stuff would get into the threads.
I then refilled the trans with 5 qts.
![]()
To double check- I refilled the empty bottles with the used fluid-- up to the line I had marked way back at step one.
I ended up with 4.8 qts in the bottles. (I refilled with 5 qts).
Here is what the bottom of the container looks like--- no debris.
For color reference-- I wiped used fluid and new fluid on white paper towel....
(Disregard the German Shepherd hair--- theyre always keeping me company)...
interesting that the used fluid looked a little more red when I wiped it on---
in the camera pic- it shows no tint of red... looks more like motor oil...
but there was a tint of red in there.
No smell of burnt fluid
![]()
Clean up- and check all dipsticks. put away tools.
This was about 1:30 of work- mostly due to pics and refilling containers with the turkey baster.
Next time I do this- It will probably be 30-40 min.
I will drive and recheck fluid level.
1-Dexron VI on sale.... so I bought 11 quarts.
2-I recently passed 50,000.
Since I do alot of severe driving (stop and go LA traffic) I decided to drain the transmission.
Note ....this is a PARTIAL drain... as more fluid remains in the trans cooler, lines, torque converter.
My plan--
drain 5 qts-
refill-
drive for a few hundred miles to circulate the fluid and repeat.
Manual says 5.3 qts of fluid on a drain.
I MARKED the full line on the bottles... for reference later.
with a hot engine/trans- I checked the trans dipstick several times to see the current fluid level. On mine it reached the HOT mark.
You will need
plastic sheating (paint supply section of Home Depot).
Cardboard (I use it to absorb any splash drops- and to help me slide in/out easier.
7/16 socket or wrench.
a container to catch used fluid. (I Used a square 28 qt container from Wal Mart).
5-6 qts of Dexron
a long funnel to reach the trans- for refilling fluid.
THe Drain plug is very easy to get to--- MUCH easier than the engine drain bolt... Im thin-- I didnt even need to raise the vehicle and slid in from the front of the vehicle.
I personally marked the drain plug and trans- with a Sharpie- so I have reference when I put it back on. note the little black line....
Remove the drain plug- and allow it to drain. (I also opened the trans dipstick).
The bolt is in good condition. It has that thread sealer stuff on it.
Once its done draining put the bolt back in. The reason for the mark--- once the marks lined up as in the 2nd pic above- I turned it about another 45 degrees so that the thread stuff would get into the threads.
I then refilled the trans with 5 qts.
To double check- I refilled the empty bottles with the used fluid-- up to the line I had marked way back at step one.
I ended up with 4.8 qts in the bottles. (I refilled with 5 qts).
Here is what the bottom of the container looks like--- no debris.
For color reference-- I wiped used fluid and new fluid on white paper towel....
(Disregard the German Shepherd hair--- theyre always keeping me company)...
interesting that the used fluid looked a little more red when I wiped it on---
in the camera pic- it shows no tint of red... looks more like motor oil...
but there was a tint of red in there.
No smell of burnt fluid
Clean up- and check all dipsticks. put away tools.
This was about 1:30 of work- mostly due to pics and refilling containers with the turkey baster.
Next time I do this- It will probably be 30-40 min.
I will drive and recheck fluid level.
