How to Check Your Transmission Fluid Level On Vehicles With Automatic Transmissions

How to check automatic transmission fluid level on most vehicles. Always consult your owners manual or a repair manual for you particular vehicle if needed.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• paper towel or rag
• common sense

1. 
   Wheel chocks used to prevent the vehicle from rolling

   Before checking the fluid on any vehicle, the transmission should be at operating temperature. To obtain this, drive the vehicle for about 5 minutes and then park your vehicle on a level surface. Set the parking brake and make sure the vehicle will not roll while in neutral. If the parking brake is broken, use wheel chocks or blocks of wood to prevent the vehicle from rolling.

2. 
   Transmission dipstick (Ford shown here)

   Place the vehicle in neutral and leave the engine running. Open the hood and locate the transmission dipstick. Most vehicles will have a "t-shaped" handle or a "eyelet shaped" handle. The handle will most likely be yellow or red in color. On most vehicles the dipstick for the transmission is located on the left or right of the engine near the rear of the engine compartment. Although some models have the dipstick located in the front of the engine compartment.

3. 
   typical trans dipstick reading area

   While checking the fluid on your vehicle, be conscious of loose or hanging clothing or jewelry while leaning over the engine to reach
   the dipstick. The engine IS on and the fan and/or pulleys on the engine are moving. Pull the dipstick out of the dipstick tube and wipe it clean with the paper towel or rag. Insert the dipstick back into the tube making sure that the dipstick fully seats in the tube. Pull the dipstick back out and check the end of the dipstick for fluid. There will be marks on the dipstick end. Either an upper and lower dot or
   an upper and lower hash mark. The fluid should be at the upper mark if it is full. If it is below the lower mark, then it needs to have fluid added to it. The difference between upper and lower marks is usually between 1/2 quart and 1 quart.

4. 
   Transmission funnel

   You will need a transmission funnel to add fluid to the transmission as the dipstick tube is a small in diameter.
   Some vehicles, such as some Honda models, are checked with the transmission in park and the engine OFF. And still yet, other vehicle have NO dipstick and require a trained professional and sometimes special tools to check the fluid level in these type of vehicles.
   Always follow the recommendations listed in the owners manual. If fluid is needed, verify the fluid type and only add the correct type of
   ATF (Automatic Transmission Fluid) A phone call to your local parts store associate can be of help on this.

5. Understand that if the transmission fluid level is low, there is a leak of some type and the vehicle should be taken to a trusted repair facility to have it checked for leaks. Also keep in mind that regular transmission fluid services are recommended to preserve the life of the transmission. Usually these services are performed every 30,000 miles alternating between trans fluid flushes and actual filter changes.

Tips & Warnings

• Always make sure the vehicle is at operating temperature
• Always make sure the vehicle is on a level surface
• Always have parking brake applied or wheels chocked
• Always check owners manual for particular vehicle requirements
• Be conscious of loose clothing and/or hanging jewelry when leaning over running engine.(Pulleys and fans are moving and can catch these items)
• Be sure that the hood is securely closed after checking fluid.