If you need guide on how to check transmission fluid of your car, you are at the right place as we are going to work you through the process. Without much waste of time we want to get started..\
How To Check Transmission Fluid
Start the car.
- Make sure your car is in park and on level ground.
- Start the engine, if it is not already running.
- Turn on any lights that may need to be turned on for your inspection, such as headlights or fog lights.
Shift through the gears in neutral.
If you want to check your transmission fluid, it’s a good idea to do it when the car isn’t running. You’ll also need a flashlight, a funnel and gloves.
Step 1: Put the car in neutral and turn the key to the “on” position but don’t start the engine.
Step 2: Shift through the gears in neutral, stopping for about 10 seconds at each gear. This will allow you to hear if there are any noises coming from inside of your transmission that shouldn’t be there or any sounds that should be occurring but aren’t (like scraping). If something feels off or sounds wrong then go ahead and replace some of your fluids!
Step 3: Once you’ve shifted through all of the gears, turn off your vehicle again so that all moving parts stop moving–you don’t want anything breaking while doing this!
Read also: How Long Does It Take To Rebuild a Transmission?
Locate the transmission fluid dipstick.
The transmission dipstick is typically located in the same place on your car as the engine oil dipstick. On most automatic transmissions, this means that you can find it in nearly the same location as where you would look for your engine oil level (though some cars are different). If you’re looking at a manual transmission, however, look for an accessible dipstick on either side or in front of where your clutch pedal would be if this was a manual car.
Once you’ve found it and pulled out your dipstick, wipe off any excess dirt from around its base so that you don’t accidentally contaminate anything else with grime or other particles and then put it back into place before removing it again later when checking fluid levels
Remove the dipstick.
- Remove the dipstick by pulling it straight out.
- Use a rag to wipe up any excess transmission fluid that has accumulated on the dipstick handle and place it in an upright position (so it doesn’t roll off of your workbench).
Wipe it off with a rag or paper towel.
After you have removed the dipstick, wipe it off with a rag or paper towel. This will ensure that you get an accurate measurement of the fluid on the dipstick. Wipe from the bottom up, and make sure to get the entire length of the dipstick.
Reinsert the dipstick all the way.
Reinsert the dipstick all the way.
If you’re not sure whether or not you’ve pushed in the dipstick all the way, you can use a small flashlight to look at it from above to see if it’s flush with the edge of the hole. If it isn’t, simply push until it is. Remember that if your dipstick does not read accurately, it may be because you did not insert it all the way into its receptacle; this will affect how much fluid your vehicle needs and can lead to problems down the road.
Check the fluid level on the dipstick.
To check the fluid level:
Step 1: Remove the dipstick from its housing.
Step 2: wipe it off with a clean rag.
Step 3: reinsert the dipstick into its housing and remove it again.
Step 4: use your thumb to press down on top of it, and hold that pressure while you slowly pull out the dipstick until all of its contents have dripped off onto a piece of paper towel.
Put your car back in park.
Once you’ve finished checking the fluid, it’s time to get back in your car and move on with your day. Remember to put your car back in park before turning off the engine. When you’re done with that, make sure not to forget about your safety: other drivers may still be around and moving their cars, so watch out for them as you get out of yours! If you have a manual transmission car (where shifting gears is done yourself), make sure that you shift into park at this point as well. Finally, don’t forget about yourself: always remember to buckle up after getting into a vehicle!
If you follow this guide, you can safely and easily check your transmission fluid at home.
You can check the fluid yourself and save a trip to the mechanic’s shop. This guide will show you how to check your transmission fluid in three easy steps:
- Check that it’s time for an oil change. You’ll know if it’s time for an oil change when you see your car owner’s manual or on the dipstick itself (more on this below).
- Find where the drain plug is located on your car by looking in your owner’s manual or simply following along with our step-by-step instructions below.
- Remove the drain plug and check the level of transmission fluid inside your transmission pan by dipping into a container of clean water while slowly turning over each revolution until everything runs out into a container below where clear water shows up as red coloration around metal parts; replace old fluid with new following manufacturer specifications listed in owner’s manuals, which are typically listed per 100 miles driven per year during normal operation conditions like driving conditions during summer months versus winter months (or vice versa depending where you live), etcetera – depending on what type of vehicle you have!
Watch this video to better understand how to check transmission fluid:
How To Change Transmission Fluid
If you follow the steps below, you should be able to change transmission fluid by yourself. So let’s get started:
Drain the transmission fluid.
Now that you’ve prepped the car, it’s time to drain the transmission fluid. The first thing you’ll need to do is locate where the fluid goes into and out of your vehicle. On most cars, there will be a dipstick or a “low oil” light indicator that shows when there is low transmission fluid in your car. Once you know where to find this, you can begin draining the fluid by following these steps:
- Open up your garage door so that any dripping fluid won’t fall on anything valuable while it’s draining out of your car.
- If there are multiple plugs around where the transmission fluid drains from (such as one for coolant and one for oil), unscrew each one completely before moving on to another one; this allows all types of liquid access points into your vehicle so nothing gets stuck behind them later on down the road
Drop the pan and replace the filter.
With the pan removed, you can now get to work on replacing the filter. Use a pair of pliers to remove the old one and install a new one with fresh fluid.
Now you’re ready to reinstall all of your parts. Just reverse what you did earlier in this section—lowering back down into place, installing the bolts (but not tightening them all), and reconnecting any hoses or wires that were disconnected when accessing other areas of your car’s engine compartment. After everything is put back together, check for leaks by turning on your engine and watching for any signs of puddles forming underneath where it sits on jack stands or ramps. If all looks good from there, give yourself a pat on the back and start up again!
Inspect the magnets and clean them.
Inspect the magnets and clean them.
The magnets will become dirty as you remove metal particles from the pan, so it is important to check on your magnets and make sure that they are in good condition. If necessary, remove them from the pan and clean them with water or soap. Replace any damaged magnets with new ones before continuing to change transmission fluid.
Replenish the transmission fluid.
- Refill the transmission with the correct type of fluid. Check your vehicle owner’s manual to see what type of transmission fluid your car requires. Once you have purchased the proper type, drain out as much old fluid as possible from your car and then fill it up with fresh fluid. Do not overfill! Remember: adding too much will cause problems later on down the road.
- Be sure that your engine is running while you add new fluid because this will help circulate the new fluid through all parts of your transmission system better than if you used a hand pump or siphoned manually into bottles for each part (which can be difficult).
Check for leaks.
As you’re checking for leaks, take a look at the transmission itself. If there’s any fluid on or around it, it may be from internal transmission damage. This is especially likely to happen if you don’t have access to specialized tools like a torque wrench and socket set—in which case you probably shouldn’t be taking apart your car anyway! If there are signs of leaks in these locations:
- Underneath the car where the pan was attached
- On the ground nearby where the pan was removed
- On or in front of where the new filter (filter housing) would have been installed
Make sure you do these five steps in order and you’ll have changed your transmission fluid!
- Make sure you have everything you need before starting
- Take off the transmission dipstick and check the fluid level
- Fill the transmission with fluid using a funnel and an oil pump (if you have one) or a turkey baster
- Install your new dipstick and check again for leaks
- Check your owner’s manual to see what type of fluid to use!
Watch the video below to learn how to change your transmission fluid:
What Transmission Do I Have?
There are several ways you can tell what transmission your vehicle has.
- The VIN number is the first place to look. The VIN number is located on the left side of the dash near the windshield and on all door jamb labels. It also appears in a sticker under the hood, inside each door pillar and on top of your gas tank (in older vehicles). You may need to get someone else to read this information for you if it isn’t visible from behind the wheel.
- Next, check for a transmission identification plate in one or more of these locations:
- On top of transmissions or transfer cases
- In front of or beneath engines and transaxles
Locate your VIN number and decode it.
If you’re not sure what transmission you have, locate the vehicle identification number (VIN). This is a unique serial number assigned by the manufacturer and located on most cars in three places:
- On the driver’s side door jamb.
- On your car’s title document or registration card.
- On a plate attached to your engine block on newer vehicles—usually under the hood but often hidden from view by other parts such as an air filter or heat shield. You may need to take off some parts to get at this plate.
You may have a transmission identification plate on your vehicle.
You may have a transmission identification plate on your vehicle. This plate will tell you the type of transmission you have, as well as information about its capacity and gear ratios.
If you can’t locate your transmission identification plate, or if it is not readable due to damage or dirt, there are other ways to determine what type of transmission you have in your car.
Consult your owner’s manual.
You can consult your owner’s manual for information about the type of transmission you have. If there is no section on your transmission, check to see if the manufacturer of your vehicle has a PDF version of the manual available online. If not, contact them directly to confirm what type of transmission is in your car or truck.
Here are three ways to tell what transmission you have.
For the most accurate information, you can look at the transmission identification plate located on the driver’s side of your vehicle near the firewall. The label contains information about your car’s transmission and engine. If you don’t have access to this (or if it has been removed), there are other ways to determine what kind of transmission you have.
If you own a car that was manufactured before 2000, decoding your VIN number is an option for determining which type of transmission is in use. You will need some basic tools to do this; if you are unsure how to decode it yourself, visit local mechanics or contact them through their website for more tips on identifying what type of automatic transmission is installed in your vehicle.