[phys431]

I was a little overdue for changing my transmission fluid (90k miles), but decided to bite the bullet and give it a try. I'm a believer in FCPEuro's DIY videos and advice, so I studied it carefully. In their video, they also sent a sample of their transmission fluid for analysis (which I decided to do too... Why not?)..

Any rate, the kit came with 6L of fluid. When I drained the trans, a little more than 3L came out. When I put the fluid back in (following FCP Euro's directions to the T, and all *seemed* to go well), I was able to get almost 3L in. So here's where it got a little hokey...

So I don't own a lift, but I do have custom wheel wells that can have the body about 2.5' off the ground. Not a bad amount of space. When I got the fluid in (prior to the final top-off), I went through the gears, ALL the gears. The directions said to keep at 2000 rpm which was hard to do. Every time I shifted, the RPMs dropped. I also noticed that the gears were also down-shifting, so it was hard to raise the gears and keep it there.

Any rate, the directions said to keep the car running, raise the car, and do the final fill when the gearbox is 40-50 deg C. Well, I was not going to raise a car with a jack while it was running. So i turned it off and restarted once it was raised (and stable) again. I then was trying to find the temperature reading on my OBD scanner, by the time I found it, I was already up to 52C! So I turned it off, let it cool a bit, turned it back on and it was in the upper 40's. So given that turning it back on, it would then get too hot (above 50), I just turned it off given that it was in the right temperature range. I was able to get a little more fluid in there, but not too much. BUT the amount that I was ultimately able to put in was about the same as what came out.

I then took the car for a test drive on slow roads, then at medium speeds, and finally I gave it a good race on the highway. All in all, it seemed fine... No odd sounds or feelings, it seems like its good... Or is it? I was given 6L for reason, but then again only about 3+ came out. I figure that if something was wrong, I would discover/hear/see something pretty promptly. What do you think?

[Mkesler75]

You mention kit. However, you didn’t mention dropping the trans pan? Assume you did that?

[Watsey]

Depending on the transmission model the torque converter holds at least a couple of litres of fluid, and this fluid doesn’t drain from the transmission during a fluid change (gravity drain).

This is the process I follow when I do my fluid changes :

1. Drain fluid, change the pan.
2.Refill according to the correct procedure.
3. Road test.
4. Drain & refill.
5. Road test.
6. Drain & refill
7. Road test

This makes sure that the fresh fluid flushes the old fluid remaining in the torque converter and dilutes it to a low %.

The transmission fluid needs to be topped-up with the engine rpm held at the designated level.

[FaRKle!]

You need to have the engine on while filling the trans fluid. It won't fill completely if you do it while off.

[kdog_x]

I have been able to get about ~4.5 qts in there, this includes dropping and replacing the pan per procedure. I don't know that it's that vital to go through ALL the gears, I fill it cold until it comes back out, let it warm to 40-50*, fill it again, cycle though reverse, drive, neutral, park, a few times, fill it again till it drips... done. (All fills done with the engine running other than the initial cold fill, it won't draw the fluid into the trans if it's off. Shutting down and restarting to put it on a lift is fine)

Following this, I have not found that you can get more fluid in there after going for a drive and cycling through the gears, waiting for cooldown etc... though I did check that way for my first two fluid changes... certainly no harm in checking.

Coming up on 240k I just did my 4th change and dropped the valve body (mechatronics unit) for a rebuild as well. With the mech unit out I was able to get 8.2 quarts in there. Probably closer to 8 quarts with spillage, so definitely get some extra fluid if you ever need to drop that.


If you get minimal fluid dripping out while warmed to between 40-50, you have it topped off correctly, whatever you added.

[n00bkiller944]

+1 on needing to do the final fill WITH the motor running