Look Ma - no dipstick tube from factory?
06-11-2004, 03:37 PM
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Look Ma - no dipstick tube from factory? In case you did not know, many manufacturors have been cranking out SEALED auto trannies for many years - my 96 Beamer is one, for example. These units have no dipstick, no filler reservior - NOTHING to filler up!!!
They do have the standard pan bolts surrounding the valvebody on the underside of the tranny case.... So you can remove the transmission pan. Similar to the standard units that we all have been used to, when the pan comes down on a sealed unit you have removed about 1/3 to 1/2 of the fluid - most units carry about 12 quarts of fluid - most of which is residing in your torque converter. The rest - about 4 to 6 quarts is now spreading out fast over your formerly clean garage floor!
Torque converter - Yeh, you know that dounut-shaped thing in front in between the flywheel and the tranny front pump. It carries a ton of fluid that just sits there when the pan is off. Some guys used to drill and tap the convertor so you can remove the fluid but I'm not sure too many do this today....some of the tranny cases I have seen do not allow this access....
So now is the interesting part. On a sealed unit there is NO FILLER DIPSTICK - NONE! No reserviour either!!!!
I assume there must be a threaded plug on the case that can be used to fill it up like you see on a 10 or 12-bolt rear - but I have not checked yet....
Anyone know how to re-fill a sealed transmission unit - I'm stumped?
They do have the standard pan bolts surrounding the valvebody on the underside of the tranny case.... So you can remove the transmission pan. Similar to the standard units that we all have been used to, when the pan comes down on a sealed unit you have removed about 1/3 to 1/2 of the fluid - most units carry about 12 quarts of fluid - most of which is residing in your torque converter. The rest - about 4 to 6 quarts is now spreading out fast over your formerly clean garage floor!
Torque converter - Yeh, you know that dounut-shaped thing in front in between the flywheel and the tranny front pump. It carries a ton of fluid that just sits there when the pan is off. Some guys used to drill and tap the convertor so you can remove the fluid but I'm not sure too many do this today....some of the tranny cases I have seen do not allow this access....
So now is the interesting part. On a sealed unit there is NO FILLER DIPSTICK - NONE! No reserviour either!!!!
I assume there must be a threaded plug on the case that can be used to fill it up like you see on a 10 or 12-bolt rear - but I have not checked yet....
Anyone know how to re-fill a sealed transmission unit - I'm stumped?
06-13-2004, 01:14 PM
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I would imagine that they did this to curb the diy people. At a trans shop or well equiped auto shop they use a trans machine that fills through the cooler lines. and swaps out all of the fluid.
06-13-2004, 02:04 PM
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like said above, should have some sort of check/fill plug on trans. On some front wheel dive GMs they have a plug to remove and fill, but no dipstick to check, they is a plug on the passenger side near the cv shaft that you remove to check level. If they fill it through the cooler lines, they still need to be able to check the level i would think. Good Luck!
