Checking Your Transmission Oil Level

*MEDIUM*

Check your manual transmission (or transaxle) oil level every six months or 6,000 miles by following this procedure:

  1. Park the vehicle on level ground with the engine OFF, the parking brake engaged, and the transmission in REVERSE. If the vehicle has been driven recently, let it set for a few minutes to permit the transmission oil to drain to the bottom of the transmission sump for a more accurate reading. It will be necessary to crawl under the car. If your car's ground clearance will not permit easy access to the transmission, it will need to be elevated on both ends using safety stands or wheel ramps. However, the vehicle must still remain level.
  2. Use your owner's manual to identify the location of your transmission fill plug. Wear gloves and a long sleeve shirt so as not to burn yourself on any components. Also wear eye protection so foreign particles like undercar dirt do not enter your eye. Most manual transmissions will have the fill plug on one side, about half way up. Be sure not to confuse the fill plug with the drain plug located on the transmission sump bottom.
  3. Wipe the area around the fill plug clean before removing it so as to prevent dirt from contaminating the internal components.
  4. Loosen the fill plug with the correct size socket wrench. If oil begins to leak out, let it continue until it stops. Capture the excess oil in an appropriate container. Tighten the plug when the leaking stops.
  5. If oil does not leak out after removing the fill plug, check the oil level with a small bent paper clip. Do not let the paper clip fall into the transmission. The oil level should be at the bottom of fill plug opening. If not, add the appropriate amount of oil through the fill plug opening using a large rubber squeeze bulb. Use the lubricant recommended in your owner's manual.
  6. Slowly add oil until it begins draining from the fill plug opening. Capture any excess oil in an appropriate container. Wait a few minutes for the oil to settle. Recheck the fluid level with a paper clip. Replace the fill plug.
  7. Some cars, likely foreign, may have a small dipstick that can be accessed from underneath the hood. Simply remove the transmission dipstick and read the oil level. In such a case, the oil level should be between FULL and ADD. If not, correct the lubricant level accordingly.
  8. Remove the vehicle from the stands or wheel ramps if used.

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