How to Check and Add Fluid to Your Automatic Transmission

Your vehicle's transmission fluid is essential for keeping moving parts lubricated and provides the required hydraulic pressure allowing you to effectively accelerate and decelerate. As such, you must check your transmission fluid at least once a month and change it between every 35,000 to 55,000 miles, and if you are wondering how you check and fill automatic transmission fluid, then you might want to keep reading this article, as we will share with you all the tips you need to know to check the level of transmission fluid

How To Check The Level Of an Automatic Transmission Fluid

1. Get Your Car Heated Up and Park On A Leveled Ground

Before doing anything else, ensure that where you have parked your car is on a flat surface; this ensures that the transmission fluid is leveled for an accurate reading.

We recommend you check your transmission fluid first thing in the morning; however, before doing so, or even opening the hood of your car, we recommend you turn on the engine and let it run for 10 minutes. Doing this allows the transmission fluid heats up, expand to its normal level, and circulate through the engine, which will give you an accurate reading.

Checking your transmission fluid when your engine isn't heated up is going to give you an inaccurate reading since the fluid may be compressed, thick, and stickier than expected.

Also, we recommend you keep your car in a parked position while switching through the various gears for at least a minute for each gear, this allows the fluid to circulate more efficiently as well. After switching through the gears, put the gear in the parking position and then you can go ahead and check the fluid level.

That being said, unlike checking the engine oil where you need to turn off your engine, with the transmission fluid, you need to check it while the engine is running.

2. Look For The Transmission Fluid Dipstick

The next step is to open the hood of the car and then identify the transmission fluid dipstick. Depending on the type of car you have, the location of the dipstick may vary; there we recommend you use the color of the head of the dipstick.

The head of the dipstick of automatic transmission fluid is red, while that of engine oils is yellow; therefore, ensure to find the dipstick with a red head.

3. Check the Color of The Transmission Fluid

Once you identify the dipstick, pull it out. When you have it pulled out, we recommend that you check the color of the fluid; this can tell you a lot about the age and dirtiness of the fluid. If the fluid is pink or has a translucent dark red color, then it means it is quite new and requires no servicing; on the other hand, if it is deep rust red or chocolate, then it means the fluid is aged and needs to be serviced immediately; however if it is any color in-between then you might want to change the fluid during the next checking session.

4. Checking The Level Of The Transmission Fluid

Once you are done checking the color of the fluid, wipe out the fluid that is on the dipstick with a rag or dirty cloth, and then reinsert it into the tube, pull it back out again, and then check the reading.

To check the level, you want to look out for two hash marks or dash marks on your dipstick; one towards the pointed end of the dipstick and it will normally have either "Minimum," "Cold" or "Add" inscribed on it; and then there should be another hashmark towards the head of the dipstick, and it should read "Maximum," or "Hot," or "Operating Level."

If your oil level is on the lower end or towards the pointed end, then it means it needs to be refilled. You want your fluid level to be either on the "Maximum" or "Hot" end or in between the lower and upper ends. 

How To Fill An Automatic Transmission Fluid 

NOTE: The tip we will be sharing here is only to be applied to individuals with vehicles that have the color of their transmission fluid being translucent dark color or pink, but then the level of the transmission fluid is low. If the color of your transmission fluid is deep rust red or chocolate, we highly recommend you bring your car to a professional. Also, if you want to purchase a transmission fluid for your vehicle, do well to check out our showroom as well for the best aftermarket auto parts & top-quality auto accessories.

With that out of the way, let's take a look at how you can refill the fluid if the levels are low.

1. Turn off Your Engine

To refill the fluid, you must turn off your engine. Once that is done, search for your transmission fluid funnel, or any automotive funnel, and then place it into the transmission fluid tube.

2. Pour The Fluid

Before going ahead to pour any fluid you might have, we recommend that you check your car manual to know which type of automatic transmission fluid is compatible with your car. If you have no idea, then do not hesitate to give us a call, and we will be more than happy to assist.

Once you have figured out the type of automatic transmission fluid your car is compatible with, you want to go ahead and then pour the Automatic transmission fluid into the funnel. You want to add it in bits, and then check the levels after each addition until it reaches an optimal level.

We would like to reiterate that if your transmission fluid is dirty, ensure to have a professional service change it.