Why, Gm? Why?

[Rob Croson]

I bet some people will figure out the problem pretty much immediately...

So the transmission in my 2004 Saturn L300 started shifting rough on my way home from work tonight. After 125k miles, it's not too surprising. I check the dash, and there's an idiot light on. Check the owner's manual when I get home, and it's a "non-emissions warning, get service immediately". I may not be an auto mechanic, but I'm not an idiot under the hood. Time for some basic troubleshooting. Step one: Look for leaks. Driver's side of the transmission looks damp from a small leak somewhere. The slow weeping kind, not the arterial spraying kind. Doesn't look *too* bad, I can deal with dumping some fluid in every couple months. Step two: Check the transmission fluid! There's the oil, brake fluid, steering fluid, wiper fluid, but no transmission fluid dipstick. Grab the flashlight, find a little black cap way down inside the engine on the top of the transmission. Funny place for a dipstick, and it looks kinda funny, too. It screws in. Unscrew it and pull it out. It's not a dipstick. It's just a fill cap. Where's that silly dipstick?

Back to the owner's manual. Check the index: Fluid, Transmission .... page 5-32. "You cannot check the transmission fluid in your vehicle. If you think there's a problem, take your vehicle to a mechanic for service."

W...t...F...? Can't check the transmission fluid level? What kind of stupid BS is that? How does the shop do it? There *has* to be a way.

Someone has *got* to have figured it out and posted the instructions. Off I go to google, link to saturnfans.com, and sure enough, someone has posted the instructions, and a link to a portion of the service manual about it. You have jack the darn thing up to get underneath, keeping the vehicle perfectly level means you need four sturdy jackstands or a lift to get under it safely, run the engine to heat it up, and then with the engine running you pull an f'ing bolt out of the side of the transmission! If transmission fluid comes slowly dripping out of the hole, you're good. If no oil comes out, you need more. If scalding hot transmission fluid gushes out all over your arm and face, then you've got too much, oh, and you should probably go to the hospital and get those burns looked at.

Who the hell thought this was a good system?

After looking at the service manual, I can't even find the stupid bolt. Off to youtube! First video, I have to listen to some idiot who pretends to know what he's doing, but after he gets the fluid drained and goes to fill it back up, he realizes that there's no dipstick, so he can't check the fluid. Moron. If you don't know what you're doing, why are you trying to pretend your an expert? At least I was smart enough to no try draining it before figuring out how to fill it back up. Wouldn't it be a good idea to actually CHECK the level before you drained it, to see what it is? And why would you post the video showing everyone what an idiot you are? I have to listen to the guy swear for five minutes straight about how stupid GM is and how he's never going to buy another GM vehicle again, how dangerous this is, blah, blah,blah... fast forward past his stupidity only to hear him claim that since this is SOOO dangerous he won't actually show you how to do it, but he's gonna do it, because he's an expert, he's just not going to show YOU how to do it. Back to saturnfans.com, someone says that the Chevy Cobalt uses the same transmission. Back to youtube, search for chevy cobalt transmission fluid change, first hit is a very helpful guy who shows you exactly how to do it, including all the precautions you should take to do it safely.

Back to the car... finally find the bolt. Using a flashlight, I can just barely see half the bolt. Can't even put a finger on it. I don't have four jackstands.

Screw this. Go to the store with the van. Get two quarts of Dexron VI fluid (a suitable replacement for Dexron III, or so it claims) and dump it in. Test drive: Idiot light is off. Shifts fine. Done.

Call mechanic friend. He says that's a good plan, but dump in one more quart. With the kind of leak I described, it will either fail hard in a few days if the transmission has already been damaged, or it will last a couple more years. Good enough for me.

Come on, Elio!

 

[skygazer6033]

This is common for manual transmissions. Never heard of it in an automatic. At least you have a filler plug. On Honda manuals you only have the level plug so you have to add fluid through the level plug hole until it starts running back out. No real way to do it without making a big mess. Not sure just throwing 2 quarts at it is a good idea. Some automatics overheat if they're overfilled by only a few ounces. Good luck.

 

[Coss]

There is an easy fix for it:
1) First you need this Step One
2) Then you follow it with this Step Two

Problem fixed, just that easy

 

[outsydthebox]

I bet some people will figure out the problem pretty much immediately...

So the transmission in my 2004 Saturn L300 started shifting rough on my way home from work tonight. After 125k miles, it's not too surprising. I check the dash, and there's an idiot light on. Check the owner's manual when I get home, and it's a "non-emissions warning, get service immediately". I may not be an auto mechanic, but I'm not an idiot under the hood. Time for some basic troubleshooting. Step one: Look for leaks. Driver's side of the transmission looks damp from a small leak somewhere. The slow weeping kind, not the arterial spraying kind. Doesn't look *too* bad, I can deal with dumping some fluid in every couple months. Step two: Check the transmission fluid! There's the oil, brake fluid, steering fluid, wiper fluid, but no transmission fluid dipstick. Grab the flashlight, find a little black cap way down inside the engine on the top of the transmission. Funny place for a dipstick, and it looks kinda funny, too. It screws in. Unscrew it and pull it out. It's not a dipstick. It's just a fill cap. Where's that silly dipstick?

Back to the owner's manual. Check the index: Fluid, Transmission .... page 5-32. "You cannot check the transmission fluid in your vehicle. If you think there's a problem, take your vehicle to a mechanic for service."

W...t...F...? Can't check the transmission fluid level? What kind of stupid BS is that? How does the shop do it? There *has* to be a way.

Someone has *got* to have figured it out and posted the instructions. Off I go to google, link to saturnfans.com, and sure enough, someone has posted the instructions, and a link to a portion of the service manual about it. You have jack the darn thing up to get underneath, keeping the vehicle perfectly level means you need four sturdy jackstands or a lift to get under it safely, run the engine to heat it up, and then with the engine running you pull an f'ing bolt out of the side of the transmission! If transmission fluid comes slowly dripping out of the hole, you're good. If no oil comes out, you need more. If scalding hot transmission fluid gushes out all over your arm and face, then you've got too much, oh, and you should probably go to the hospital and get those burns looked at.

Who the hell thought this was a good system?

After looking at the service manual, I can't even find the stupid bolt. Off to youtube! First video, I have to listen to some idiot who pretends to know what he's doing, but after he gets the fluid drained and goes to fill it back up, he realizes that there's no dipstick, so he can't check the fluid. Moron. If you don't know what you're doing, why are you trying to pretend your an expert? At least I was smart enough to no try draining it before figuring out how to fill it back up. Wouldn't it be a good idea to actually CHECK the level before you drained it, to see what it is? And why would you post the video showing everyone what an idiot you are? I have to listen to the guy swear for five minutes straight about how stupid GM is and how he's never going to buy another GM vehicle again, how dangerous this is, blah, blah,blah... fast forward past his stupidity only to hear him claim that since this is SOOO dangerous he won't actually show you how to do it, but he's gonna do it, because he's an expert, he's just not going to show YOU how to do it. Back to saturnfans.com, someone says that the Chevy Cobalt uses the same transmission. Back to youtube, search for chevy cobalt transmission fluid change, first hit is a very helpful guy who shows you exactly how to do it, including all the precautions you should take to do it safely.

Back to the car... finally find the bolt. Using a flashlight, I can just barely see half the bolt. Can't even put a finger on it. I don't have four jackstands.

Screw this. Go to the store with the van. Get two quarts of Dexron VI fluid (a suitable replacement for Dexron III, or so it claims) and dump it in. Test drive: Idiot light is off. Shifts fine. Done.

Call mechanic friend. He says that's a good plan, but dump in one more quart. With the kind of leak I described, it will either fail hard in a few days if the transmission has already been damaged, or it will last a couple more years. Good enough for me.

Come on, Elio!

Good idea to change the filter while you had it up on stands. With 125k it is probably getting clogged. You want some real fun, change the water pump on the '01 GM 2.4L ...probably the same motor in your Saturn!...DUDE! Sell it now!

 

[Elio Amazed]

Malibu... at least '99 thru '04 (and probably beyond), same exact deal.

 

[W. WIllie]

2002 Chevy Cavalier same way. Don't forget......DO NOT SHUT OFF ENGINE WITH LEVEL PLUG OUT.
Don't ask me how I know,

 

[Ian442]

2005 Pontiac Sunfire ... Same Deal.

FYI you can't overfill that transmission fluid' Ive done it... Oddly enough i managed to pop the rubber reservoir for the slave cylinder and it leaked all over the road while driving through an intersection.

 

[CheeseheadEarl]

I dunno how you just found this out, unless you bought the car yesterday. I check all fluids the day I buy a car and no less than monthly after that.

As mentioned, this is not a new method either. My 1947 Farmall tractor has 2 petcocks (representing max and min oil levels) on the side of the engine oil pan. If nothing comes out the bottom valve when you open it, it's low. You then close the bottom one, open the top one, and add oil till it comes out there.

 

[Elio Amazed]

GM Manual:

"It is not necessary to check the transaxle fluid level.
A transaxle leak is the only reason for fluid loss.
If a leak occurs, take the vehicle to the dealership service department
and have it repaired as soon as possible. You may also have your fluid checked
by your dealer or service center when you have your oil changed."

Change both the fluid and filter every 50,000 miles (83,000km) if the vehicle is mainly driven
under one or more of the following conditions:

* In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature regularly reaches 90 degrees F (32 degrees C) or higher.
* In hilly or mountainous terrain.
*When doing frequent trailer towing.
*Uses such as found in taxi, police or delivery service.

If you do not use your vehicle under any of these conditions, the fluid and filter do not require changing."

And that's all it says about the transmission.

IMHO, it's just another money-grubbing scheme by the GM cartel.

And, It's just another reason to take your money elsewhere.
I've not had good experiences with the last few GM vehicles I've had.
I've heard a lot of the same from GM owners (other than the 'top-of-the-line').

 

[Rob Croson]

I dunno how you just found this out, unless you bought the car yesterday. I check all fluids the day I buy a car and no less than monthly after that.

We've owned the car for 12 years. Change the oil whenever the light comes on. Add wiper fluid whenever the squirters stop squirting. Checked the brake fluid occasionally. Added some steering fluid when it started squealing while making sharp turns.

Other than that, nothing. My car is transportation, not occupation.