How to Check Transmission Fluid
Your transmission is an essential component of your car, making it possible to shift gears and hit the roads around Lansing, East Lansing, and Pottersville, Michigan. Of course, this component needs maintenance, and your friends at LaFontaine Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram FIAT of Lansing are here to assist.
Put yourself in ‘park’ for a minute and read this overview for insight on how to check transmission fluid. Once you’re finished reading, you can schedule a service appointment with any additional questions.
First in our guide on how to check transmission fluid, let's talk about preparing your car for this routine service. You'll want to keep the engine warm, but at the same time, you need to ensure that your vehicle is safe and secure.
Choose a level surface and put your car in either park or neutral. You'll want to choose a place where you're confident the car is going to stay still, so perhaps park it along the side of the street instead of on your slanted driveway.
Next, you'll want to locate your dipstick, which may be in a few places under your hood, depending on your specific car. If you have an inline engine, you'll want to look closer to the windshield, behind your oil dipstick.
Alternatively, many cars with front-wheel drive have the transmission dipstick right next to the oil one, usually near the battery. You can read your owner's manual for a bit more information about your car's specific layout.
We also recommend gloves for this part of the process, as the transmission fluid could get on your hands and stain your skin. Keep those digits pristine with the help of a pair of gloves!
To check your transmission fluid, you need to remove the dipstick and look at the fluid level. For best accuracy, we recommend pulling out the dipstick and wiping it clean first, as it will produce a more accurate result with fewer outside contaminants.
Wipe the dipstick on a clean cloth, carefully replace it, and then remove it again. Your dipstick will have indicator lines on it, and the fluid should come all the way up to the line that reads ‘full.’ If it doesn't, then you can top it off with a little more fluid, ensuring it comes up to that line.
Finally, in our guide on how to check transmission fluid, let's talk about the color your fluid should be. We recommend looking before you close your hood to ensure your fluid is at peak performance.
Grab a paper towel or another white surface and place the dipstick on it. That way, the contrast will make it easier to see the color of your transmission fluid. Ideally, the color should be somewhere from a light red to a pinkish color. If that's what you see, your fluid is in good shape.
What about if your transmission fluid is a brownish red or a darker color bordering on black? That's a sign that it's time to replace your fluid and freshen up your transmission.
We hope this step-by-step guide on how to check your transmission fluid has helped you feel more confident about attempting this form of routine auto maintenance.
But what if you live near Lansing, East Lansing, or Pottersville, MI, and you'd prefer to have a professional check out your transmission? You can easily schedule a service appointment with your friends here at LaFontaine CDJRF of Lansing!
| Monday | 9:00AM - 9:00PM |
| Tuesday | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
| Wednesday | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
| Thursday | 9:00AM - 9:00PM |
| Friday | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
| Saturday | 10:00AM - 4:00PM |
| Sunday | Closed |
| Monday | 7:30AM - 6:00PM |
| Tuesday | 7:30AM - 6:00PM |
| Wednesday | 7:30AM - 6:00PM |
| Thursday | 7:30AM - 6:00PM |
| Friday | 7:30AM - 6:00PM |
| Saturday | 8:00AM - 2:00PM |
| Sunday | Closed |
| Monday | 7:30AM - 6:00PM |
| Tuesday | 7:30AM - 6:00PM |
| Wednesday | 7:30AM - 6:00PM |
| Thursday | 7:30AM - 6:00PM |
| Friday | 7:30AM - 6:00PM |
| Saturday | 8:00AM - 2:00PM |
| Sunday | Closed |
| Monday | 8:00AM - 5:30PM |
| Tuesday | 8:00AM - 5:30PM |
| Wednesday | 8:00AM - 5:30PM |
| Thursday | 8:00AM - 5:30PM |
| Friday | 8:00AM - 5:30PM |
| Saturday | Closed |
| Sunday | Closed |