# Cruze transmission fluid & filter change



## Denver Bob (Jun 14, 2012)

Recently, I took my 2011 Cruze LT to the dealership for a transmission fluid & filter change because it has over 30,000 miles and there is no dip stick to check the color and smell of the fluid.
Since it is a new 6 speed automatic technology, it thought is was best to be on the safe side and change it. I left it at the dealership for service. Several hours later, I go a call from the dealership stating that they could not change the fluid or filter because the engine must be pulled to service the transmission. They said it has a 100,000 mile warranty. When I asked how much this service will cost when the car has 100,000 miles, I was told that they don't know because they have never done it!!!!!!
If the normal transmission fluid change costs $200 - $300, how much will it cost to pull the engine? $800 - $1,000.00
I an not sure that I want to find out the hard way. This car is a candidate for replacement at 80,000 - 90,000 miles.
Does Chevy have an answer to this problem???


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

Take it to a different dealer, that one is clearly full of ****. The owners manual clearly states the transmission fluid should be changed by 45,000miles. There is no way the trans has to come out to do it.

I have not looked much into this on the cruze but my last car(a 2004 cavalier) had the same missing dipstick. On the drivers side of engine on top the trans was a black knob you could remove to fill trans. Looking in the same location on the cruze there is the exact same black knob to remove to fill. 

I will admit on the cavalier I just paid the dealer $90 to do the change, but from the reading I did It sounded like on the cavalier there was a small window on the side of trans to see if the trans was at the right fluid level(though that could be wrong). Would think there has to be some way to check the level on the cruze too. Even if there is no way to check, how hard is it to remove pan, replace filter & refill transmission fluid to spec.

Last I checked my dealer is now charging more for the trans fluid change. Think the ad in paper said $150-175. I suspect these days all a dealer tech would have to do is look up a service procedure on the computer & have step by step instructions on how to do it. Your dealer sounds completely incompetent.... or just lazy.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Your dealer is giving you the runaround. It's entirely possible to change the transmission fluid on these cars with the transmission in place. The 6T40 has a drain plug, and a fill plug. IIRC Amsoil lists the capacity as around 5 quarts for a drain and fill. It beats me where the drain/fill plugs are on the automatic, though. 

There's no serviceable filter, though. That gets replaced when the transmission is overhauled. 

And, if you're going to trade you 2011 in at 90k miles, that's a waste of money. With even a little bit of care, these cars should be good for 200k+ miles pretty easily.


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## mcg75 (Mar 5, 2012)

sciphi said:


> Your dealer is giving you the runaround. It's entirely possible to change the transmission fluid on these cars with the transmission in place. The 6T40 has a drain plug, and a fill plug. IIRC Amsoil lists the capacity as around 5 quarts for a drain and fill. It beats me where the drain/fill plugs are on the automatic, though.
> 
> There's no serviceable filter, though. That gets replaced when the transmission is overhauled.


This ^^^^^^^^ 

Seems to me the dealer didn't think he would make enough off doing this simple job for you. It shows right in GMSI where the drain & fill plugs are for the auto trans.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

sciphi said:


> Your dealer is giving you the runaround. It's entirely possible to change the transmission fluid on these cars with the transmission in place. The 6T40 has a drain plug, and a fill plug. IIRC Amsoil lists the capacity as around 5 quarts for a drain and fill. It beats me where the drain/fill plugs are on the automatic, though.
> 
> There's no serviceable filter, though. That gets replaced when the transmission is overhauled.
> 
> And, if you're going to trade you 2011 in at 90k miles, that's a waste of money. With even a little bit of care, these cars should be good for 200k+ miles pretty easily.


To be specific, the service manual lists 5.8 quarts for the drain and refill.


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## SkidMarx (May 24, 2012)

mcg75 said:


> This ^^^^^^^^
> 
> It shows right in GMSI where the drain & fill plugs are for the auto trans.


Is the GMSI a mechanics online manual or a different manual then the one that came with the 2012 Cruze?

I don't see anything in my 2012 Cruze manual about a fill and drain plug.

Thank you,
Skid


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## montess1 (Oct 13, 2012)

i think when i go to change mine i will drain the fluid in a container that i can measure the amount of fluid that comes out and see how close it is to 5.8 quarts. you don't want to over fill an automatic transmission. this seems like a safe way to do it to get close on fluid.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

montess1 said:


> i think when i go to change mine i will drain the fluid in a container that i can measure the amount of fluid that comes out and see how close it is to 5.8 quarts. you don't want to over fill an automatic transmission. this seems like a safe way to do it to get close on fluid.


Exactly the way I've always done it.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

There's a post in the how-to section about how to change the ATF. It's a drain/fill procedure. I'd do it every 30k miles or so to be on the safe side.


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## So Cal Cruzer (Sep 29, 2011)

Auto trans in 2012 Cruze...I just went out and looked..The trans filler cap is like a black knob affair just to the right of the trans cable on top of the transmission..I am going to read the manual and if it says to refill with 5.8 quarts then that is what I plan to do.. On second thought I guess it won't hurt to measure what I drain out just to be sure..I had an '83 Accord that was very easy to do because the drain plug was accessible from the top ;no crawling required..I changed it often because the trans would start slipping going into 3rd gear..A quick change with a pint of some cheap " trans medic " and it would stop slipping for 6 months...I may have forgot to tell the guy I sold it to about this.....


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## devildog1 (Jun 17, 2013)

Thanks I plan to change mine this weekend, I have 50,000 on my 2011 and its all Highway miles I love this car and I keep it immaculate


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## Private Cruze (Jul 16, 2013)

Can anybody post pics of the overflow plug so I can better determine its location?


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## Private Cruze (Jul 16, 2013)

70k on my automatic, mostly highway.

It still looked a little reddish when I changed it.


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## Poje (Aug 2, 2012)

Private Cruze said:


> Can anybody post pics of the overflow plug so I can better determine its location?


http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/57-h...ng-automatic-transmission-fluid-semi-how.html


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## Private Cruze (Jul 16, 2013)

No, I saw that. How about a picture that shows the overfill in relation to something recognizable.


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## AutumnCruzeRS (Sep 10, 2012)

Try a google image search of a "6t40e transmission"


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## niknben (Aug 17, 2013)

my cruze is going slow, when i accelerate, and will not go when i push it eventually gains speed over long stretch but no get up n go...plz help


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## jahdisciple (May 17, 2015)

can someone tell me where I could find the drain socket and filler for Cruze 2011 LS 1.8L?


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## maxandmickey (Oct 16, 2015)

c
could you tell me where the check plug is?and what size sockets for check plug and drain plug.thanks


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## MarcelloM (Oct 30, 2015)

Hi, i have a 2012 chevy cruze eco and i have been wanting to change the transmission fluid because i am almost at 80,000 and i am starting to notice some rough shifting. it is under warranty untill 100,00 miles as well.
I am quite familiar with these types of jobs and have looked everywhere under there to see if there is a way withough pulling the powertrain. 
I cant find any service manuals without spending over $300 on the factory one. I have not talked with any technicians or dealers but that was probably my next step since there must be someone out there that has done it already. 
I am wondering do i intentionally drive it into the ground before the warranty is up? haha i know this seems rediculous but if im going to have to pay 1200+ to have the tranny fluid changed then maybe thats a better option. With my luck i will go 101,000 miles and the thing will break under everyday driving conditions.
I will get back to the forums when i do more research...Good Luck


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

If they want me to buy an AT, better put that dipstick back in. One really stupid reason I heard for the reason they got rid of it was they want to avoid people from pouring in windshield wiper fluid in that hole. 

But sure made it inconvenient to check the fluid level if its a couple of quarts low, can fry up your clutch plates. And for a two buck dipstick, dealers can charge you a fortune to check it. Can no longer pour in fluid using gravity, but now need a pump. Conditions for filling it still remain, must be checked when hot. And an idiot mechanic can still pour windshield wiper fluid in that hole.

Even the shop manual talks about this, using the radiator that has coolant in it, can seep into your AT. This can be checked very quickly with a dipstick.

88 Supra and 82 P-30 still have a drain plug, reason for getting rid of it on most vehicles, say they want you to change the filter. I have news for you, after you spill a bunch of fluid on your floor, still can put that pan back up without changing the filter, if you even have a filter.


Also got rid of drain plugs on differentials, have to remove the cover and spill grease all over your floor. And what about zerk fittings in particular on the ball joints, can use a shot of grease every once in awhile, they last a heck of a lot longer.

With the Cruze, can't even replace a ball joint anymore, have to replace the entire control arm assembly.

Why do they do this? The real reason is so your vehicle becomes a pile of junk, not worth fixing so you are forced to buy a new one. And any maintenance now cost us a small fortune.

Was looking at parts for a 22,000 GVW motorhome, tapered bearings and seals, very easy to change are less than ten bucks for wheel. Hub bearings for the Cruze that can't even be lubricated are over a hundred bucks each, a lot more if dealer installed, around 300 bucks per wheel. Yet another very expensive throwaway item that can also go quickly to hail with all this dang road salt. 

Have axles have teeth on them to trigger that ABS sensors that fill up with ferrous oxide, ABS doesn't work anymore, can't even plate these things, more expense for the owner, just another problem, ABS is mandatory by law, but not built to the kind of roads we have to drive on.

Better stop here, can write a book on this subject, but can't leave out plastic parts that snap in, with no way to remove them without breaking those tangs off, so to save a screw, have to buy new ones. And better make darn sure everything else is correct before you snap them in. 

List goes on.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

The least they could do is put in a low fluid sensor.


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## cruze01 (Mar 25, 2011)

Its time to do mine now. Boy have I had a terrible experience! I guess I'll have to go to the dealer to change my trans fluid. Tire Discounters said they cant do a Cruze, I don't trust our local Valvoline and Jiffy Lube just botched the job big time! I had called around to price shop, my local dealer wanted $180.00 for the job and Jiffy said they would do it for $120.00 so I took it to them this evening. Man, this was the most unprofessional business I think I've ever went into ! I couldn't believe these guys. There was one girl (who seemed to be the smartest one there) One old man and his son. I could tell immediately that I was in trouble. The old man started trying to stick a hose down through the fill hole, it was obvious that he had no idea what he was doing. After several attempts he gave up and decided to take one of the hoses loose to connect to, took him 20 minutes to get the retaining clip out. All the while his son was trying to rotate the tires on a truck, you could hardly think for all the noise he was making with the impact gun and hollering for dad to come over because he couldn't figure out why the nuts wouldn't come off. After several hollers dad got aggravated and went over to help him, I heard him tell son to use a different size socket. Really? You work in a auto service center and can't get the lug nuts off? I feel sorry for the guy who owned the truck, I'm sure the nuts were all rounded off. Anyway, when dad came back to my car he proceeded to try and hook his machine up to my car, again he showed complete incompetence! He couldn't get the hoses hooked up and after another 20 minutes I suggested to him that maybe I just needed to take it to the dealer. He agreed and spent 20 more minutes trying to get the trans hose reconnected. Over all I spent an hour there and got nothing! Should have just went to the dealership from the start!


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## cruze01 (Mar 25, 2011)

Well after a little more investigation I don't know if anyone can do a true flush of this transmission. I've been to two other shops that said they could not hook their machine to this car. Valvoline said they could only do a double drain and refill, shoot, for $150.00 I'll do that myself. Does anyone know if the dealer can do the complete flush? I'm not giving them $180.00 if they are just going to drain and refill.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

cruze01 said:


> Well after a little more investigation I don't know if anyone can do a true flush of this transmission. I've been to two other shops that said they could not hook their machine to this car. Valvoline said they could only do a double drain and refill, shoot, for $150.00 I'll do that myself. Does anyone know if the dealer can do the complete flush? I'm not giving them $180.00 if they are just going to drain and refill.


I wrote a thorough tutorial on how to do a complete flush in your garage with a 5 gallon bucket. It's possible.


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## cruze01 (Mar 25, 2011)

Thanks X, I opted for the drain and refill. I done it twice with a short drive in between. I drained out 5.2 quarts, and refilled it with exactly the same amount each time. Considering the total capacity is about 9 quarts that should have gotten the majority of the old fluid out.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

You could have seen if the dealer had any wiggle room on the price. My dealer wanted $180 but I had a coupon they had sent in the mail and got it done for $110. They even gave me a 2014 cruze to drive for a few hours while they did the work.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

cruze01 said:


> Thanks X, I opted for the drain and refill. I done it twice with a short drive in between. I drained out 5.2 quarts, and refilled it with exactly the same amount each time. Considering the total capacity is about 9 quarts that should have gotten the majority of the old fluid out.


The problem with this method is that it doesn't consider the presence of any leaks. May work this time but you may not be so lucky next time. Automatic transmissions are very sensitive to fluid level. Trans needs to be 185-205F to adjust fluid temp, which means you need a way to scan trans fluid temp.


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## cruze01 (Mar 25, 2011)

XtremeRevolution said:


> The problem with this method is that it doesn't consider the presence of any leaks. May work this time but you may not be so lucky next time. Automatic transmissions are very sensitive to fluid level. Trans needs to be 185-205F to adjust fluid temp, which means you need a way to scan trans fluid temp.


Agreed, but for now I'm glad I went ahead and done it. If color is any indication of the condition of the fluid it really needed to be done. It was black with just a hint of red, second drain was much better looking. Next time I have the front wheel off I will pull the level check plug and make sure its full.


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## John Richard (Oct 15, 2015)

I just had my transmission flushed at the dealers. I supplied the Amsoil transmission fluid and the mechanic drained and filled the tranny 3 times after running it between changes. This cost me $200 Canadian. About $150 American. That was for 2 hours work. Otherwise would have been a half hour job at most. There is a drain plug and a fill level plug on the transmission. Like on a rear end.


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## cruze01 (Mar 25, 2011)

John Richard said:


> I just had my transmission flushed at the dealers. I supplied the Amsoil transmission fluid and the mechanic drained and filled the tranny 3 times after running it between changes. This cost me $200 Canadian. About $150 American. That was for 2 hours work. Otherwise would have been a half hour job at most. There is a drain plug and a fill level plug on the transmission. Like on a rear end.


Ya, if the dealer is just going to do a drain and fill I recommend anyone do it yourself and save the money. It was extremely easy, if you can screw out two plugs and pour in the fluid you've got it licked. Doesn't take much mechanical ability. I used the Valvoline Max Life 100% synthetic, lots of great reviews on that product as well and I could get it at the local Wal-Mart. Total job cost me about $50.00


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## Djacob (Nov 15, 2015)

cruze01 said:


> Well after a little more investigation I don't know if anyone can do a true flush of this transmission. I've been to two other shops that said they could not hook their machine to this car. Valvoline said they could only do a double drain and refill, shoot, for $150.00 I'll do that myself. Does anyone know if the dealer can do the complete flush? I'm not giving them $180.00 if they are just going to drain and refill.


I did an at home flush which was actually very easy. The hardest part is getting that **** cooler line clip back in and not losing it. My flush cost me about $100 DIY with materials and fluids


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## carbon02 (Feb 25, 2011)

Djacob-

Which cooler line did you disconnect inorder to pump out the fluid 1 quart at a time? The bottom of the radiator connection or the top?


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## Djacob (Nov 15, 2015)

carbon02 said:


> Djacob-
> 
> Which cooler line did you disconnect inorder to pump out the fluid 1 quart at a time? The bottom of the radiator connection or the top?


I disconnect the cooler line on top of the radiator. It was much easier to get to. The line on top is the return line and the bottom is the feed line. I used a clear hose that had a 3/8" inner diameter and a 1/2" outer diameter. It fit snuggle inside the fitting where the line was.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

carbon02 said:


> Djacob-
> 
> Which cooler line did you disconnect inorder to pump out the fluid 1 quart at a time? The bottom of the radiator connection or the top?


Remember, you don't have to dump out fluid one quart at a time unless the trans pumps it too quickly and you have to turn the car off. Ideally, you would be filling the transmission at the same rate as it was pumping fluid out.


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## Alpha Old School (Mar 14, 2016)

I talked to a GMC expert at a car show on this subject, they use a special machine to replace the fluid on the automatic in the diesel. The fluid is drained then filled from the bottom hole, much like an outdrive on a boat motor, till it comes out the top hole, however they don't recommend this to a DYI because the possible over filling can cause the tranny to expand severely causing failure to tranny, no filter to change tranny completely sealed


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## Tattoo85 (Oct 10, 2016)

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum. I just did the transmission fluid drain and refill today. I definitely looked up on this forum and it did help. I do have 1 problem though. It only took slight over 3 quarts for ATF fluid. Then it started weeping out the plug. I drove it around to warm the car up after performing drain amd refill and then I double checked it while car was off but still hot and added an additional .5 quarts to may be 3.5 to 3.7 total and that was all it took. 

I'm reading a lot th at the capacity is 4.2 but my car was done around the previous 3.5 to 3.7, any thoughts on this?? And I have also read that I should change it again in 1,000 miles or am I ok just to wait the 45,000??


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## carbon02 (Feb 25, 2011)

Tattoo85-

Car hot 180F, running in park when the plug was removed. It the engine is off, and the plug is removed while your filling from the top the fluid will leak out the plug early.

There are several videos that also mention that the fluid should be above the plug when the engine is cold. I've also read that there's a thermostatically controlled fluid pipe in the transmission front cover that keeps oil up in the transmission when it's hot. When it's cold all the fluid drains back to the pan. 

That's why it's critical to drain it cold, but check it for level when it's hot. 

There is about 4-4.5 quarts in the transmission that aren't removed when you pull the plug. That's the reason why people say to change it again.


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## Tattoo85 (Oct 10, 2016)

Carbon 02-

I drained it when it was cold. I put 3 quarts in then it started leaking. I then drive it around the block and waited till engine was warm. Then I shut off the car and checked it again. Added about another .5 quarts then it started leaking again. 
So your saying to check it with the engine running? And change it again in 1000 miles?


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## turbobob_01 (Mar 20, 2013)

I know this is an old thread, but I think you guys are missing that you check the fluid level with the trans. warm., the plug out, and the engine running in park.


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## Lazer (Feb 14, 2016)

You should report the dealership to to GM corp


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## Mr95Kenny (Jan 13, 2019)

Here’s my video I made of me changing my fluid!

https://youtu.be/C_Krgu7RlOA


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## jc. (Jul 28, 2019)

in turbo cruze you never change transmission oil if you go in normal drive


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## Kevin Hall (Dec 14, 2019)

There's a little four-sided Square drain plug on the bottom of the transmission I took that out and outcomes 6 quarts of transmission fluid the problem the problem I'm having is where is the transmission filter I was told it's and it's behind the throttle body but I did that see it when I took the transmission pan off I have a 2013 Chevy Eco Cruze 1.4 L turbo charged I change the transmission fluid every 30000 miles it has 90 on it now I never changed the filter though now a light comes on and says transmission overheating transmission failure and it's shifting real rough so I'm forced to do something should I change the filter if I can find it does anyone know where filter is located inside transmission


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

Kevin Hall said:


> There's a little four-sided Square drain plug on the bottom of the transmission I took that out and outcomes 6 quarts of transmission fluid the problem the problem I'm having is where is the transmission filter I was told it's and it's behind the throttle body but I did that see it when I took the transmission pan off I have a 2013 Chevy Eco Cruze 1.4 L turbo charged I change the transmission fluid every 30000 miles it has 90 on it now I never changed the filter though now a light comes on and says transmission overheating transmission failure and it's shifting real rough so I'm forced to do something should I change the filter if I can find it does anyone know where filter is located inside transmission


Welcome Aboard!

Unless you want to remove the transmission, forget about changing the filter.
How to: Automatic Transmission Fluid Flush
AMSOIL Products for the 2011-2015, 2016 Limited Gen1 Cruze 
Don't forget to introduce yourself and your Cruze here.


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