# Automatic trans Fluid Change



## SONICJIM (Aug 23, 2016)

I recently bought a used KIA Sorento and hopped on the KIA Forum - just wait, this post is about my 2016 GEN2 Cruze.

Some guy on the KIA Forum posted that he changed his trans fluid at 25K miles. Apparently the drain plug is magnetic because he included a pic of the drain plug with a bunch of crud stuck to the end.

My 2016 GEN2 Cruze has 47K miles on it and I was wondering how the trans fluid was doing. So I drained it today. Got out almost exactly 5 quarts. The drain plug was nice & clean, but the fluid was a little dirty - not quite as pink as the new fluid.

Has anyone else changed the automatic trans fluid in their GEN2 ?? If so, what condition was it in ? And does anyone know the fluid capacity for this trans ?

I'm planning on doing another 5 qt. change in 20K miles to try and clean-up the fluid further. I used Valvoline Max Life synthetic from Walmart, BTW.


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## SONICJIM (Aug 23, 2016)

Did a Google Search and I discovered at a GM webpage the fluid capacity is 7.7L / 8.14 qts.


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## booyakashao (Dec 7, 2018)

I haven't changed it before but I am changing it next oil change. Thing is I don't like the procedure as it requires that I work with hot transmission fluid so I'm going to drain and fill what comes out after cycling the gears. This means staying in each ear for 3 seconds and letting it cool down. 

The recommended procedure has you waste a lot of ATF as you need to fill and watch it pour out the fill hole.


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

I plan on doing a complete flush.

I don't change 33% of my oil. I don't plan on changing 33% of my trans.

But I'm a stickler that way.


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## booyakashao (Dec 7, 2018)

snowwy66 said:


> I plan on doing a complete flush.
> 
> I don't change 33% of my oil. I don't plan on changing 33% of my trans.
> 
> But I'm a stickler that way.


What will be your procedure? Are you going to drain and fill multiple times?


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

booyakashao said:


> What will be your procedure? Are you going to drain and fill multiple times?


Transmission shop. 
They can be done in 30 minutes. With all new fluid.

I'm wondering if anyone has tried putting 12 quarts in a bucket and tried sucking it through with a vacuum pump on the other end. Out with the old. In with the new.


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## SONICJIM (Aug 23, 2016)

booyakashao said:


> I haven't changed it before but I am changing it next oil change. Thing is I don't like the procedure as it requires that I work with hot transmission fluid so I'm going to drain and fill what comes out after cycling the gears. This means staying in each ear for 3 seconds and letting it cool down.
> 
> The recommended procedure has you waste a lot of ATF as you need to fill and watch it pour out the fill hole.


You can drain the old fluid out with a cold or only warm transmission, but the fluid level should be checked with the engine at normal operating temp. So you don't have to work with hot trans fluid.

If you measure the amount of fluid you drain, and then add that amount, you shouldn't lose more than about a pint ( or less ) when doing the final fluid level check. Since I drained just about 5 quarts, I bet if you added 4.5 quarts you should be OK, before doing the final fluid level check.

You will need to remove the driver side front tire to make it easier to access the level-check plug near the left axle shaft. Confirm the car is level before checking the fluid level.

To make the job easier, you will need a long funnel. Walmart sells one.


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## SONICJIM (Aug 23, 2016)

FYI / BTW : I bought the Valvoline Max Life synthetic trans fluid at Walmart for $18 for the 1-gallon container . I was in O'Reilly's auto parts today and their price is $28 for the gallon container and $8.50 for a quart container.


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

Walmart sells dexos1 LABELED for $23.
I haven't looked for dexos2 yet.

Oreilly was $40ish.


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## booyakashao (Dec 7, 2018)

I plan on getting the mobil1 atf cause I live in a cold area during winter and it advertises better cold starts. I don't remember how much it was per quart but it was off amazon and price seemed reasonable.


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## Iamantman (Sep 24, 2018)

booyakashao said:


> What will be your procedure? Are you going to drain and fill multiple times?


Yeah the dreaded trans flush is an internet myth started because of people running into trouble with very old transmissions that had never had their fluid changed, not people that are just trying to maintain their cars properly.

If you change your fluid at the recommended intervals, it's completely safe and really the only way to get a 100% fluid change (assuming the tech knows what he's doing). Drain and refills don't get fluid out of the torque converter, valve bodies, and cooler lines so it's really kind of a waste of time and effort. People are thinking like the old days where you'd drop a pan and change a filter, and put it all back together. The times they are a changin.


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## SONICJIM (Aug 23, 2016)

But even doing a drain & fill will get about 45% of the dirty fluid out and replace it with clean fluid. That's an improvement. I'm planning on doing another two drain & refills 10K miles apart. That should leave me with only 10% old fluid. A big improvement over never changing the fluid at all.


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

Iamantman said:


> Yeah the dreaded trans flush is an internet myth started because of people running into trouble with very old transmissions that had never had their fluid changed, not people that are just trying to maintain their cars properly.
> 
> If you change your fluid at the recommended intervals, it's completely safe and really the only way to get a 100% fluid change (assuming the tech knows what he's doing). Drain and refills don't get fluid out of the torque converter, valve bodies, and cooler lines so it's really kind of a waste of time and effort. People are thinking like the old days where you'd drop a pan and change a filter, and put it all back together. The times they are a changin.


It was never a dreaded. And it was never a myth. And it was out LONG before the internet was even an idea.


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