ATX Service

[Mike-NC]

I drained and refilled my transmission this weekend. I had approx. 20K of highway driving at the time. Although there was no burned smell, checking at the dipstick, the fluid while draining had a burned smell and was darker than I expected. I didn't opt for a flush, just refill (approx. 3 qts.) The shift quality improved noticeably. I wasn't having any trouble, just wanted to be on the safe side due to other threads mentioning the burned fluid smell. I think it was worth the cost of the fluid-$19.00.Of course, no GM dealer had Type IV fluid in stock. Toyota dealer had it and was open on Sat. too. ($6.35 per qt.)I plan to drain and refill in another 20K.

[Raven]

My fluid turned dark very early on also. It does not smell burnt though. I have 50,000 miles, mostly highway. I don't plan on changing it yet. I never had a vehicle which darkened the fluid so fast. Maybe it's the fluid type which exhibits this trait.

[nismo]

How hard is it to the tranny flush and refill? And where do fill the stuff in at? Sorry, I feel like an idiot askin this.

[goodvibe]

I didn't check capacities and you probably already know this but a drain and fill only replaces about 1/2 the fluid. That'a usually fine and replenishes the adds. Some of the flush machines are hard on the tranny. Just a note. It's interesting how sensitive ATs are to their specified fluids in both performance and wear. In autos the OEM fluid usually can't be beat if it's changed on schedule. Extended drains on ATs only allows too much normal wear material (clutch/pads etc.) to stay in circulation.

[Mike-NC]

Without looking under the hood--I think the tx dipstick is to your right, looking from the front of the car. I think it has an orange handle (yellow is used for the engine oil). The tx dipstick has a mechanical catch that you have to push to the side to pull it out.(I'm really not sure about the color coding thing on the Vibe, but other cars use this method. It's just too cold and windy to go out and verify right now.)If you decide to drain and refill you will need a 10mm hex socket wrench (Allen wrench) and narrow neck funnel. And the fluid!Hope this helps!