Where to add transmission fluid?

[JEDI]

2005 mazda3 automatic

my transnission feels like its slipping when i increase speed/incrase gears.

on a hot engine, the atf dipstick barely has a drop on it.

where to add atf fluid?

 

[Vette73]

Through the dipstick hole.

If its low do a drain and fill to get more fluid out and also look for leaks while under the car.

 

[T2urtle]

i would drain what you have in the pan and then just fill at the dipstick hole. most drain and fills should be 3-4 qts.

read the manual to check ATF level. most want engine on, warmed up and in N. So want to check at slightly warm and in P.

 

[JEDI]

why drain and fill instead of just adding a quart?

and to drain/fill, i need ramps? or just park one side of the car on the sidewalk in front of my house, crawl underneath w/pan and unscrew some cap?

 

[HarryLui]

Why change oil instead of just add?

How many miles do you have? Have your transmission been serviced like it should according to the owner manual?

 

[Vette73]

why drain and fill instead of just adding a quart?

and to drain/fill, i need ramps? or just park one side of the car on the sidewalk in front of my house, crawl underneath w/pan and unscrew some cap?

Transmission is a sealed system, it should not NEED to be topped off.

The drain and fill will get you under the car so you can see if there is major/bad leak and also it will get more older fluid out.
Its just like draining the oil in your engine.

I prefer Valvoline Max-life fluid myself. Good price to performance ratio. Can get it at Advance with the coupon codes at fatwallet.

 

[ShawnD1]

Why change oil instead of just add?

Transmission oil is just like any other type of machine oil. It can break down if it gets too hot and it accumulates crud.

Some people have claimed that their transmission was perfectly fine until they changed the ATF, even when using fluid purchased from a dealership that is specifically for their car. Is there any truth to this?

 

[herm0016]

Transmission oil is just like any other type of machine oil. It can break down if it gets too hot and it accumulates crud.

Some people have claimed that their transmission was perfectly fine until they changed the ATF, even when using fluid purchased from a dealership that is specifically for their car. Is there any truth to this?

I here this too, but i think it is because they do not change the filter or they have a transmission flush done, it loosens up the friction material in the transmission and allows it to travel. Never get a transmission flush.

 

[thomsbrain]

Some cars do have dedicated fill holes for ATF. My Accord V6 has a special fill hole separate from the dipstick. But the 4-cylinder Accord fills through the dipstick. Just nose around a bit and see if you see any plugs labeled "ATF." If not, you can fill through the dipstick.

But I agree with Marlin, you need to find out what the hell happened to the missing fluid before you just top it off again.

 

[LTC8K6]

Make sure the fluid is at normal temp and that the car is relatively level before you check. Move the gear lever through all the positions with the engine idling and your foot on the brake, ending back at park.

Then check the fluid level with the engine idling.

If it's still low, then add a pint and check again. You add fluid through the dipstick hole.

 

[Gibson486]

you have a 3, right?

You fill it where you took the dipstick out. You need to buy a funnel.

Also, you need to check with the car on.

Have you had a flush or drain yet?

http://www.mazda3forums.com/index.php?topic=66369.0

 

[Gibson486]

Transmission oil is just like any other type of machine oil. It can break down if it gets too hot and it accumulates crud.

Some people have claimed that their transmission was perfectly fine until they changed the ATF, even when using fluid purchased from a dealership that is specifically for their car. Is there any truth to this?

I made this claim and I got blasted in the garage forum. I still think it is true though....

 

[bruceb]

Most cars ATF is added thru the dipstick tube. On some bottle of ATF or from a gear oil bottle, you usually get a little nozzle that threads onto the bottle. If you don't have one, you need a funnel with a 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch diameter neck, maybe a long one on some cars. Some new cars (late model GM) do not have an ATF dipstick or fill hole anymore. It is supposed to be good for 100K or so when the first trans service is done (fluid & filter)

 

[Vette73]

Most cars ATF is added thru the dipstick tube. On some bottle of ATF or from a gear oil bottle, you usually get a little nozzle that threads onto the bottle. If you don't have one, you need a funnel with a 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch diameter neck, maybe a long one on some cars. Some new cars (late model GM) do not have an ATF dipstick or fill hole anymore. It is supposed to be good for 100K or so when the first trans service is done (fluid & filter)

Yea that is 100% bs IMO.

I have a Caddy with 46k and the trans fluid is dead. I have seen many other makers also say the trans fluid is the life of the car or 100k. I think my nissan truck is 100k rated but most titan owners disagree.

I tell people to do at least a drain/fill every 30k. Cheap and usually easy. My truck has a tube but my caddy does not.

 

[ShawnD1]

Yea that is 100% bs IMO.

I have a Caddy with 46k and the trans fluid is dead. I have seen many other makers also say the trans fluid is the life of the car or 100k. I think my nissan truck is 100k rated but most titan owners disagree.

The dipstick on my corolla says something like the transmission fluid should never need to replace under normal driving conditions. I would love to hold them to that but I think the transmission warranty is only 5 years.

Seems like the main reason to not change the fluid is because a lot of people don't have a clue what they are doing. The instructions will say "ONLY USE TYPE B TRANSMISSION FLUID" in big bold capital letters and people go ahead and use some other type. A week later the thing falls apart because it has the wrong type of oil.

It's not much of a big deal when you randomly mix engine oil or use 10W30 when the instructions say 5W20, but using the wrong transmission oil will destroy it very fast.

 

[T2urtle]

Transmission oil is just like any other type of machine oil. It can break down if it gets too hot and it accumulates crud.

Some people have claimed that their transmission was perfectly fine until they changed the ATF, even when using fluid purchased from a dealership that is specifically for their car. Is there any truth to this?

could be, pending on when they did it. I do find it hard to believe that if they did a drain and fill every 30k, a problem will happen. But if you waited till say 100k to do a drain and the fluid is burnt and black, at that point nothing can save it and changing the fluid might just kill that trans already on its last legs. Everything is subjective, if you do normal maintence then keep doing it. If you haven't done anything but change the oil then i would tell you not to start doing things.

 

[Vette73]

The dipstick on my corolla says something like the transmission fluid should never need to replace under normal driving conditions. I would love to hold them to that but I think the transmission warranty is only 5 years.

Seems like the main reason to not change the fluid is because a lot of people don't have a clue what they are doing. The instructions will say "ONLY USE TYPE B TRANSMISSION FLUID" in big bold capital letters and people go ahead and use some other type. A week later the thing falls apart because it has the wrong type of oil.

It's not much of a big deal when you randomly mix engine oil or use 10W30 when the instructions say 5W20, but using the wrong transmission oil will destroy it very fast.

Yea but some fluids, like Valvolines max-life, work in a pile of cars now. I use it as it works in every car I maintain right now. toyota, honda, GM, ford, nissan, and audi are all in my family or in-laws.

 

[JEDI]

Make sure the fluid is at normal temp and that the car is relatively level before you check. Move the gear lever through all the positions with the engine idling and your foot on the brake, ending back at park.

Then check the fluid level with the engine idling.

If it's still low, then add a pint and check again. You add fluid through the dipstick hole.

doing it your way (engine on, shifting thru gears, back to park):
atf fluid is at middle of dipstick indicator.
I'll probably add a little atf fluid to top it off so the fluid is at the top of the inidcator.


transmission fluid flush was 40k miles ago. car manual says every 60k miles, so i'm good there. have 100k miles



and if it isnt low atf fluid, then i have transmission problems?
gears feels like it's slipping as i increase speed sometimes.

 

[Vette73]

doing it your way (engine on, shifting thru gears, back to park):
atf fluid is at middle of dipstick indicator.
I'll probably add a little atf fluid to top it off so the fluid is at the top of the inidcator.


transmission fluid flush was 40k miles ago. car manual says every 60k miles, so i'm good there.



and if it isnt low atf fluid, then i have transmission problems?
gears feels like it's slipping as i increase speed.

CHANGE THE FLUID EVERY 30K!!!

Get some max-life and do a drain and fill. Fluid is cheap, transmissions are not.

 

[caspur]

CHANGE THE FLUID EVERY 30K!!!

Get some max-life and do a drain and fill. Fluid is cheap, transmissions are not.

Only time you need to change the fluid at 30k is from towing/racing/other high temp applications. Trans fluid temp during normal highway cruising is low enough that it can last more than 100k no problems.

 

[Vette73]

Only time you need to change the fluid at 30k is from towing/racing/other high temp applications. Trans fluid temp during normal highway cruising is low enough that it can last more than 100k no problems.

Yea tell that to a lot of people with bad trans. My fluid has less than 50k and is gone. FWD cars are even harder on trans fluid.

 

[HarryLui]

Only time you need to change the fluid at 30k is from towing/racing/other high temp applications.

Stop and go is a high temp application.

 

[LTC8K6]

doing it your way (engine on, shifting thru gears, back to park):
atf fluid is at middle of dipstick indicator.
I'll probably add a little atf fluid to top it off so the fluid is at the top of the inidcator.


transmission fluid flush was 40k miles ago. car manual says every 60k miles, so i'm good there. have 100k miles



and if it isnt low atf fluid, then i have transmission problems?
gears feels like it's slipping as i increase speed sometimes.

Well, I got that from the owners manual.

It also says that low fluid will cause slipping. So, hopefully, you just need to add fluid, and maybe take care of a pan gasket leaking or something simple.

 

[Gibson486]

Yea tell that to a lot of people with bad trans. My fluid has less than 50k and is gone. FWD cars are even harder on trans fluid.

Yup....go to a mazda 3 board and pick any thread about flushing the transmission.

After 30K, the stuff looks like oil and poop mixed to together.

 

[Gibson486]

doing it your way (engine on, shifting thru gears, back to park):
atf fluid is at middle of dipstick indicator.
I'll probably add a little atf fluid to top it off so the fluid is at the top of the inidcator.


transmission fluid flush was 40k miles ago. car manual says every 60k miles, so i'm good there. have 100k miles



and if it isnt low atf fluid, then i have transmission problems?
gears feels like it's slipping as i increase speed sometimes.

where did you get it flushed or drained? Did they use the correct MV fluid (reminder....MV is not Mecron V)? If they did not use the correct fluid, then you need to change it well before 60K.

The only other thing I can think of is if they drained it using the car's tranny fluid pump, then they did not secure the clip on the line correctly and it was leaking a little at a time.

I am trying to remember if the 3 has a low indicator on the dip stick, but i cannot remember. If the fluid is in between the low and high indicator when you check it, it should be fine. If you do want to top it off, do it slowly. It takes a while for the liquid to go down.