How to check transmission fluid? How do you know if your transmission fluid is low? If you notice your vehicle shifting gears in and out because the fluid level is too low, then it’s time to check. One of the hardest parts of repairing your vehicle is figuring out if the car has a problem, where the leak is coming from, and how much fluid has been lost.
It can be expensive to have your transmission checked by a mechanic, but luckily, we will show you how to prevent your transmission fluid level surface.
Although there are not many things worse than being stranded on the side of a road, it can be quite dangerous for your car and yourself if you do not regularly check your car’s transmission fluid levels.
Power steering fluid allows the car’s transmission (located in between the engine and drive train and also known as the transfer case) to function properly and is primarily made up of motor oil. If there is not enough motor engine oil, your transmission is more likely to slip or break under pressure.
Do You Check Transmission Fluid With the Car Running?
It’s a common question: do you check transmission fluid with the car running?
The answer is no. You don’t need to run the car to check your transmission fluid.
Does it matter if you have the car running or not? No, because as long as you have it parked on level ground, it will be easy to see how much fluid is in there.
Transmission fluid is just like oil; you’ll be able to see how much is in there by looking at the dipstick—and that’s all there is to check it.
If you do, you’re not alone. We’ve all been there—you want to check the transmission fluid in your car, but you’re afraid of what might happen if you turn off the car and then try to start it again.
The good news is that this fear is pretty much unfounded. There are a few reasons why checking the transmission fluid with your car running is probably fine—and none of them has anything to do with explosions or other alarming things happening under your hood.
It doesn’t matter if you check your transmission fluid with the car running or not.
Why? Because even if you don’t have time to check it with the car running, it doesn’t mean that something is wrong with your car’s transmission (unless there’s a leak). The only way to know for sure would be to take it into a shop and have them perform a thorough inspection.
Here are some more tips on how to tell if your car needs transmission work:
Get an oil change regularly.
If your car smells like burning rubber when shifting gears, get it checked out immediately.
If you notice grinding noises while accelerating or decelerating, get it checked out as soon as possible.
The best way to check your transmission fluid is first to find out how much transmission fluid is in the reservoir—you’ll be able to see this on the dipstick or in the owner’s manual for your specific make and model of vehicle.
Then, go ahead and remove the reservoir cap and let any air out of it before releasing it completely to see how much fluid there is inside. If there isn’t enough fluid in there, add some more until there is enough that it just barely touches the bottom of the level indicator line on top of it (this may vary depending on what type of vehicle you have).
Then get back onto the road and run through all gears while making sure there aren’t any strange noises coming from under the hood or anywhere else inside your vehicle. If everything sounds normal, then you are good to go.
Do You Check Transmission Fluid When It’s Hot or Cold?
Do you check your transmission fluid when it’s hot or cold?
Probably not, and that’s a good thing! You could be doing more harm than good to your car—and maybe even yourself if you do.
Why is this the case? What’s wrong with checking your transmission fluid when it’s hot or cold? Transmission fluid uses chemicals and additives that can react differently at different temperatures, for starters.
The chemical balance in the fluid changes when it gets too hot or too cold—and if you don’t let it cool down to normal operating temperature before checking it, you could be adding chemicals that aren’t intended for use in your transmission. These extra chemicals could cause damage to the seals in your transmission or even cause them to fail.
There are health risks associated with exposing yourself to fluids above their normal operating temperatures. You should never check your own fluids leaks by hand—instead, use an automatic refractometer or another replacement tool. And even then, always let the fluid cool down before testing.
If you’re like most people, you probably check the level after your vehicle has been sitting for a while. But what if there were a way to get an accurate reading on your transmission fluid temperature?
An infrared thermometer is the best way to check your transmission fluid temperature. With this type of thermometer, you can measure the surface temperature of any object—including oil and transmission fluids—without touching it.
An infrared thermometer uses the same technology as a police officer’s gun sight or a military sniper’s scope. It sends out invisible light waves and measures how long it takes for those waves to return to the device, which calculates the distance between each lock and its source (or target).
This allows users to measure temperatures without touching anything, which could potentially damage sensitive parts like sensors or wiring.
You can use an infrared thermometer for more than just checking transmission fluid temperatures: You can also use them when working on cars, plumbing jobs around the house (like checking water flow), or cooking meat in ovens or grills without touching.
How to Check Transmission Fluid With a Dipstick?
Transmission fluid is essential to your car’s transmission, so it’s important to watch the level. Here’s how to check the transmission fluid with a transmission fluid dipstick.
When you need to check the transmission fluid in your car, there’s no better way than with a transmission dipstick.
How to Check Transmission Fluid With a Dipstick?
You should check your transmission fluid at least once a year. It’s easy to do, and it can help you avoid costly repairs.
First, park the vehicle on level ground and turn off the engine. Shift into park or neutral if your car has an automatic transmission. If you’re checking the transmission fluid in a manual transmission car, shift into reverse.
If you’re checking only one of your car’s automatic transmissions fluid, you can search that one; otherwise, check both. The oil dipstick will be located in one of four areas: under the hood in the engine compartment; on the driver’s side of the car in front of the radiator; underneath the vehicle near where it meets with its differential; or under the hood near where it meets with its differential.
Pull out your oil dipstick and wipe off any excess fluid with a rag. Then put it back into place without letting any air enter it. Carefully pull out as much old fluid as possible by gently twisting it back and forth until there is only a little bit left on it (this is usually about halfway up). Now take note of how much new fluid you need to add based on what kind of car you have.
Once you’ve found it, grab that handle and pull up until it stops moving (this will release some fluid into the reservoir). Don’t worry if some of it spills onto the ground—that’s normal! Once everything is secure again, drive around for about 10 minutes at highway speeds (or until your engine reaches operating temperature). Then park back up on the level ground again and check that dipstick.
How to Check Transmission Fluid Without a Dipstick?
If you’re looking to check your transmission fluid without using a dipstick, you should know a few things. Since most cars use automatic transmissions, there are some different ways to check the brake fluid levels in the transmission. There are also other ways to check it out, depending on what kind of vehicle you have.
The first thing you need to do is make sure that there is enough fluid in the transmission so that it doesn’t burn out or break down while driving.
If you don’t have enough fluid, then your car won’t be able to shift gears properly, which means it could break down on the side of the road somewhere.
It’s important for everyone who owns their vehicle to know the service manual about how much oil services are needed for each specific type of engine maintenance. This will help them avoid any future problems with their car, such as having trouble shifting gears or having accelerating issues from time to time when driving over long distances without stopping at gas stations along the way.
If you want to know how to check transmission fluid without a dipstick, then you’ll need to follow these steps:
- Get some transmission fluid from your auto parts store.
- Fill the transmission fluid in a clear glass container, such as a wine glass or small jar.
- Put the container on a white background (such as your kitchen table).
- Use a magnifying glass to look at the color of the transmission fluid through the glass of your jar or wine glass.
What Are the Signs of Low Transmission Fluid?
You may have just blown a tire if you’re driving your vehicle and suddenly hear a loud bang and see smoke. But if you’re driving and suddenly hear a loud bang and see smoke and smell burning rubber, it’s more likely that there is possible damage to your automatic transmission.
To make sure that’s not the case, look for these symptoms of low transmission fluid system:
- Your car won’t go into gear
- Your car vibrates or jerks when it shifts gears or gets a burning smell.
- Your car sounds like it’s grinding or whining when it shifts gears.
- Your car engine run has been making screeching noises when you drive.
- The temperature gauge in your car is rising quickly while driving.
- The power steering system is not working properly.
- You notice a leak or moisture under the car or on the side of it.
- When you step on the gas pedal, your car doesn’t respond as fast as usual.
Final Words
Most people don’t need to be told that their fluid is low. It will become apparent rather quickly when you drive your vehicle in most cases. If the automatic transmission fluid is so low that there isn’t enough left for the transmission to work properly, you should bring it into a mechanic’s service as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the less likely the repair effectiveness will be.
