I noticed backing up a steep hill the car was pulsing a bit in reverse...the engine was steady but car movement varied "pulsed" if you will. From what I read, time for a drain and fill on transmission? Car has 128k on it. Please make recommendations. 5-speed auto, sealed with no dipstick.

 

Sounds like the reverse clutch i sslipping. You can give a fluid change a shot. Drain it and refill it. Then drive it for a while to mix the new and old oil. maybe 500 miles? Then do the same thing 2 more times. I would not try to do the whole thing in one shot.

 

Yeah I've read that...what's the best way to do this with a dipstick-less transmission? Also, I'm noticing sometimes a downshift is a bit harsh, and reverse to drive can be delayed. 128k on odo...don't know if this has ever been serviced.

 

I thought the transmission had a dipstick under the area where the air tube goes from the air box to the engine. I believe its yellow but won't swear to that. You'd need a long skinny end funnel to refill. Find the dipstick before you drain it.


rspi has a video for the transmission oil service. If you've got a lot of miles on it go through the empty, refill, drive for a few hundred miles and repeat process. Transmissions don't like sudden changes in oil (IMHO). And never flush a transmission unless you feel the need to replace it soon after.

 

Yeah I'm planning to do the slow change as you say...Don't know..I look down and see a yellow plug..no dipstick...something about it being a sealed transmission...can anyone confirm?

Thank you for the responses by the way, this forum really seems dead, kinda sad.

*Edit...like to update here: You made me curious so I went outside...I really don't know why I thought I saw no dipstick...there is indeed one..I found it. Trans oil looks very healthy...though I will still be doing gradual changeover. I'll need one hell of a long funnel here for sure.

*Also noticing that the delay from park to drive is happening more often. It's about 2-3 seconds roughly...doesn't happen all the time, but most notably when the car is cold.

Another question...I read about checking mounts in these cars which can cause the harsh shift issue...which ones are the ones in question (location)? The top one in my car I see upon opening the hood looks relatively new.