Oil Level Dipstick

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Oil Level Dipstick
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Your owner's manual may claim that you don't need to change the fluid in your automatic transmission. However, this is one area in which it pays to err on the conservative side. If you understand what happens to the fluid as it courses through your transmission, you'll appreciate why changing it can prolong the assembly's life. Given that the cost of overhauling or replacing a tranny can rise to $2,500 or more, it's worth taking the time to check the level and quality of the fluid.

This article will explain why the ATF needs to be changed periodically, despite what your owner's manual may suggest. You'll learn how to check the fluid, and identify signs that indicate it has degraded past the point of serving its purpose. We'll also explain how to purchase the right type of ATF for your vehicle.

Why The Fluid Needs To Be Replaced

While you're on the road, your transmission generates friction among its moving parts. The torque converter, gears, clutches, bands, and other pieces, are in near-constant motion. The friction they cause generates a substantial amount of heat. This heat is the reason ATF degrades over tens of thousands of miles.

Most ATFs can tolerate temperatures up to 195 degrees Fahrenheit without suffering significant degradation. Under normal driving conditions, the temperature surrounding your tranny should stay well below this marker. As long as it does, the ATF can last 50,000 or more miles without needing to be replaced.

The problem is, most of us drive in conditions - even if only occasionally - that cause the temperature around the assembly to rise higher. For example, we might drive up inclines, at fast speeds, or while towing heavy loads. This can cause the temperature to rise to 250 degrees Fahrenheit, or higher. When this happens, the ATF undergoes oxidation. It breaks down, and loses its ability to lubricate the individual parts inside your transmission. At that point, if you neglect to change it, the assembly will eventually suffer damage.

This is the reason many technicians recommend replacing the fluid every 25,000 to 30,000 miles. If you regularly tow heavy loads, or drive in extreme conditions, change the ATF on an annual basis.

How To Check The Fluid

Most people are accustomed to checking their oil level with their engines turned off. When you check the transmission fluid, let your engine idle while the gear selector is in "Park."

You'll find the dipstick located near the oil dipstick. Have a paper towel handy. Withdraw the dipstick, and wipe it clean. Then, insert it back into its housing, and withdraw it again. You'll see two lines on the bottom end. One will be marked "Full"; the other will be marked "Add." If the level is at "Add" or below, put more ATF in the reservoir.

Take the opportunity to check the color and consistency of the fluid. Even though this can be done by looking at the dipstick, both qualities are easier to determine by placing a few drops on a clean surface. If the ATF has a reddish tint, and runs easily (similar to table syrup), it's in good condition. If the fluid has a brownish tint, and muddy consistency, it needs to be replaced.

Choosing The Right Fluid For Your Transmission

There are dozens of ATFs you can purchase. However, your car's transmission is designed to use a specific type. For example, Type CJ should be used in certain kinds of Ford transmissions; Chrysler 7176 is designed for that particular automaker's front-wheel drive vehicles; and Mercon V should be used in most Ford models built after 2000.

The important thing to keep in mind is that the wrong fluid can set the stage for premature wear and damage in your transmission. Look in your owner's manual to find the appropriate ATF for your vehicle. Stick closely to that type.

Don't neglect to periodically check the fluid in your automatic transmission, and change it if necessary. It is one of the least expensive ways to ensure the assembly lasts as long as possible.

Visit Everdrive.com for all your used transmissions needs.

Fight an Epidemic of Ignorance: Teach a Friend How to Check Their Oil

Recently, my little sister completely ruined her car and had to buy a new one.

Why?  Because she didn't check her oil.

Every car-savvy member of my family felt guilty for not teaching her how to check her oil, and why it was important.  Frankly, it never occurred to any of us that she didn't know how.

This gap in people's knowledge is actually becoming more and more common.  With cheap, ten-minute oil change shops everywhere you look, many young people have gotten into the habit of simply getting their oil changed every three months or 3,000 miles, and don't worry about their vehicle's oil in the meantime.

This is what happened to my sister.  She developed an oil leak between changes.  Because she didn't know how to check her oil (or even why it was important), she had no idea there was a problem until the car parts in her engine locked up for good.  To prevent her fate from happening to you, this article will tell you how to check your car's oil, (and other vehicles) how to read the dipstick, why oil is important in car engines and other vehicles, and the consequences of ignoring oil levels.

Why Oil Is Important in Vehicles

Internal combustion engines contain a lot of heat and moving metal car parts.  This is an inherently bad combination.  To keep temperatures down to safe levels, moving car parts are lubricated with oil to keep them moving quickly, easily, and with little friction.

The Consequences of Ignoring Oil Levels

If a car's oil is too low or runs out, car parts in the engine lose lubrication.  Instead, they create friction as they move.  Friction generates heat, and this pushes temperatures past the safe point in vehicles

Under high heat, metal expands.  Expanding metal in moving car parts can quickly break housings, get stuck, fused together, or damage vehicle engines in dozens of other ways.  In a worst-case scenario, the whole engine block "locks up."  The moving car parts have become stuck and won't move.

Fixing a locked-up engine in cars or other vehicles is time and labor intensive, it is more cost efficient to just buy a new engine.  Given the high cost of installing new engine blocks in vehicles, it may be cheaper just to buy a new vehicle.

How to Check the Oil in Vehicles

In a car, the oil dipstick is under the hood of your car, often with a yellow handle.  For other vehicles (everything from speedboats to lawn mowers), you may need to check your owner's manual to figure out where the dipstick is.

As you drive a vehicle, the oil can slosh around in the oil pan or splash up, coating your dipstick with oil higher up than where the oil actually rests in your oil pan.  As a result, the dipstick may appear to tell you that you have more oil in your vehicle than you actually do.  To prevent this, pull out your dipstick, wipe it off, put it back in, draw it out again, and then check the oil level.

How to Read the Dipstick

Dipstick markings vary, but they almost always have at least two things: a "Full" line and a large area labeled "Add."  If the oil level is below the "Add" area, you may have already done damage to some car parts in the engine. Add oil right away.  If you oil level is still in the "Add' area, your engine may be undamaged, but it's still best to add more oil to be safe.  Make sure it is the right kind of oil for your vehicle (you may need to check the owner's manual for this).

Most passenger cars or small trucks hold between four and six liters of oil, with the average being about four and a half liters.   If your dipstick is in the "add" level, you probably have about one liter of oil left.  Add up to three liters of oil, one liter at a time, checking the oil level in between liters.

Do NOT let your oil go over the "Full" line.  Having too much oil is almost as bad as not having enough.  The crankshaft of the vehicle's engine sits above the oil pan.  If the oil level is too high, the spinning crankshaft whips the oil into foam, the same way eggbeaters whip eggs into meringue.  Air gets mixed in with the oil, and this prevents oil from being properly pumped throughout the engine.  Car parts, without sufficient lubrication, get overheated and become damaged.

The Moral of the Story

Check your oil  ...Frequently.

The easiest way to remember is to check your oil whenever you're at a gas station waiting for your tank to fill up.  If oil levels are low, you can usually purchase a liter of oil at the gas station.  Better yet, keep a litter or two of spare oil in your trunk, just in case.  With a few seconds of regular attention and a few dollars worth of oil, you can avoid a catastrophic and expensive engine failure.

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dipstick has caked on oil deposits on it in 2002 hyundai elantra?

They are darkish brown caked on deposits that run all the way down the dipstick to the oil level indicator. It scrapes off with the finger. The oil looks ok but the level is alittle above full. Before I bought it the vehicle only was driven 1000 miles in 6 months (had it changed when I got it), and i believe mostly short city trips. Could it be that these deposits are water in oil from condensate from short trips and the oil was just filled too much where I had it done, or am I leaking coolant into the oil? I just spent $450 getting the timing belt and drive belts done, is this going to end up being another $500 repair? Should I scrape off the deposits, and drain some oil (or just change it) and see if it happens more or what? Thanks
yes the dipstick is right next to exhaust manifold. thanks both

Also, if i am correct this engines dipstick runs close to the exhaust manifold. This is common because of the heat produced around the dipstick tube. No worries.

2010 Porsche Panamera
The practical Porsche

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