Independently change the oil in the automatic transmission

Changing the oil in the gearbox is one of the main stages of car transmission maintenance. Especially when it comes to automatic transmission. From this article, you can find out how a complete and express oil change is carried out correctly in an automatic transmission with a filter, what is needed for this and what are the signs of the need to change the oil in the box.

When to change?

At first it may seem that it is very difficult to change the working fluid with a filter in an automatic transmission with your own hands. But in fact, even an inexperienced motorist can perform this process. A complete or partial change of lubricant in the gearbox must be carried out in accordance with the standards prescribed by the manufacturer. Sometimes the lubricant is filled for the entire life of the car, but in most cases the replacement interval is about 50 thousand kilometers. In general, after such an interval, a complete change of lubricant with a filter is performed, that is, it is necessary to drain and fill in the full volume of the consumable. And then, every 20 thousand km, a partial replacement is made - that is, it is enough just to drain some of the waste material and add the right amount.

If you are faced with such a problem as extraneous sounds during the operation of an automatic transmission, then this may indicate that it is time to change the lubricant. In addition, a sign of the need for a partial or complete replacement of the fluid with your own hands can be too hard and long gear changes. An important reason that you need to change the consumable is its condition - if the color has changed too much or the lubricant has begun to smell burnt, then it's time to change it.

There are two ways to change gear oil with your own hands (TM):

• Partial. In this case, the change procedure consists in draining the waste from the system according to the “how much will come out” principle, since most of the volume will remain in the automatic transmission.
• Or change the liquid with your own hands completely, which in most cases requires specialized equipment that will allow you to pump out the entire volume of "working out".

Therefore, a complete change of TM should be carried out at the service station, and along with the lubricant, in this case, it is also worth changing the filter. Changing the filter is also very important, because if it has already worked out its service life, it will not be able to properly clean the new lubricant.

We change on our own

Partial replacement

With a partial change of the working fluid in an automatic transmission, you need to prepare about 5 liters of lubricant. But keep in mind that incomplete replacement is much more common. Let's take a quick look at the replacement process using Nissan as an example:

1. The car must be in the pit. Climb under the bottom and unscrew the drain plug, as shown in the photo. The red arrows indicate the screws securing the pan, behind which the filter is installed. But now you do not need to unscrew them.
2. Wait until all spent HM has drained. According to the volume that has drained, measure how much more lubricant you need to add.
3. After that, remove the dipstick to check the level of the substance and fill in through this hole as much oil as has left the system.
4. Next, reinstall the dipstick and wait a few minutes for the TM to disperse throughout the system. Sit behind the wheel and turn on all modes of the gearbox in turn, and then check the level of TM again. So you can change the lubricant in a partial way.

Unscrew the drain plug Drain the “workout” Fill in new TM

Complete replacement

Now we will tell you how to change the lubricant in the transmission by completely replacing the consumables. For this, as mentioned above, specialized equipment is required, which can only be found at service stations. This equipment must be connected to the transmission, and the procedure itself is carried out in several stages. So, how to change the lubricant by a complete replacement:

1. To begin with, after connecting the stand, the waste material is pumped out. This is done by running a new fluid through the system, as a result of which all the old "working out" should completely come out.
2. The next step is a complete flushing of the transmission; a special fluid is used for this purpose. Flushing is necessary to remove the remnants of the old "working out" from the system. Without flushing, the filling of a new TM and its operation will be inefficient, since the lubricant will mix with the remnants of the old oil and will lose its operating properties in the near future.
3. The next step is to replace the filter element, as well as the pan seal. The gasket is changed in any case, since it is disposable.

Such a process is generally more efficient, since it allows complete removal of HM from the system by applying pressure. With the right approach, the unit will be completely flushed and there will be no “working out”, no precipitation and deposits in it.