Doctor Olds
I Need A Remedy For What's Ailing Me.
Premium,VIP
join:2001-04-19
1970 442 W30
clubs:
| reply to jimahrens
Re: Why No More Transmission Dipstick?
It's normal to have a magnet in the older transmissions as there is some normal metal produced in the transmission by normal wear and initial break in. It is a powdery metal. Larger chunks are a different matter. 
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What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time? |
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jimahrens
join:2002-05-30
Owego, NY | reply to qdemn7
general fact do the filter change....
bear in mind..any metal in the pan == parts no longer in the transmission |
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bozo3
@telus.net | reply to livininarizona
Saturns when towed won't show the mileage on the odometer - thats why a popular tow vehicle - also light,cheap |
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Dude
What Happens When I Do This
Premium
join:2000-11-20
Chicago, IL
clubs:  | reply to qdemn7
My Camry has one, my corolla has one, my saturn ion has one
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(sig was too long) |
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MrWhsprs
Premium
join:2000-04-22
Chicago, IL
| reply to qdemn7
said by qdemn7  :said by livininarizona :yeah why is that that RV owners have those saturns all the time? Because you can tow them without burning up the transmission that's why. There's a special kit that the dealer can install that pumps fluid through the tranny when it's being towed. Interesting; I'd never heard of that.  In the Owner's Handbook there is a short section on towing the car behind an RV but all it essentially says is to turn the key to the ACC position, to put the trans in neutral, to disengage the parking brake... Common sense stuff.
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Peace,
Mike |
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qdemn7
Smurf in My Loop
Premium
join:2003-09-16
Fort Worth, TX
| reply to livininarizona
said by livininarizona :yeah why is that that RV owners have those saturns all the time? Because you can tow them without burning up the transmission that's why. There's a special kit that the dealer can install that pumps fluid through the tranny when it's being towed.
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I think prostitution and drugs should be legal and regulated, just like alcohol. Too many people want to ban thing based on their “feelings” that certain things are Sins, and all Sins should be banned. Sin Laws should be prohibited. |
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livininarizona
Premium
join:2001-08-05
Merced, CA
clubs: | reply to qdemn7
yeah why is that that RV owners have those saturns all the time? |
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qdemn7
Smurf in My Loop
Premium
join:2003-09-16
Fort Worth, TX
| reply to MrWhsprs
said by MrWhsprs :Anyway, my 2000 Saturn SL2 has a transmission fluid dipstick, plus the trans pan has a drain plug AND there's an external spin-on trans fluid filter to make trans service that much easier. That's very interesting, I never heard of that. It may have to do with the fact that Saturns are one of the favorite cars used as Tow Vehicles by RV owners, since they are one of the few automatic transmission vehicles explicitly covered under warranty for use as a Tow Vehicle (Dingy Car).
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I think prostitution and drugs should be legal and regulated, just like alcohol. Too many people want to ban thing based on their “feelings” that certain things are Sins, and all Sins should be banned. Sin Laws should be prohibited. |
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MrWhsprs
Premium
join:2000-04-22
Chicago, IL
| reply to qdemn7
I'm a bit surprised to read about all these vehicles (including some expensive brands) which don't include a trans dipstick.
Anyway, my 2000 Saturn SL2 has a transmission fluid dipstick, plus the trans pan has a drain plug AND there's an external spin-on trans fluid filter to make trans service that much easier.
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Peace,
Mike |
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3SGTE
ST215W
Premium,MVM
join:2000-11-23
there
clubs:
1 edit | reply to Thorax
Re: Why No More Transmission Dipstick?
A few Google searches indicate that the 'problem' is not endemic (to these transmssions). This is reassuring.
Having said that, readers should also realize that there are undesirable consequences of overfilling transmissions.
Fluid leakage when hot, aereation of the fluid (and consequent control difficulties) as well as parasitic drag due to fluid churning on rotating members within the transmission.
Your comment about "the loose nut behind the steering wheel" is also very telling. Not about your customers though.
Fixed my English. |
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Thorax
Premium
join:2003-09-13
Huntington Beach, CA
| reply to 3SGTE
And thats why I add the extra pint above the "upper plug" level on all these newer cars that have this "feature".
Isuzu Trooper/Rodeo/Axion
BMW 745i/535i/635i
Chevy Colorado and *some* fullsize pickups and SUV's
Every single one of them if stopped facing uphill, in gear, idling, will slip into neutral due to a low fluid level, if filled according to directions.
I add the extra pint to "tighten the loose nut behind the steering wheel".
So far....
Not one complaint of "it's doing the same thing". |
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qdemn7
Smurf in My Loop
Premium
join:2003-09-16
Fort Worth, TX
| reply to santy
said by santy :said by qdemn7 :(3) I've been told by more than one transmission mechanic that FRESH fluid is highly corrosive to an older transmission, thus vastly accelerating and exacerbating any problems. Fresh Trans fluid is NOT corrosive to an older trans.. Fresh trans fluid is clean and has a high detergent factor. The old Ford Type A fluid up to the new Mercon III, and the GM version Dexron and up to Dexron III actually will clean alot of gunk out of the trans thus making any possible problem worse.. ( ever notice how a trans leak cleans off the dirt/grime around where it leaks/runs down the side of the trans?) That is the detergent factor there. If your old trans is varnished/gunked up, fresh fluid just cleans off that crap and if you have a borderline condition without the varnish/gunk increasing friction or taking up clearence, you will have excess clearence and slippage or other problems.. I would presume that some of the newer formulas out there now ( last couple of years.) would be the same as far as how they clean.(high detergent level of the fluid) You're right, now that you've refreshed my memory. Thanks for correcting me.
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I think prostitution and drugs should be legal and regulated, just like alcohol. Too many people want to ban thing based on their “feelings” that certain things are Sins, and all Sins should be banned. Sin Laws should be prohibited. |
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santy
Don't Follow Me, I'M Lost Too
Premium,MVM
join:2001-06-10
Wilmington, IL
clubs:
| reply to qdemn7
said by qdemn7 :(3) I've been told by more than one transmission mechanic that FRESH fluid is highly corrosive to an older transmission, thus vastly accelerating and exacerbating any problems. Fresh Trans fluid is NOT corrosive to an older trans..
Fresh trans fluid is clean and has a high detergent factor. The old Ford Type A fluid up to the new Mercon III, and the GM version Dexron and up to Dexron III actually will clean alot of gunk out of the trans thus making any possible problem worse.. ( ever notice how a trans leak cleans off the dirt/grime around where it leaks/runs down the side of the trans?) That is the detergent factor there.
If your old trans is varnished/gunked up, fresh fluid just cleans off that crap and if you have a borderline condition without the varnish/gunk increasing friction or taking up clearence, you will have excess clearence and slippage or other problems..
I would presume that some of the newer formulas out there now ( last couple of years.) would be the same as far as how they clean.(high detergent level of the fluid)
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You don't quit playing because you get old... You get OLD because you quit playing!!! |
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qdemn7
Smurf in My Loop
Premium
join:2003-09-16
Fort Worth, TX
| reply to paranoidxe
Re: Why No More Transmission Dipstick?
said by paranoidxe :I'm also annoyed with the blackboxes (RX8) that monitors the performance of the vehicle to make sure there were no aftermarket parts installed to void the warranty. That's not all those BB do. Your insurance company can use them in the case of an accident to determine whether or not you were doing something to possibly cause the accident, and thus reduce or deny your claim.
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I think prostitution and drugs should be legal and regulated, just like alcohol. Too many people want to ban thing based on their “feelings” that certain things are Sins, and all Sins should be banned. Sin Laws should be prohibited. |
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paranoidxe
Premium
join:2002-03-29
Ogden, UT
| reply to qdemn7
I'm not to impressed with some of the changes to cars now-a-days. The dipstick complaint is a good one, but I've also heard of cars that need to be taken to the dealer to get the OIL CHANGED! That is ridiculous.
I'm also annoyed with the blackboxes (RX8) that monitors the performance of the vehicle to make sure there were no aftermarket parts installed to void the warranty.
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- paranoidxe (txtfiles.org) |
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3SGTE
ST215W
Premium,MVM
join:2000-11-23
there
clubs:
| reply to Thorax
I don't know about anyone else, but I would add what the manufacturer requires/calls for. I have not done thousands of hours, millions of kilometers of testing, under wildly varying conditions to prove or disprove seat of the pants theories.
How is it determined that those plugs are inaccurate?
If you follow the instructions you will get an accurate fill.
Do I think I can second-guess the manufacturer - no.
How does one define "work better"? How do you prove this?
There is only one sweeping generalization that is always accurate. That is that sweeping generalizations are always very dangerous.
Also, the "our" thing about the transmssion is out of place. The friction and flow (viscosity) characteristics of various transmission fluids are significantly different, and not interchangable. These enhancements are not there to make a service person's life miserable, or add to a manufacturer's bottom line, they are there to allow specific engineering accomplishments to function.
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Everything in this post is pure BS! |
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gillespie
Premium
join:2001-11-28
USA | reply to aboz
That would almost lead you to believe that a dipstick could be added at a later date..
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res ipsa loquitor! |
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aboz
join:2001-03-24
Rochester, NY | reply to qdemn7
my '04 vue does not have a trans dip stick, my '04 odyssey does. Both have the same engine/trans. |
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