How to check manual transmission fluid
RayeAlmighty
01-02-2005, 05:11 PM
96 ford ecort
manual 1.9
I just bought this car for $250 and the old owner said he was sitting at a red light and when he went to take off he felt a big jump and he drove it home and parked it. Later moving it he saw a huge puddle under the car. I towed it home and drove it up my drive way and it ran fine. I wanted to check the trans. fluid to see if thats what the problem is. I CANT FIND OUT HOW TO DO IT!!! I dont think there is a stick like a auto trans., so how can I check it....and if the car drives fine, then does that even sound like the transmission. Help me please. I would like to check it out as much as possible on my own, and if I cant fix it, then I want to know as much as possible so nobody tries to screw me over when I take it to them to fix....thanks so much
manual 1.9
I just bought this car for $250 and the old owner said he was sitting at a red light and when he went to take off he felt a big jump and he drove it home and parked it. Later moving it he saw a huge puddle under the car. I towed it home and drove it up my drive way and it ran fine. I wanted to check the trans. fluid to see if thats what the problem is. I CANT FIND OUT HOW TO DO IT!!! I dont think there is a stick like a auto trans., so how can I check it....and if the car drives fine, then does that even sound like the transmission. Help me please. I would like to check it out as much as possible on my own, and if I cant fix it, then I want to know as much as possible so nobody tries to screw me over when I take it to them to fix....thanks so much
mlw35405
01-02-2005, 06:12 PM
To check the manual trans. fluid, you must take out the speed sensor. Follow the speedo cable to the transmission, you'll see a picture stamped in the case, cant exactly remember what it looks like, but you'll get the point. Unfasten the bolt that holds the sensor in, and pull it STRAIGHT OUT. The fluid should be at the top of the gear on the sensor when full. Remember to use ATF fluid in this transmission. And don't bang your hands up too much.
RayeAlmighty
01-02-2005, 06:23 PM
Q: Where is the manual transmission fluid level checked on a ‘96 Ford Escort?
A: With the hood open looking at the engine, stand just to the right of center. Lean forward and look down behind the throttle plate assembly but in front of the firewall. Just above the passenger side drive axle on the transmission, you will see the vehicle speed sensor and speedometer cable. To inspect the fluid level in this transmission will require removal of the speed sensor from the transmission. The level indicator is the gear on the bottom of the speed sensor. If the oil level is below the gear, oil is needed. Ideally, the oil level should be in the mid to top area of the gear. This is also the point that you add oil if needed.
Is this accurate? Any more pointers on how to find it. I want to make sure it is not empty before moving it. Thanks
A: With the hood open looking at the engine, stand just to the right of center. Lean forward and look down behind the throttle plate assembly but in front of the firewall. Just above the passenger side drive axle on the transmission, you will see the vehicle speed sensor and speedometer cable. To inspect the fluid level in this transmission will require removal of the speed sensor from the transmission. The level indicator is the gear on the bottom of the speed sensor. If the oil level is below the gear, oil is needed. Ideally, the oil level should be in the mid to top area of the gear. This is also the point that you add oil if needed.
Is this accurate? Any more pointers on how to find it. I want to make sure it is not empty before moving it. Thanks
nditech
01-05-2005, 05:34 PM
sounds good to me. just replaced my sensor since it broke when i tried to get it out. ended up bring to a shop so they could chesel out what was left. so good luck with it.
sixleggedinsect
01-06-2005, 11:51 AM
Q: Where is the manual transmission fluid level checked on a ‘96 Ford Escort?
Is this accurate? Any more pointers on how to find it. I want to make sure it is not empty before moving it. Thanks
a crooked trans shop in vegas broke by tranny case a year ago. before i JBwelded it shut (!!) it leaked about a cup of fluid every 30 minutes, and i had to drive it 300 miles to do anything about it. hence, i filled the transmission up every 30 minutes for a while, worrying i would run the fluid low and ruin the gears. now i consider myslef the grandmaster blackbelt of trans fluid checking in the escort.
this is what i do
1. find it. i find it most easily accessed not from the front of the car, leaning over the radiator, but from the right side of the hood, (according to driver)
2. take needlenose pliers, and pull spring clip out which retains speedo cable.
3. pull cable out
4. pull electrical connector off.
5. put a 10mm socket on a *long* ratchet extension and unscrew retaining bolt. you could do it with no extension and more contortion.
6. pull sensor straight up and out, wiggling a little.
to get it back in, you may need to do a lot more wiggling to get the teeth in the sensor to mesh with the transmission again. if the cable doesnt slide back in, turn the cable a bit with your fingers and reinsert.
Is this accurate? Any more pointers on how to find it. I want to make sure it is not empty before moving it. Thanks
a crooked trans shop in vegas broke by tranny case a year ago. before i JBwelded it shut (!!) it leaked about a cup of fluid every 30 minutes, and i had to drive it 300 miles to do anything about it. hence, i filled the transmission up every 30 minutes for a while, worrying i would run the fluid low and ruin the gears. now i consider myslef the grandmaster blackbelt of trans fluid checking in the escort.
this is what i do
1. find it. i find it most easily accessed not from the front of the car, leaning over the radiator, but from the right side of the hood, (according to driver)
2. take needlenose pliers, and pull spring clip out which retains speedo cable.
3. pull cable out
4. pull electrical connector off.
5. put a 10mm socket on a *long* ratchet extension and unscrew retaining bolt. you could do it with no extension and more contortion.
6. pull sensor straight up and out, wiggling a little.
to get it back in, you may need to do a lot more wiggling to get the teeth in the sensor to mesh with the transmission again. if the cable doesnt slide back in, turn the cable a bit with your fingers and reinsert.
sixleggedinsect
01-06-2005, 11:57 AM
Q: Where is the manual transmission fluid level checked on a ‘96 Ford Escort?
Is this accurate? Any more pointers on how to find it. I want to make sure it is not empty before moving it. Thanks
oops, you were asking for more tips on how to find it, not how to remove it..
get on the driver's right side of the hood. get a flashlight turned on if youre in a garage. lean over. about in the middle of the car, left to right, and near the rear of the engine compartment (by the firewall), about two feet down from the hood in depth is the speed sensor. it has a speedometer cable (black plastic) that goes straight down into it from above, attached with a spring clip. it is attached to a big aluminum casting- the transmission- below, by a metal bracket and a single 10mm bolt on the driver's right side. there is an electrical connector on the driver's left side. the little picture cast into the transmission that tells you how to check the fluid is hard to see, i find.
if you need to fill it up, and dont have a funnel with a long extension (i dont), i use a tiny dixie cup in my left hand, thread my hand through the heater and other hoses behind the intake manifold and pour it in by hand.
Is this accurate? Any more pointers on how to find it. I want to make sure it is not empty before moving it. Thanks
oops, you were asking for more tips on how to find it, not how to remove it..
get on the driver's right side of the hood. get a flashlight turned on if youre in a garage. lean over. about in the middle of the car, left to right, and near the rear of the engine compartment (by the firewall), about two feet down from the hood in depth is the speed sensor. it has a speedometer cable (black plastic) that goes straight down into it from above, attached with a spring clip. it is attached to a big aluminum casting- the transmission- below, by a metal bracket and a single 10mm bolt on the driver's right side. there is an electrical connector on the driver's left side. the little picture cast into the transmission that tells you how to check the fluid is hard to see, i find.
if you need to fill it up, and dont have a funnel with a long extension (i dont), i use a tiny dixie cup in my left hand, thread my hand through the heater and other hoses behind the intake manifold and pour it in by hand.
Automotive Network, Inc., Copyright ©2025