I would like to thank the Engineers

of Oldsmobile for not including a FREAKING dipstick to the tranny for fluid check.. I find it crazy to tell me that you don't need one if theres not leask and if there is go take it to the dealer... It's bad enough I bought it, now you want more of my money... Thanks again for dropping the ball...




P.S. I don't have midget hands to remove the cap either...

of Oldsmobile for not including a FREAKING dipstick to the tranny for fluid check.. I find it crazy to tell me that you don't need one if theres not leask and if there is go take it to the dealer... It's bad enough I bought it, now you want more of my money... Thanks again for dropping the ball...


P.S. I don't have midget hands to remove the cap either...

You think that's bad. However, you can check ATF level. You have to jack it up and remove an inspection plug on the side of the transmission. Fluid is put into the almost inaccessible filler hole you mentioned above and then you watch the overflow drip out of the inspection hole. Then the level is considered correct. The hole I'm talking about is adjacent to the engine oil drain plug but on the transaxle part.

BTW - It's the same on the Grand Am and Chevy Malibu too.

Man why would they do this? Adding a dipstick seems easier...

Man why would they do this? Adding a dipstick seems easier...

Insanity???? lol. :lol2:

I noticed the no trans dipstick thing too.

Yeah but did you ever stop to think that maybe the engineers forgot to add one and the little filler hole down below was an easy afterthought fix? (Think about it)

Of course only people who care about the car they drive ever stop to think to check the tranny fluid level anyways. Some never check their oil let alone trans fluid levels.

I noticed the no trans dipstick thing too.

Yeah but did you ever stop to think that maybe the engineers forgot to add one and the little filler hole down below was an easy afterthought fix? (Think about it)

Of course only people who care about the car they drive ever stop to think to check the tranny fluid level anyways. Some never check their oil let alone trans fluid levels.



LOL thats the truth... My dad has a '96 Impala SS and has never changed the tranny fluid.. I bet alot of people never ever mess with the tranny fluid or filter...


Also Bnaylor wouldn't jacking the car up defeat the purpose of adding enough fluid to the tranny until it comes out of the hole? The car would be in an incline and wouldn't be a reliable way of doing it.. Unless you have one of those expensive car lifts...

Also Bnaylor wouldn't jacking the car up defeat the purpose of adding enough fluid to the tranny until it comes out of the hole? The car would be in an incline and wouldn't be a reliable way of doing it.. Unless you have one of those expensive car lifts...

Good point but I didn't provide all the details or post the whole procedure. On the whole DIY procedure you have to jack all four wheel points up and ensure the car is fairly level first.

IMO - Better to check it while on a lift or facility with a pit, if possible. Either way it's a PITA just to check tranny fluid level.

Here's a helpful link concerning the issue:

http://www.quality-trans.com/faq/faq8.htm#41