Changing trans fluid and filter

I'm gonna be changing my trans fluid and filter tomorrow, anything i should be careful of? Doesn't seem like a hard job and i got the trusty Bible of Haynes on tap.

Nothing tricky about changing the fluid and filter. Just make sure to clean the pan when you have it off and refill it with the proper fluid and don't overfill the transmission.

J/w is it a drain plug design or do you have to take the whole pan off etc? And where is the tranny filter located? Ive never done any transmission work yet as my fluid is still nice and orange.

Well got the job done and made quite a mess lol There's no drain plug on the 2.2 ohv so it's all coming from the sides of the pan, and the filter is also located inside the pan, it doesnt look anything like an oil filter, it's kinda flat, between an inch and 2 inches thick. I could obviously tell that the fluid never got changed from 96, when it was all in the pan it looked like friggin used oil, still wattery but almost black, also little little bits of metal in there, tranny's almost out the door im thinking. I used Slick50 auto matic trans. stuff too so hopefully that will do some good. I also installed the lower polyurethane engine mount too, when i shifted through the gears and looked at the engine, it didnt move at all, not a bit lol The lower mount and upper insert really make a difference.

The stuff you found in the pan is due to normal wear especially if the fluid has never been changed. The metal is probably from when the transmission was new and it has never been removed. I suggest that you put the transmission on a routine fluid change cycle and then change the fluid and filter around every 30K miles. Just don't let anyone talk you into a tranny flush. Bad news for high mileage transmissions.

Really, how come? I was thinking about getting one before i changed it myself.

If you flush a high mileage out if it has been flushed before it "can" cause damage. The new fluid could cause leaks because it will clean everything in the tranny. your old tranny fluid could be holding together seals and stuff and the new fluid could make leaks... and other stuff could happen. For a Cavalier although Chevy says change the fluid every 100,000 i think.


Also if you just train the fluid, you dont get the old fluid out of the Cooler or the converter(i think it is called). which then the new fluid mixes with that old stuff and just isnt good either.

Aha, I gotcha. I'm probly gonna have to get a new transmission anyway unfortunetly, I just figured i'd try a fluid and filter change to see if anything would happen.