transmission oil

I was just wondering where to check the transmission oil in my 2004 Cavalier 5 speed. It's making a little noise and I'm wondering if it's low on oil. If it's low, what kind of oil does it take?

There are two plugs on the back of the differential portion of the transaxle, the top one is the check plug, and the bottom one is the drain plug. Fill plug is located on the very rear part pointing toward the body. Drain plug is on the lowest part and points, if I remember correctly, to the drivers side. Both plugs are a female hex drive, I think about 8mm. If it's making noise, I'd drain the fluid that's in there, it's good to change it anyway, plus you can see if there are any metal shavings. It takes Dexron-III ATF, which has been replaced by Dexron-VI. Either one can be used, but VI is a bit better. It takes about 1.5 Qts, so the higher cost of VI isn't really a concern there.

The vehicle has to be level to check it, with the fill/check plug in the back, if you only have jack stands in the front, the fluid runs out the check hole.