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Transmission fluid replacement

Tiny
GLEQ
  • MEMBER
  • 1998 CHEVROLET CAVALIER
  • 2.2L
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • MANUAL
  • 125,000 MILES
The repair manual states to drain the transmission fluid, replace the oil pan, and then refill with new fluid through the 'fill vent tube'. Unfortunately it does not state where to find it, or what it looks like. The closest thing I can find is a single bolt on the top of the transmission that does not seem to hold any other parts together. Could this be it? The repair manual does not state what size the bolt is, or even mention it, so that is another unknown. It looks to be either a 3/4 inch or 11/16th bolt. Any advice will be much appreciated.

Ideally I would like to remove this bolt positioned on top of the transmission, extract as much fluid as I can with an extraction pump and replace it with new fluid.
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Thursday, December 13th, 2018 AT 2:49 PM

15 Replies

Tiny
DANNY L
  • MECHANIC
  • 5,648 POSTS
Hello, I'm Danny
It looks to be a red plastic cap underneath the air intake tube next to the air box under the hood on the left side. I've attached four pictures and circled in red.You will need a funnel to reach the fill hole and it will require four quarts of Dexron VI brand automatic transmission fluid. I've attached a tutorial showing what is involved.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-service-an-automatic-transmission

Hope this helps and thanks for using 2CarPros.
Danny-
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Thursday, December 13th, 2018 AT 5:36 PM
Tiny
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Hi Danny,
Thank you for helping. I've looked high and low for that fill cap you are talking about, and just cannot find one. The bolt I've indicated in the picture is the closest thing available. Do you think that this bolt is my car's version of the fill cap?

In order to remove it, I think that I would have to get a swivel socket joint, wrachet wrench and 18 inch extension. Do you think these tools will work, just to get the bolt out?
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Thursday, December 13th, 2018 AT 6:21 PM
Tiny
DANNY L
  • MECHANIC
  • 5,648 POSTS
Hello again
I made a mistake. With your vehicle being a manual transmission it's a way different procedure and fill location.
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Thursday, December 13th, 2018 AT 7:37 PM
Tiny
DANNY L
  • MECHANIC
  • 5,648 POSTS
Hello again
Do you not see any type of dipstick?
Get back to us when you can. Sorry for the mistake.
Thanks again for using 2CarPros.
Danny-
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Thursday, December 13th, 2018 AT 7:54 PM
Tiny
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I looked again, but could not find a dipstick or cap of any kind. There is just nothing there that even resembles anything close. I have looked all around the area you have indicated, with a flashlight.
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Thursday, December 13th, 2018 AT 8:30 PM
Tiny
GLEQ
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I took a video of the transmission and surrounding areas so you can see better what it looks like. Do you think that removing the bolt I mentioned earlier would be ok? I can't decide if it would be better to try using a hand wrench, or a socket extension and swivel joint.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbdU6e05lMc
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Saturday, December 15th, 2018 AT 6:39 PM
Tiny
DANNY L
  • MECHANIC
  • 5,648 POSTS
Hello again
I did find a picture of the drain plug. It's on the case underneath the CV axle. I've attached a picture and circled it in red.I will try finding a picture of the fill location. Hope this helps and thanks again for using 2CarPros.
Danny-
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Sunday, December 16th, 2018 AT 12:41 PM
Tiny
GLEQ
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  • 13 POSTS
That is very useful information to have, thank you. In what general location would I look for this drain plug, if I had jack stands and was underneath the car? I am not familiar with the CV axle.

I have the Haynes repair manual, but cannot find yet if it has a blowout diagram like the one you've posted. I would like very much to have such a thing available in the future if I need it; is there another book on this car that I can find online somewhere, or is it just hidden in the repair manual? All the info it gives on changing the trans fluid is a tiny corner of a single page, it doesn't tell how to find anything, and there's no pictures.
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Sunday, December 16th, 2018 AT 3:49 PM
Tiny
DANNY L
  • MECHANIC
  • 5,648 POSTS
Hello again,

It still show the fill cap as a red plastic cap. You might only be able to access/view from under the car. Both the drain and fill plugs are close to each other. After being drained it will hold 2 qts. GM snycromesh manual transmission fluid. I've attached three pictures showing where to look. When you remove the sight plug when adding fluid and then it comes out of the sight plug holes that's when the correct level is achieved. Hope this helps and thanks again for using 2CarPros.
Danny-
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Sunday, December 16th, 2018 AT 10:49 PM
Tiny
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That is very helpful, thanks!

When under the car, is the plastic cap facing horizontally, or vertically?

Do you have any idea of what the bolt is in the picture I have included?

Would there be any harm from removing it?

It would be nice if I could use the bolt hole as an opening to feed in an extraction pump line, because it is positioned in a spot that would make it efficient to place a funnel for refilling.
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Monday, December 17th, 2018 AT 4:15 AM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
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There will be no harm in removing it, I do not think its the dip stick though, use a universal if needed to remove it.
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Wednesday, December 19th, 2018 AT 1:24 PM
Tiny
GLEQ
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Okay, it took a while but I finally got the bolt out. It has a clear fluid on the inside with a removable spring. I'd like to add a transmission additive in there by running in a ptfe tube. It says on the bottle of additive that some transmission fluid ought to be removed first, but is it really necessary to do so? It is an 8 oz bottle. I don't know if its possible to add anything through the bolt hole, but if it is, what harm could be caused by not removing transmission fluid first?
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Thursday, May 16th, 2019 AT 3:52 PM
Tiny
KEN L
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You should be okay as long as the transmission is not over filled. Let us know what happens.
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Friday, May 17th, 2019 AT 10:30 AM
Tiny
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Thanks for advising on this problem.

The ptfe tube is 3mm thick on the outside, and it goes through the bolt opening about 3in until it hits something, but was possible to add in fluid from the bottle of additive. About 1/3 of 8oz went in before the thing broke I was using. Today I started it up and drove off without warming the engine up first, and there was no stuttering or shaking at all, so it makes me think that it had a positive effect.
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Wednesday, June 26th, 2019 AT 12:20 AM
Tiny
KEN L
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Good to hear, please use 2CarPros anytime we are here to help.
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Wednesday, June 26th, 2019 AT 10:44 AM

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