5L40E trans fluid

610 Views 14 Replies 5 Participants Last post by Bracken.G8, 2 mo ago

Bracken.G8

Discussion Starter · 2 mo ago

Yesterday i did my first trans fluid maintenance on my G8, now for the 5L40E trans pan there is no drain plug nor is there a dipstick, so you have to unbolt the trans drain bolt which is a torqx bit. after that you need to drop the pan which is 20 bolts holding it up. now you pull the filter out. after that and all fluid is drained you take off the old gasket clean the pan and where the gasket goes and put the gasket on with some gasket sealer, now put a o ring on the drain bolt, put in new filter, bolt the pan on and add fluid. after that start up your g8 with all tires off the ground and go through each gear.
It says add shy off 5 quarts but my fluid started slowing dripping out the fill hole at 4 quarts so i stopped.

i did all that and did plenty of research before hand, started driving it and the shifts were so smooth, next morning im getting lunch and i start noticing hopping , same feeling you get when you start releasing the clutch with not enough gas in a manual. not sure why this is happening, no leaks at all. it still drives good but mainly first 5 minutes of driving i feel the hopping or almost stalling feeling but its weird because its an automatic, the shifting is so much better and my vehicle feels so much more awake but the hopping/almost stalling feelings is concerning. only thing i can think of is not enough fluid because i still have a full quart left in a unopened bottle, either other people are wrong or i didnt add enough but you add just enough to where it drips out the fill hole?
anybody have any ideas

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TobaRiles

· #2 · 2 mo ago

Surging kind of suggests that it's getting air somehow, did you double up, pinch, or maybe even forget the seal for the filter inlet?

Is the atf you used within spec? (idk if any old atf would work, I haven't looked into it myself)

Even if you didn't get all the air out of the system at first it should be gone by now.

TobaRiles

· #3 · 2 mo ago

Also, theres a guy on youtube that changed his as well and posted it. He measured what came out and put exactly that back in... Stupidly simple, but I probably wouldn't have thought of that.

Do you happen to have the old stuff kicking around still that you can measure how much came out?

Bracken.G8

Discussion Starter · #4 · 2 mo ago

TobaRiles said:
Also, theres a guy on youtube that changed his as well and posted it. He measured what came out and put exactly that back in... Stupidly simple, but I probably wouldn't have thought of that.

Do you happen to have the old stuff kicking around still that you can measure how much came out?

TobaRiles said:
Surging kind of suggests that it's getting air somehow, did you double up, pinch, or maybe even forget the seal for the filter inlet?

Is the atf you used within spec? (idk if any old atf would work, I haven't looked into it myself)

Even if you didn't get all the air out of the system at first it should be gone by now.

the atf i used is for the 5L40E, looked identical besides a clear plastic piece but i wasn't able to get it off but the old filter is discontinued so i guess the one i have is a slight redesign but still works
to answer your other question yes i do have the fluid in my drain pan, so it was weird when i took off the trans fill bolt a lot of fluid came out as if it was the drain bolt at the bottom, the 5L40E doesnt have a drain bolt only a fill, you stop adding fluid once it starts running out the fill bolt, not sure how they got that much fluid in there if they have to pump it because it would just run all out, that is the only problem i have is because i cant fill it much more or all the fluid will just spill out, i did everything correctly just occasionally i get that weird jerking feeling just like you experience in a manual if the clutch and throttle isnt right such as you let the clutch out with not enough throttle and your vehicle starts jerking around or almost stalling, mine feelings like that when downshifting only and mainly when im using my brakes to take a turn when normally going into 2nd, im not hard on the downshift either, started wondering if its something with my brakes but this occurred after my trans maint and also i sometimes feel it in the front and sometimes in the rear. could be the jerking from the trans flowing to the diff or rear wheels and i feel it there.

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GT Drew

· #5 · 2 mo ago

What you didn’t do was to run the trans through all the gears to make sure you worked all the air out of the system.

Bracken.G8

Discussion Starter · #6 · 2 mo ago

GT Drew said:
What you didn’t do was to run the trans through all the gears to make sure you worked all the air out of the system.

i did, tires off the ground went from nuetral, drive, auto manual and went from 1-5th back to drive went to reverse and then park and turned engine off

BBM_Josh

· #7 · 2 mo ago

Just for clarity:
Used Dexron VI?
Correct Filter?
Vehicle was level?
Engine running and transmission fluid temp between 30 and 50 C?
Shifted through the gears immediately prior to level check and kept engine running?

If anything, I'm betting fluid is low or filter is the shallow pan version.

Reactions: 1

Bracken.G8

Discussion Starter · #8 · 2 mo ago

BBM_Josh said:
Just for clarity:
Used Dexron VI?
Correct Filter?
Vehicle was level?
Engine running and transmission fluid temp between 30 and 50 C?
Shifted through the gears immediately prior to level check and kept engine running?

If anything, I'm betting fluid is low or filter is the shallow pan version.

yes to all your questions, im thinking its low fluid heres why, people say 5 quarts yet the manual says 9.4 quarts, what should i do, manual says one thing but 5 difference people that made a video over doing the maintenance say another, i was thinking if i add fluid whether thats 2 quarts or 5 i should jack up the drive side only pushing all the fluid to the opposite side of the pan allowing me to get all the fluid in, so much fluid cam out the fill hole when i drained it from factory and not sure how they got it in there only way is the method i explained, what are you thoughts

Reactions: 1

keptman

· #9 · 2 mo ago

Bracken.G8 said:
It says add shy off 5 quarts but my fluid started slowing dripping out the fill hole at 4 quarts so i stopped.
only thing i can think of is not enough fluid because i still have a full quart left in a unopened bottle, either other people are wrong or i didnt add enough but you add just enough to where it drips out the fill hole?
anybody have any ideas

Thats supposed to be at operation temperature and level car running. When you check the fluid level from removing plug.
If you did this with car not running its low.

Bracken.G8

Discussion Starter · #10 · 2 mo ago

keptman said:
Thats supposed to be at operation temperature and level car running. When you check the fluid level from removing plug.
If you did this with car not running its low.

so what are your recomendations i do, add more fluid if so what do you think because im getting mixed information, some say pump it in while its running other says just pump it in, others say pump it in leave plug out and run through gears while its running ?

BBM_Josh

· #11 · 2 mo ago

Your initial fill can be done not running but final fill will need to be accomplished engine running. This would likely use up that extra fluid you have. Transmission fluid temp must be 30-50c and dribbling slowly at that point with the engine running.

Best I can say, if that does not resolve the issue you will need a mechanic to check your work.

Reactions: 1

Bracken.G8

Discussion Starter · #12 · 2 mo ago

BBM_Josh said:
Your initial fill can be done not running but final fill will need to be accomplished engine running. This would likely use up that extra fluid you have. Transmission fluid temp must be 30-50c and dribbling slowly at that point with the engine running.

Best I can say, if that does not resolve the issue you will need a mechanic to check your work.

so i fill it up till its dripping slightly out, start the engine and leave the bolt out? while cars running i go through gears when vehicle is in the air no tires touching the ground and fill her up till it drips out slighty?

Reactions: 2

BBM_Josh

· #13 · 2 mo ago

Yup. Use the cars engineering mode trans temp monitor. If it is slowly dribbling at 30c, close it up at that point.

Reactions: 2

Bracken.G8

Discussion Starter · #14 · 2 mo ago

BBM_Josh said:
Yup. Use the cars engineering mode trans temp monitor. If it is slowly dribbling at 30c, close it up at that point.

Alright thank you sir, going to do that tm after work and ill let you know what happens

Bracken.G8

Discussion Starter · #15 · 2 mo ago

BBM_Josh said:
Yup. Use the cars engineering mode trans temp monitor. If it is slowly dribbling at 30c, close it up at that point.

Alright i put about another 2 quarts in there thats all it took with it level and running, almost passed out from exhaust fumes lol but i got it done, seems to be better but didnt go on a long drive, i will know in around 3-7 days how it feels, atleast there is more fluid in there so it cant be worse it might stay the same or get better those are the only options

Reactions: 1

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