What is proper way to check ATF level in Subaru?

[Captain_Klink]

Hi, I have a Subaru Impreza, 2008, with 4 speed ATF.
I just drained and refilled it 3 times.
Do you check it in Drive, with parking brake on? or in neutral? or in park?

thanks!!!

 

[Eddie]

Your owners manual tells you how. Usually in P, engine idling.

 

[jumpr]

Originally Posted By: Eddie
Your owners manual tells you how. Usually in P, engine idling.
...after cycling through the gears once to ensure the new fluid's made it through all the lines (P/R/N/D/1/2/3).

 

[Tremo]

Drive it around for a little while to bring the tranny up to temperature. Then park somewhere level. Check the oil in the tranny with the tranny in park and the engine running at idle. ATF dipstick is on driver side back towards the firewall.

very easy to do.

 

[sicko]

If you go to my.subaru.com you can register your vehicle, and see things like the maintenance schedule and download the owner's manual as a PDF file.

The manual for my Subaru Forester recommends checking it warm even though the level gauge has both hot and cold markings so that the level can be checked at either time.

For hot they suggest driving several miles to warm up the temperature of the transmission fluid to normal operating temps.

Park the vehicle and set the parking brake, then shift the vehicles into each position (P, R, N, D, etc) and then place it back into Park.

Check the level on the gauge, it should be between the hot high/low marks (the hot marks are the ones higher than the cold marks). If the level of fluid is below the Hot range, add fluid until it is in the range.

If checking the fluid cold, it says to just check the fluid level on the gauge to make sure its between the High/Low marks of the cold range, and to add fluid as necessary.

In either case it warns to be careful not to overfill

 

[Captain_Klink]

very good thanks fot the very nice answer.
the vehicle has 33,000 miles on it. the fluid came out looking brown and kind of turbid. finally after draining it 3 times, and overfilling it slightly, then draining some off so as to not be overfull, the final draining fluid is nice pink and clear.

 

[Petersubaru]

Originally Posted By: Captain_Klink
Hi, I have a Subaru Impreza, 2008, with 4 speed ATF.
I just drained and refilled it 3 times.
Do you check it in Drive, with parking brake on? or in neutral? or in park?

thanks!!!







Then how DO you determine how full the tranny actually is?

I'll come to it in a moment...One of the biggest aggrevations or fear , when changing out the tranny fluid is, did you actually put in the required amount??..putting in the same amount as to what came out may not be the correct amount..how many people can actually say for sure that the tranny oil was at its full maximum..I am sure most of us have read or experienced the frustrations of checking your tranny and motor oil levels which results in "doubting" our own work....Checking my tranny oil is done "Cold" the engine "Not" running and useing my own "reference line" further up the dip stick created by useing my "hacksaw"..works well for all the subi's and Vw's in our family...I simply disliked pulling the dip stick a multitude of times and getting different readings all dependent on the various temps of the fluid, motor expansion, and outside temps,etc...it used to take me near 1/2 an hr of highway driving to warm everything up on a hot day and that is with the dip stick "Out" of the tube sitting on the front passenger floor...while everything is hot, I will add or subtract fluid until the fluid is at the top hole on the dip stick..next I went to a dealer that has actually had the probe to check the temp of the fluild and confirmed for me that it was full to the max...next, find a level place to park your car over night with the dip stick taken out for that time..(subis are very sensitive to Not being level.)...To establish if your subi is "level", ..just look at your brake master cylinder,..around the plastic reservior are block shaped designs front and side..line the fluid up with the top of the blocks for example....let the car sit over night to cool ..and then next day insert the dip stick so as to check where the fluid is on the dip stick (tranny fluid cold and engine not running).this being your new reference point...so, before changing out your tranny fluid, check the fluid cold, (add fluid if you have too, up to your own "mark"... then drop the fluid, ..put drained fluid into another "identical" empty container as compared to the new tranny oil container..add or subtract from the new container ..install new fluild..No need to check the dip stick now...and all future tranny oil exchanges are worry free and exact

 

[Captain_Klink]

now i'm really glad i asked this question, i learned a lot, and now i have a really good trick that they don't tell you about in the manual. check it when it's dead cold.

 

[Petersubaru]

Originally Posted By: Captain_Klink
now i'm really glad i asked this question, i learned a lot, and now i have a really good trick that they don't tell you about in the manual. check it when it's dead cold.
..I have done this method for the last 24 yrs to the same '86 turbo subi that I have owned until just recently(original 240k/mi tranny with no problems)..presently I have an '01 OB..the idea behind this was to make it easier for my wife to check the fluids when I am not around for great lengths of time, especially on a car that may leak some fluid..subaru's own info states that the dip stick is too be used as a reference only(if you are under min. or over max.).. because the newer cars expand and contract at such a great amount(more then cars of yester-year) thus the need for a temp probe..short of not having a probe..then a good long highway drive in "hot summer" weather is the best time to check the fluid before attemping to create your own "cold" reference line..driving around town for 20min waiting for the fluid to warm up will not work and will barely raise the fluid temp beyond what came out of the bottle (check with your fingers)..some interesting reading and I have more to say.. @ http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/show...mp;pagenumber=1 ..good luck

 

[unDummy]

Fluid contracts/expands the same regardless of vehicle year based on temperature.

I recommend a hot only check for accuracy. Cold checks are just starting points. Because of drain back and 'time', cold fluid checks are not precise. Its a hydraulic fluid and has a running vehicle level check for that reason!

When doing drain/refills, make sure you drive 5-10 minutes in between d/r's to circulate the fluid. Otherwise, you're just draining out what you filled it with and are wasting fluid.

Measure what you drain out and refill with like amount. Go for a ride and check ATF level.

 

[Captain_Klink]

looks like my choice of fluid worked well -
lots of debate as to what fluid to use in a subaru, because the manual calls for dealer supplied fluid only, and no synthetic - i used very cheap Dex3 for the first 2 refills, and then the still very reasonable Valvoline Maxlife all purpose synthetic for the final fill.
i just came back from a 1000 mile trip, and the tranny is shifting and running perfectly, better than ever. probably i'll do this job every other year, but from now on just 2 drains, not 3.

 

[Petersubaru]

Originally Posted By: Captain_Klink
looks like my choice of fluid worked well -
lots of debate as to what fluid to use in a subaru, because the manual calls for dealer supplied fluid only, and no synthetic - i used very cheap Dex3 for the first 2 refills, and then the still very reasonable Valvoline Maxlife all purpose synthetic for the final fill.
i just came back from a 1000 mile trip, and the tranny is shifting and running perfectly, better than ever. probably i'll do this job every other year, but from now on just 2 drains, not 3.
..if I could recommend..to make it even easier on yourself.. is to simply keep on "refreshing" the tranny fluid..for "example" maybe once a year (18k/mi) drain the fluid "cold" into a pan and measure what has been taken out(under 1 gal of fluid)..not familiar with your car but with my Outback and long extension plus rachet, I can do this job without lifting the car..makes it real simple and takes only a few minutes to do..easier then changing the motor oil..if you never plan on taking the pan off, maybe a "magnetic" drain plug could be useful..

 

[Captain_Klink]

thanks, it's actually really easy to drive the right wheel up onto a ramp, which tips the car to the left, and with the drain on the left, this encourages maximum fluid to drain out. Subaru's are amazingly easy to do this job on. probably next time, it will be one change with conventional dex3, the next change synthetic Valvoline maxlife.