Procedure for changing the ATF in Saturn L-Series vehicles that have a GM oil drain pan (no drain bolt). This procedure will work for all 2000-2005 L-Series …
Saturn L-Series Automatic Transmission Fluid Change
13
Like
Save
){kind=link}
Comments
Write a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Back when in 02 when I first saw these tranny’s, I called the dealer they
said its a sealed unit no need to ever check it. I called another dealer
they told me the same thing. They were flat out lying I’ll never trust GM
again
DJDevon3. my tranny will not come out of park untill it heats up for about
15 mins or so. it only started about the time it got cold outside. i wonder
if you know what it might be.
If you’re good with cars and know how to braze; make your own drain
plug/bolt on the pan before you put it back on. If you don’t know what
you’re doing, don’t attempt it. You can warp the pan if you’re not
experienced…
It’s not as hard as it sounds. The entire tranny holds roughly 12.9
quarts. But since some of it stays in the torque-converter when you drain,
the drain/fill amount is roughly 7 quarts. After you get the pan back on,
lower the car to the ground and put 7 quarts in it. Start it up and let it
idle for about 3 mins. Hold the brake down and shift through each
gear, starting in first gear and pausing for about 5 seconds at each gear.
Put it in park and leave it running. Jack it back up whiles it’s running
and use FOUR jack-stands to hold the entire car off the ground. DON’T ever
trust a jack to hold a car up while you’re under it. Carefully take that
plug/bolt out. If some fluid drains out, let it drain and put the plug
back in. If nothing comes out, use a step-stool and add a half a quart at
a time until fluid comes out. Let the fluid drain until nothing more comes
out, tighten the plug/bolt, lower the car to the ground, and you’re done.
FYI: The torque specs on the pan bolts are 106 inch-pounds. If you over
tighten them too much, the gasket may leak, and you’ll have to start over..
I have one of these hunks of crap, an ’02 L300. Since I got, it has cost
me money like crazy. Two months after I bought it in ’06, my catalytic
converter crapped out, along with some other things, and it cost me over
$1300 to get it fixed. Many other issues too. Like you said….thumbs down
to GM.
So the Saturn L Series takes about a gallon & a half of transmission fluid
from what I gather.
I realize this video is a bit negative that might come off as bitter but
I’m completely honest and forthright with my opinions.
If you mean using a ruler in the ATF fill cap hole then no. Fluid is
channeled through there but that’s not where the fluid sits. Because of the
design of the transmission there is no way to measure it. There certainly
could have been a way if it had been designed into the transmission, there
is plenty of room for it. If there is some trick to quickly measuring ATF
level on this style of transmission then i don’t know about it. Keep in
mind this is my first encounter with a GM ATF pan.
I also do all of my own maintenance on my Saturns. I like my Saturns but
completely agree with you on this one. What they did with the design of
leaving out a simple drain bolt is unforgivable not to mention a damn
dipstick. Is there a way of using a simple plastic ruler to measure the
fluid level? Just thinking out loud. Good video. Thanks
He mostly does S-Series Saturns. I have an L-Series and they are different
enough so that we both cover different models. I wish he’d done a video on
an L-Series so that I would know how to do it. He does have an ATF video
but it’s for the S-Series which is COMPLETELY different. The S-Series has a
drain bolt, dipstick, and external filter, lucky bastards.
The first time I did a transmission fluid change, I had a gargantuan oil
shower all over the floor. Got an oversize drain like Eric uses, and all
was good. These always seem to be harder than they should be. One day I was
doing a transmission and I accidentally shifted it into neutral, feeling
the vehicle lurch while I was underneath. Yikes.
For a minute there, i thought this was another Richpin video.
Exactly. What is the point of measuring if there was a leak. What if there
was a leak but it plugged itself with crud along the way so that it
permanently ran with low ATF. There’s no way to guarantee ATF will be leak
free before it rolled into the garage so techs have to ensure it’s at the
correct level by doing this procedure anyway.
I’ve also been angry about no dipstick, but it’s not only GM who are doing
this — many others have gone that route. It fits with their model to never
change trans fluid, ha ha. To get close I carefully measure what came out
and put that same volume back in. But that doesn’t help if the fluid has
been leaking and level is wrong to start. Too bad they don’t use a ‘cold
fill’ level, after fluid drains back from the torque convertor.