Originally posted by marketplace_man:
Is it mandatory to use torque wrench,or just preferred?



Look under your car, from behind the front driverside wheel. You will see the bottom rear of the trans housing. You will see a section that sort of pertrudes back to the firewall. On this section, you will see a small plug in the case of the tranny. You can put the nub of a 3/8" drive rachet in this plug to remove it. It just screws out like a drian plug. Well, that is what it is.

Once removed, approximately 3.5 to 4 quarts will drain from the tranny. It is best to do this with the fluid warm or at operating temp, which is simple enough to do. Just drive around for about 12 miles or until your engine temp gauage reads in the normal range. That should be good enough.

Once drained, reinstall the plug back into the case of the tranny.

Then pour 3.5 quarts of new ATF (Mercon/DextronIII) down the fill tube, located in the engine bay. Start the car and while holding the brake, run through the gears for a second or two. Just long enough for them to engauge for a second and move on to the next. Do this from 1, 2, D, N, R then P. Allow the car to continue to run and get out and check the fluid level. You might have to add the other half a quart.

TIP - To get the most out of the tranny... Use a floor jack to lift the front of the car. This will allow a little more fluid to come out when drainning.


There is no need to remove the control cover (pan). Actually, removing the pan might get two quarts out. That's about it. The Valve Body is not submerged in fluid, but there are drain backs located at the bottom.

Last edited by unisys12; 02/09/04 06:05 AM.
Phillip Jackson `98 Mystique LS 262K+ and counting... ATX rebuilt @ 151K "This storm has broken me, my only friend!" RIP Dime