It is time to change ATF!

It is already time to change the automatic transmission fluid (ATF). This time I would like to share how to do it yourself. My advice is to change the fluids every 20,000km. Besides that it is also necessary to change the ATF filter every 60,000km or 70,000km. More about that in my next post and hopefully I have the time to do it as well as take pictures at the same time. ;)

This time around I just use the Daihatsu® ATF-3. These can be bought at spare part shops and sold in one liter bottle. For this task it only requires to use about 1.7 liter only. You may refer to Perodua® manuals. :) This is a very simple and easy job. Nevertheless please do not overfill the ATF as this could result to stressing the ATF pump. Plus it will feel heavy when driving especially during hill climb and slow gear shift.

I bought extra ;)

Before I start this task, I park my car at a level ground and put the gear to N.

Ok, firstly I need to jack up my car a bit due to the low center of gravity of my Perodua Viva thanks to my HWL® adjustable. :) This is to make sure I have ample space to work under the car. Nonetheless a jack stand is required if you want to work under your car for safety purpose. Unfortunately I do not have one, so it is a risky job so I have to be extra careful to avoid any unwanted incidents.

The ATF oil pan

For those who wonder which is the tank of the ATF, it is the pan located at the bottom on the passenger side. Next up is to use a spanner size 14 to loosen the bolt to drain as many old ATF as possible.  Ensure that there is an empty box to catch those old ATF (please be responsible to the environment). :)

The home made funnel :)

When all the ATF has been drained, I just tighten back the bolt. Then I use a funnel with clear hose (done with some backyard items) to refill back those ATF. This is done thru the hole of the dipstick of checking the ATF oil. Another tips on refilling the ATF, pour in the first 1 liter bottle and next bottle pour about half or less.

After that, start the car engine and let it idle for a couple of minutes. Next I move the gear from N to R to P to R to N to D4 to 3 to 2. Meaning, move the gear one by one from up to down and make sure to stop at each gear for about 20 seconds. This is done to ensure the ATF is flowing to all section of the gearbox. OR another trick is to drive around the corner for a while. After this is done, check the ATF level at the dipstick. Make sure it is at HOT mark. If under the H mark, please refill by 200ml and do the above steps again. If it is above the H mark, please drain the fluid a bit. Overfilling is not good either.

The job after done

That is it for now. Have fun doing this to your own vehicle. ;)