Automatic transmission fluid is an extremely component in the process of moving your vehicle down the road. It’s essentially hydraulic fluid that performs a number of different tasks that can ultimately result in movement. But if you’re running a little low, you need to consider how much transmission fluid do I add? Let’s find out.
What Transmission Do I Have?
Do I need to add transmission fluid?
Symptoms of low transmission fluid
Transmission fluid does everything from cooling the moving parts inside your transmission, to actually moving things like clutches and gears to make a shift happen. Because of this, you need to have enough transmission fluid to make it all work. If you don’t, here’s some of the things that could happen:
Transmission overheating
Delayed gear engagement/shifts
Unusually harsh gear engagement/shifts
Surging
Hesitation
Poor performance
How to check your transmission fluid
At least once or twice a month, you need to pop the hood and check the level of all the fluids. Transmission fluid being one of them. You should pay close attention to its level and condition. If you don’t already know how to check transmission fluid, click here for an easy step-by-step guide.
How much transmission fluid to I need to add?
Most modern automatic transmissions will hold between 5 – 9 quarts of ATF. Large trucks and SUVs can hold north of 20 quarts. And heavy duty trucks are typically measured by the gallon. Check your owners manual for the exact transmission fluid capacity of your vehicle.
Once you check the dipstick, you should have a decent idea of how low your transmission fluid level is. To understand how to read a dipstick, click here. Then what you want to do is simply add transmission fluid 1/4 – 1/2 quart at a time until the full level is reached.
What Transmission Do I Have?
When adding transmission fluid, it’s best to go slowly and check the level every time you add some fluid. That way you get an accurate reading on how much ATF is in your transmission. You don’t want to risk overfilling, because that can also cause damage to your transmission.
