I didn't have a socket large enough for the transmission drain plug. Looks like a 20 MM bolt that is a bit recessed. It's the only bolt of the various bolts below that has a washer. There's no drain pan, like other vehicles so that's weird.
Anyway, I found a different way to drain the ATF which I found out from another forum.
a. You don't have to jack up the van.
b. Have a 8-12 inch hose that has a 3/8" inner diameter. This is just to assist with draining the ATF, it is not going to be used permanently. I got mine from Home Depot from the plumbing section. Car part store will also have this. No need to get top-of-the-line silicone hose. I'm going to call it the temporary hose.
c. Have an old gallon ATF or oil bottle that has a visible indicator on how much fluid is inside.
1. Under the front driver's side bumper, there are two hoses that go into the transmission fluid cooler (in front of the radiator). They have an inner diameter of 3/8" so it can't be misconstrued to be the radiator return hose. The lower hose is the one you want to take off. Move the lower hose clamp back. Remove the lower hose. Not a lot of fluid will drain. Drops will come out though.
2. Place the temporary hose on to the outlet of the transmission cooler. Put the other end of the hose into a drain pan. Make sure the drain pan is empty. You will want to measure out how much ATF was drained.
3. Start the engine. The old ATF will start flowing out. Go back to the front of the van and watch the fluid drain. Or have a second person do this. When you or the second person see the fluid sputtering out instead of flowing out, stop the engine.
4. Fill the empty oil bottle with the ATF from the drain pan. This is the volume of ATF that you are going to refill. I had around 3 liters.
5. Get an ATF funnel (way longer than a regular funnel), remove the transmission fluid dipstick, stick the funnel into the dipstick hole, fill with ATF fluid of the volume required from step 4.
6. Remove the temporary hose and replace the ATF hose you took off from step 1. Slide the hose clamp to where it was before.
7. Put the ATF dipstick back in. Start the engine. Pull out the ATF dipstick, clean it, reinsert it, pull it out again. Look at the end of the dipstick and see if the fluid level in between the min and max COLD level readings. If it needs more ATF, put the ATF funnel into the ATF dipstick hole and pour in a small amount. With the engine still running, check the ATF level using the dipstick. Add ATF in small amounts so you don't overfill with ATF.
This is not a complete replacement. The transmission holds ATF that doesn't get drained during this process. If the ATF was dirty (not clear red) when you drained it, you may want to drive the vehicle around for a week and then reperform these steps.
Anyway, I found a different way to drain the ATF which I found out from another forum.
a. You don't have to jack up the van.
b. Have a 8-12 inch hose that has a 3/8" inner diameter. This is just to assist with draining the ATF, it is not going to be used permanently. I got mine from Home Depot from the plumbing section. Car part store will also have this. No need to get top-of-the-line silicone hose. I'm going to call it the temporary hose.
c. Have an old gallon ATF or oil bottle that has a visible indicator on how much fluid is inside.
1. Under the front driver's side bumper, there are two hoses that go into the transmission fluid cooler (in front of the radiator). They have an inner diameter of 3/8" so it can't be misconstrued to be the radiator return hose. The lower hose is the one you want to take off. Move the lower hose clamp back. Remove the lower hose. Not a lot of fluid will drain. Drops will come out though.
2. Place the temporary hose on to the outlet of the transmission cooler. Put the other end of the hose into a drain pan. Make sure the drain pan is empty. You will want to measure out how much ATF was drained.
3. Start the engine. The old ATF will start flowing out. Go back to the front of the van and watch the fluid drain. Or have a second person do this. When you or the second person see the fluid sputtering out instead of flowing out, stop the engine.
4. Fill the empty oil bottle with the ATF from the drain pan. This is the volume of ATF that you are going to refill. I had around 3 liters.
5. Get an ATF funnel (way longer than a regular funnel), remove the transmission fluid dipstick, stick the funnel into the dipstick hole, fill with ATF fluid of the volume required from step 4.
6. Remove the temporary hose and replace the ATF hose you took off from step 1. Slide the hose clamp to where it was before.
7. Put the ATF dipstick back in. Start the engine. Pull out the ATF dipstick, clean it, reinsert it, pull it out again. Look at the end of the dipstick and see if the fluid level in between the min and max COLD level readings. If it needs more ATF, put the ATF funnel into the ATF dipstick hole and pour in a small amount. With the engine still running, check the ATF level using the dipstick. Add ATF in small amounts so you don't overfill with ATF.
This is not a complete replacement. The transmission holds ATF that doesn't get drained during this process. If the ATF was dirty (not clear red) when you drained it, you may want to drive the vehicle around for a week and then reperform these steps.
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