mike03a3

So, I looked on-line and found a few threads about changing the fluid in the 6MT in my '07 TL-S. Not a lot of detail, and little discussion of things that needed to be removed other than air filter box or battery cover - and opinions varied on them.

Looking under the hood, the fill plug is obvious, and pretty easy to get to without removing anything. Filling should be a snap, since I have a funnel with a flexible neck that's almost 3 feet long.

Then I look underneath. OK, where's the drain plug? The pitiful drawing in the manual is so narrowly focused on the plug that you can't orient it relative to the rest of the car. And the '07 TL-S has covers on the bottom, so nothing is visible.

It looks like the only practical way to do this is on a lift, especially since the car is supposed to be flat to drain it and fill to the check plug. So, what's the procedure on an '07 TL-S? And where is the drain?

The Dougler

iTrader: (1)

Search is your friend. as is the 3G Garage. But i'll play nice.

https://acurazine.com/forums/ramblings-12/valentines-day-haiku-93452/

if you can't figure it out from there put the car on the ground and go to the dealer. be careful to not over tighten the check bolt as a few members have done that.

SouthernBoy

This is the simplest and least messy manual transmission drain and fill I have ever done on any car I've owned. It takes about 1 hour if you are taking your time and being careful. I found on my '04 that I had to move the air filter housing out of the way a little, but you do not need to remove the battery or anything else of the sort when using a long funnel and extensions on your ratchet tools for the fill plug/hole.

The drain plug and check (sight) plug are easy to see and access once you remove the bottom plastic cover (which you must do anyway for the drain. If the car is level, you do not need to remove the check plug since a drain and fill on an '04 (and I suspect your '07 TL-S) takes 2.3 quarts.

USE A TORQUE WRENCH! As "The Dougler" said, several members have wrenched the bolt head off of the check plug because they didn't do this (another reason to leave it alone).

Make sure the car is level before you start. I used a carpenter's level to make absolutely certain of this and compensated with a little lift in the rear with a floor jack.

Really an easy job.

Mike 06 TL

I drove the front up on ramps and then lifted the rear (under tow hook) with a floor jack and supported with jack stands (side lift points).

As SouthernBoy boy said, use a level to make sure it really is.

If you don't own ramps then go get a set of plastic Rhino ramps at autozone, etc. They're inexpensive and a make working on the car a breeze (oil changes, etc) I just did the Progress rear sway bar and backed the car up on the ramps. Gave me lots of clearance.

SouthernBoy

Oh, one other thing. You really should replace the aluminum washers when you do this. And remember, assuming your wet fill is 2.3 quarts like mine, that's 2 quarts, 9.6 ounces, NOT 2 quarts, 3 ounces. Just go with 8 ounces on the third quart and watch to make sure you don't overflow the fill hole and you should be fine. Otherwise, do use the check plug and do it just like you would any other car when doing it that way.

But I gotta tell ya'. Since that check plug seems to be somewhat fragile, I prefer to leave it alone and use the first method I outlined.

DMZ

mike03a3,

Before you do anything, you need to go to the parts dept at a local Chevy dealer and pick up 3 quarts of:



This is the ONLY fluid to use. 99% of the 6MT owners here use it for problem fix AND prevention.
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mike03a3

Thanks all, esp Mike06. I didn't realize from the manual drawing how far back the drain was, and the huge plastic cover on the bottom of the car hid it from view. I got the Rhino ramps from Autozone as suggested and was then able to get the cover off easily. After that, it's a breeze.

One odd note: There were OVER 3 quarts of fluid in the tranny! A bit less than 2 and a half had it coming out of the check plug as I filled it back up.

Rich05TL

I also read all of the posts and then decided to put in the GM Friction Modified fluid. It's amazing. Just like everyone said! My third gear nightmare (popping out of gear) is over and all of the other gears are smoother. I am so glad I found this site. The posts are very helpful! As for changing the fluid, the only thing I needed was a 20 inch extension for my 3/8" drive socket to get to the fill hole. This made life much easier. I put in 2 1/2 quarts of fluid since I couldn't find the check bolt on my '05 TL.