Were is the transmission dip stick?

[WESTO]

Were is the transmission dip stick? I'm baffled. please help.

[SPAZZ]

you must have vx in park and started and undo the tranny fill bolt and pump fluid in there untill fluid comes out, then shift thru the gears and then fill again till fluid comes out..oh yeah, don't drive it first or pressure will put your eye out

[thebear54]

SO TRUE...........and man did I drive myself VEHIcrazy looking for one too!!
This has to be the biggest blunders on the VX design (*besides the window problem).
John

[CSTYLES]

My transmission fluid is visibly black. Is this not something that the dealer typically does? They haven't brouhgt it to my attention the last 3 visits. Or are they waiting for my transmission to fail?

I think the manual gives 60k or 100k before having to change the fluid under normal conditions. Mine has 45k?!?

[thebear54]

I am getting ready to change my Trans. fluid and filter out at 54K. I'm not waiting for the old ticker to turn 60K :p
John

[deermagnet]

This is from the VX repair manual. I've had my tranny serviced twice so far. Frequent fluid changes are always a good idea, regardless of the maintenance schedule.

http://www.wtv-zone.com/markg/img/img4/trans.png

http://www.wtv-zone.com/markg/img/img4/fluid1.png
http://www.wtv-zone.com/markg/img/img4/fluid2.png
http://www.wtv-zone.com/markg/gif/clear.gifhttp://www.wtv-zone.com/markg/gif/clear.gifhttp://www.wtv-zone.com/markg/img/img4/fluid3.png

[Green Dragon]

My transmission fluid is visibly black. !?

I would change the xmission filter & power flush this puppy without delay, right now!

[mbeach]

...oh yeah, don't drive it first or pressure will put your eye out

I don't know why, but this quote had me laughing for 10 minutes. Maybe it's the visual.


What do ya'll think about swapping the pan with a dipstick capable 4L30 pan'd vehicle -like a Blazer or E36 BMW? Why'd Isuzu go with a sealed unit anyways? Is there something special about this particular tranny?

[MZ-N10]

I don't know why, but this quote had me laughing for 10 minutes. Maybe it's the visual.


What do ya'll think about swapping the pan with a dipstick capable 4L30 pan'd vehicle -like a Blazer or E36 BMW? Why'd Isuzu go with a sealed unit anyways? Is there something special about this particular tranny?


probably to keep dirt or stuff out of the tranny....?? tats wat i always thought
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[mbeach]

probably to keep dirt or stuff out of the tranny....?? tats wat i always thought

If that were the case, all automatic cars would not have dipsticks.
Heck, my WRX had a dipstick on a manual transmission -and that car was built for rally.

I'm sure that there's some bureaucratic reasoning at work here, no engineer worth his calculator would design a transmission that was impossible for the user to check the condition of.

[thebear54]

probably to keep dirt or stuff out of the tranny....?? tats wat i always thought

...Or maybe it's because of where the tranny came from...
Isuzu uses the 4L30E type transmission built by GM of France :confused:

I guess they figured "If you have one...you are one"
John

[Tone]

I think it is the French trying to stick it to us again.... ;)

[mbeach]

LOL...
Fransmission

Seriously, do we share a pan configuration with another 4L30E car/truck. I'm all for swapping it out when I do my next service.

[volume311]

LOL...
Fransmission

Seriously, do we share a pan configuration with another 4L30E car/truck. I'm all for swapping it out when I do my next service.

Check a bmw z3, same tranny in there.

[Nazrat]

Don't get your hopes up: the dipstick doesn't mount to the pan. The dipstick mounts through a hole in the top of the cast section of transmission that the pan mounts to.

http://tad.grosvenor.org/gallery/94TrooperMods/CIMG1427

Looking at that photo you'll see the output for the transmission cooler at the front of the middle section of the transmission. If you look at the 1994 transmission behind it, you'll see an oil black hole there. That's where the dipstick connects to the transmission body. The newer (1999) transmission doesn't even have a non-drilled depression there. So the best that you could do is to remove the transmission, drill the case and hope that it seals. There also might be a difference in the valve body inside the pan there as well, I don't remember that part.

Be sure to keep the later non-dipstick pan too. The earlier pans didn't have a drain, so changing the fluid was very messy. I ended up sucking the fluid out with a topsider instead of trying to lower a pan full of fluid.

-Tad

[AnalogVX]

Actually, I was told by a couple mechanics and oil change places that the 4L30E is supposed a sealed transmission. Read non-serviceable. Which is why most won't touch it. My argument always is, if was non-serviceable, why does the manual list service intervals? :rolleyes:
Go figure.

[thebear54]

I think it is the French trying to stick it to us again.... ;)


...Or NOT (dip) sticking it to us. :p

Besides the Beemer cover(which would probably set you back a year's salary) are there any other options?????
Getting real close to doing the trans service and would love to swap the cover for one with a dipstick.
John

[mbeach]

I should've known this, but the Bimmer version of the 4L30E is sealed as well. Google it and read the list of compaints on the same subject.

Tad made a good point about the pre-96 transmission, and the fact that it's dipstick tube does not enter at the pan.

I suppose that I could weld a tube into the pan, bend it appropriately and bolt it up. This wouldn't be so much for checking the fluid level (my driveway helps me do this -no spots = good level), but for checking fluid condition easily. But then again, I don't rough up the vehicle(s) too often, and after I do, I always crawl underneath and look for damage. I can just check the fluid through the fill holes when I'm down there.
Also, there have been problems with tranny fluid blowing past the dipsticks in some vehicles (GMs in particular). I don't want to have to deal with some cobbled up dipstick lock either.

I suppose that I'm just stuck with this silly sealed transmission until I get the funds together for the Ascender 5.3/4L60E engine/tranny swap... ;)