No dipstick?

[sandman2234]

Newer? My 1976 Kawasaki KZ900 used a sight glass. No dipstick. I don't know that they were the first but all the 900's and KZ1000's used a sight glass. The Z1 was the first of the 900's. Sight glass is right above the brake pedal on this Z1b.

I can go one year older on the Z-1 as I had a 1975. A friend had the 1973 and it also used a sight glass. I got to meet a lot of interesting people on that bike, and a lot of them had blue lights on top of their cars!
David from jax

 

[RobertN]

What is it with no dipsticks these days? Do they not trust people to look at them? I changed the transmission fluid in my daughter’s car and there is a fill plug on top that access to is tough. It’s a 2016 Ford Fusion, 150,000 miles. Then there is a plug on the side you remove and fill it until it runs out. Then drive it to warm it up and remove the plug and check it again. A dipstick would be much easier.

That's the way my old 1941 Farmall-A was. Open a valve on the side of the oil pan. Fill until oil started to ooze from the valve. Then shut the valve and you're done.

 

[tradosaurus]

No transmission filter either, apparently just a large screen. When I changed the fluid I only got about a third of it out. I’ll have to change it again soon to get it a little better. I’m not sure what I spent for the oil change and transmission fluid, maybe $50 to $60. I wonder what a dealership would have charged her?

Just did a transmission fluid drain and fill on a 2022 Honda Civic, 2015 Honda Odyssey, and a 2023 Toyota Corolla. The Corolla I had to fill through the fill plug only accessible by taking the front drivers tire off.
Many mfg's touting lifetime transmission fluid where they hope the transmission's lifetime is just beyond the warranty.

 

[arto98607]

Pretty much all cars and trucks have this now. It's a bit of a pain, but you don't change trans fluid that often.

I think it's so they don't have to figure out where to run the trans dipstick. Engine bays are tight these days. Also it reduces BOM cost by a few dollars to leave the dipstick off. Few people change the trans fluid. Most dealers will tell you it's "sealed for life". Even fewer will do it themselves. So I don't think it's to discourage home mechanics.

Maybe discouraging DYI car owners from changing the AT oil was not the only or main reason, but it certainly works in the dealership service department favor big time!

Manufacturers also save few dollars also due to it, and when several AT's over the years fail prematurely due to delayed or skipped maintenance, they will make few more dollars one way or the other...

 

[DarkBlack]

I say keep it simple. A modern transmission doesn’t loose oil due to getting sucked into the PCV system, or combusted past worn piston rings or valve guides, like an engine. Most (not all) also have little chance of being overfull from a leaky head gasket blowing coolant into the fluid.
So, I see no problem with omitting dipsticks from transmissions.
If your fluid is going down, you’re gonna have an oil patch on your driveway, and you’ll need a repair to go with the fluid change.

 

[Alan46]

I've heard the dipsticks all went into politics.



Bruce

The reply of the day!!! Thanks for the laugh

 

[DarkBlack]

I changed the CVT fluid in a family member’s vehicle last week. No more work than an engine oil change. Removed the drain bolt. Emptied the used fluid into old containers and verified the drained amount was reasonably close to the manufacturer’s specification quarts.
Poured in the specified quantity of new fluid. Reset the change reminder on the vehicle touch screen.
Didn’t even bother removing the check bolt.
Easy peasy. Third time I’ve done it on this vehicle.
I’m sure this would bother some, who would insist I needed to remove the check bolt, pour in extra to drain out of the check bolt, heat the engine up, and recheck levels…

 

[Alan46]

I think we've reached the point where automatic transmissions are no more likely to leak than manuals. When was the last time you saw a dipstick on a manual transmission?

That would be never!!!

 

[kozal01]

My 2015 F-150 is the same, no trans dipstick. Its a pain to check and fill but still doable. Still not a fan of it though.