Sealed Transmission. Is This A Problem?, .

[powayroger]

While checking out the 2011 Elantra, it came to my attention that the fluid levels for the transmission are sealed. No dip stick to check the level or hole on top to add, if you need it. Should that worry me?
What if you have a minor leak and can’t get it fixed right away. Thru an open system, I could easily check and add the fluid, but with this system I can’t.
Am I making a big deal out of nothing?

 

[d00df00d]

You can bet they took steps to reduce the possibility of leakage accordingly.

Whether you're comfortable with it is up to you, but serious issues are rare on mature technology, and sealed transmissions are pretty mature by now.

 

[willix]

This is why you need to have some basic knowledge of the machine. I you have no warranty it may get expensive to be unaware.

There has to be a way to check the level whether its buy draining & refilling the specified amount or another method.

You need to find out what transmission you have and find out what the story on fluid levels.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: willix
This is why you need to have some basic knowledge of the machine. I you have no warranty it may get expensive to be unaware.

It's a brand new car with 10-yr/100K miles powertrain warranty.

A lot of cars these days have transmissions where it's impossible to check the fluid level short of unscrewing the fill hole under the car and topping off until the fluid starts to leak out.

 

[TJPark01]

I have a Hyundai Genesis with a sealed system as well. Here are shop manual instructions for checking the ATF:
Inspect every 37,500 miles (60,000 km) or 48 months
1.Drive the vehicle until the fluid temperature is between 86~95°F (30~35°C).
2. Firmly apply the brake and then shift into “R”, “N” and “D” and back, pausing 3~5 seconds in each range. Shift into Sports Mode 1 & 2. Repeat two times.
3.Move the shift lever to P, leave the engine running and lift the vehicle on a hoist.
4. Remove the fill plug. The oil level is correct if ATF flows out in a thin oil stream or
steady drop-by-drop. If no oil flow occurs, go to Step 7.
7. Add ATF in 1/4 quart increments until ATF flows out of the fill plug in a thin oil stream or steady drop-by-drop.
NOTE: Use a fluid transfer pump to add ATF.
8. Reinstall the fill plug and tighten to specification of 20~25 lb-ft (2.8~3.5 kgf.m).

 

[mechanicx]

I dislike transmissions that are hard to check or refill. It's getting more common but it's still a stupid thing IMO. Transmissions are expensive and the fluid needs to be checked and changed ocassionally and it should be made to be easy to do so.

 

[jorton]

"3. Move the shift lever to P, leave the engine running and lift the vehicle on a hoist."

Can't do that on jack stands.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: mechanicx
I dislike transmissions that are hard to check or refill. It's getting more common but it's still a stupid thing IMO. Transmissions are expensive and the fluid needs to be checked and changed ocassionally and it should be made to be easy to do so.

I agree, all fluids need to be checked and changed periodically, I don't believe in "Lifetime Fluids".

Originally Posted By: jorton
"3. Move the shift lever to P, leave the engine running and lift the vehicle on a hoist."

Can't do that on jack stands.

Manufactures are cutting cost for not including the dipstick and dipstick tubes for engine oil (MB and BMW are two example) and now for ATF. The way they are doing is forcing consumers to take their cars to their dealers for services.

 

[mikiee]

So obviously the owner of this vehicle is unlikely to have a hoist laying around to check the fluid level. Wonder what the dealer charges for this service? If it was every 100,000 miles, maybe. But having to do this every 38,000 miles? Sorry, you just lost me as a potential customer, Hyundai.

 

[MonumentOiler]

Another reason the manufacturers are eliminating the dipstick and fill tube is that many warranty claims and other damage caused by the wrong fluids being added.

I'm not a fan of these changes either but usually these transmissions have drain plugs making them in someways easier to service than transmissions where removing the pan was necessary just to drain the fluid. Did people whine that those transmissions where "sealed".

 

[Ken42]

Not a problem at all.
You check the same way as the Genesis.
Less chance of dirt in a sealed system.
Less chance of the wrong fluid being used.

And those that say Hyundai lost a customer. At the moment
they can not build enough cars to meet demand. Also most other
manufacturers are doing the same thing with their cars.
Ken

 

[OrdnanceMarine]

My '07 4Runner has a sealed transmission. I'm willing to bet it's working a little harder than the Hyundai's. I just haven't seen modern cars come up with leaky transmissions so I'm not too worried about it. What I don't buy is the claim that the fill is good for a "lifetime". Transmission fluid life is totally dependent on operating temperatures. My guess is that a car like the Elantra isn't going to get much of a chance to overheat the transmission and chew up the fluid's life very quickly so perhaps it's a non-issue?

 

[rpn453]

Originally Posted By: jorton
"3. Move the shift lever to P, leave the engine running and lift the vehicle on a hoist."

Can't do that on jack stands.


You can level the vehicle on jack stands and check it from there. I do it on my mother's Sunfire, but only when I'm changing the fluid. It's definitely a hassle compared to a dipstick, especially if you develop a small leak that you want to keep an eye on.

I prefer a dipstick, but it wouldn't be a dealbreaker if the car I wanted used plugs instead. That's how manual transmissions are anyway. I'd probably take a transmission with a drain plug and no dipstick over one with a dipstick and no drain plug.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: OrdnanceMarine
What I don't buy is the claim that the fill is good for a "lifetime". Transmission fluid life is totally dependent on operating temperatures. My guess is that a car like the Elantra isn't going to get much of a chance to overheat the transmission and chew up the fluid's life very quickly so perhaps it's a non-issue?


I think it's a non-issue. The '97 Cadillac that my mother owned, then I owned, then my brother owned, then eventually got traded off at 180k miles, had the original Dexron III for its entire life. Owner's manual said it never required changing unless driven under certain high-heat conditions (towing, taxi driving, etc). And it was right: that transmission shifted very smooth and flaw-free for its entire life. I already think that GM Hydramatics are, as a whole, one of the better transmission lines in the business, but that 4T80-E was just plain flawless, even with its "lifetime" fluid.

We ran the original ATF+4 for 76k miles in our '03 Grand Caravan without a problem. I'd have kept it in there for 100k miles anyway, and probably much more. It was supposed to be a "lifetime" fluid, and it was holding up just fine. We traded the van, so I never got to run it longer.

My Camry has "lifetime" fluid, as well as a sealed transmission, and I have no intention of changing it prematurely. These modern ATFs are fully synthetic products, and transmission fluids don't suffer near the environmental hazards that engine oils do (like fuel dilution, blowby, etc). I agree with the previous posts that sealed transmissions stay cleaner longer, and the risk of the improper fluid used is reduced to near nothing.

I will be changing the ATF in the MDX soon, but only because Acura recommends such. If it didn't recommend it until 100k miles, or if it didn't recommend it at all, that's what I'd do.

 

[CivicFan]

Originally Posted By: powayroger
While checking out the 2011 Elantra, it came to my attention that the fluid levels for the transmission are sealed. No dip stick to check the level or hole on top to add, if you need it. Should that worry me?
What if you have a minor leak and can’t get it fixed right away. Thru an open system, I could easily check and add the fluid, but with this system I can’t.
Am I making a big deal out of nothing?


Don't worry about it. Both my A6 and Z4 have sealed transmissions with 'lifetime' fluid in them. I don't lose sleep over it.

 

[KrisZ]

I think the only reason manufacturers eliminated dip stick is to push this sealed transmission and lifetime fluid nonsense, which seems to work on a lot of people.

These transmissonas are not sealed, they have a drain and fill plug, just like manual transmissions had for decades.

 

[Scum_Frog]

My '07 Dodge Nitro has a sealed Transmission as well. At 100,000KMS it calls for a tranny fuild change. I will not give it a second thought until I hit the 100,000 KM mark.

 

[willix]

I am curious as to why transmission oil can be considered "liftime" yet engine oil is suggeseted to be changed xxxx amount of miles or limited to 1 year.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: willix
I am curious as to why transmission oil can be considered "liftime" yet engine oil is suggeseted to be changed xxxx amount of miles or limited to 1 year.


See my post a few posts above. The environment inside a modern transmission is much less severe than that inside an engine. It's pretty much a completely clean and sterile environment. There is no air ingestion as there is with an engine, so foreign objects are a non-issue. There's no fuel involved, so there are no fuel dilution issues. There's no combusion involved, so there are no blow-by issues or anything like that. Transmission temperatures typically run cooler than engine oil as well. The 2010 Silverado we have at work has a trans temp gauge and even in the summer in stop-and-go driving, it never crests 165-170*F.

Additionally, engine oils can be non-descript, and the consumer is able to dump pretty much anything in there, making regular change intervals prudent. With ATFs, the manufacturer is able to specify very exacting properties for the fluid, and without concern that the fluid is changed and wrong fluid going back in (via the "sealed" transmission), change intervals just aren't necessary.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: powayroger
While checking out the 2011 Elantra, it came to my attention that the fluid levels for the transmission are sealed. No dip stick to check the level or hole on top to add..


They may be marketed as such, but NO transmission is sealed up to that degree. They've ALL got a means to drain and fill. Some are messy than others is all. This 'sealed' deal has been common place for the last 10+ years. It's a tactic to boost profits for dealer service depts.

Find a good hyundai forum and you're bound to find a DIY procedure. I've dealt w/ several sealed units. They're not that bad to deal with.

Joel