MichaelRS
Thread starter
Based on what JTK said above I'm going to check to see if I can slide under and if there's enough room for me to work under there.It doesn't have to be level, it just may not drain as much. Some is better than none though and if necessary, repeat it 1-2 times. Measure what comes out and put the same amount back in as a starting point. If it has a dipstick, that's your real indicator anyway.
It's an SUV, albeit a small one. Can you not slide under it when it's on the ground ?
On my 2002 Toyota Sienna the measuring what comes out and just putting that amount back in works fine because prior to doing the drain and refill I can check the car on a level surface to see if it has enough fluid in the first place. But this Passport is one that has a drain plug a little bit lower than the refill plug on the transmission housing underneath. And the way you tell if it has enough in it when you put ATF back in is when it starts to overflow out the fill plug hole. So, if it was low on fluid to begin with, I don't know if I'm putting an adequate amount back in if the front end of the car is up off the ground.
UNLESS that much elevation is so slight as to not really matter. IDK as this is the first car I've ever worked on that has this silly system without the dipstick.
On the bright side the used Haynes manual I ordered for this car arrived today, so that will be helpful. But I was hoping to have all this done much sooner which is why I was researching it online and had to jump on here to ask. But of course it answers a lot of questions. Ie. Dexron II was the original recommended fluid for the PS.
But you guys have been great helping out my ignorant self and I really appreciate it.