2015 Chevy Sonic 1.8l Automatic - Spill & Fill

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This weekend we did the 2nd spill & fill on the Sonic at ~ 38,000 miles . First was at about 10000 miles ago .

Held ~ 4.5 quarts of Tropartic synthetic Dexron 6 .

Both times it drained out nearly black . I hear that is a characteristic of this transmission . Sure makes me wonder ?

Hope to continue doing this until it starts to come out at least some what red .

Best wishes , :)
 
I've just done a spill and fill this pass weekend in my Malibu it pour out a little darker then the fluid I put in a year ago castrol transmax . About 15k on the fluid
 
When I run out of what I have on the shelf , I may try the Castrol .

How many miles do you have , total on the transmission ?

Thanks , :)
 
Originally Posted By: Ram02
I've just done a spill and fill this pass weekend in my Malibu it pour out a little darker then the fluid I put in a year ago castrol transmax . About 15k on the fluid
I did my malibu at 25k w STP dex6 and it was very black. 34k on her now.
 
Was the factory fill fluid a black color? Wonder if there is a fluid / metal clash that is causing the color change or some part of the transmission is being severely stressed.
 
Originally Posted By: xtell
Was the factory fill fluid a black color? Wonder if there is a fluid / metal clash that is causing the color change or some part of the transmission is being severely stressed.
trans shifts great, my only problem with it is if you come to a quick stop it sometimes downshifts hard.
 
Originally Posted By: xtell
Was the factory fill fluid a black color? Wonder if there is a fluid / metal clash that is causing the color change or some part of the transmission is being severely stressed.


Factory fill was very dark , also . Of course , I realize I am only draining roughly 1/2 of the total contained .

Very dark this time too .

Both with re-fills Dexron 6 synthetic .

Do not know about severely stressed ? Wife does not drive any harder than most people , I guess . I baby it , trying to get better MPG .

This is a 6 speed automatic in Chevy's next to smallest car . Same trans ( I am told ) is used in the Cruze , next size larger car .

Engine is a 1.8l 4 banger w/ DOHC , NA . Not geared particularly high , mid range . Maybe a tad low . Certainly lower ( judging by the tachometer ) than the Silverado work truck or 2006 Buick .

Hoping to repeat the spill & fill every 10000 - 20000 miles untill the fluid lightens up .

Thanks , :)
 
Originally Posted By: gabriel9766
Originally Posted By: xtell
Was the factory fill fluid a black color? Wonder if there is a fluid / metal clash that is causing the color change or some part of the transmission is being severely stressed.
trans shifts great, my only problem with it is if you come to a quick stop it sometimes downshifts hard.


Pretty sure it shifts under electronic control . What you are describing may be more of a software issue ?

Best wishes , :)
 
Originally Posted By: WyrTwister
When I run out of what I have on the shelf , I may try the Castrol .

How many miles do you have , total on the transmission ?

Thanks , :)


I have over 67k on the tranny and this is my 4th drain and fill I'm run it out to 110k and do another . Castrol seems to hold up pretty good
 
Well this is a little of a long storey .

1 The trans does not have a dip stick .

2 The trans has a drain plug on the bottom .

3 The trans has an " overflow " plug on the side .

4 The trans does not have a DIY serviceable filter .

5 Therefore , the pan is not removed .

That is why I removed the wheel , to better gain access to the plugs .

You are correct , I could use the trans cooler line .

Think I will need to purchase some more ATF Dex 6 , before I mess with it again .

I mentioned the fluid was very dark , on both drains . Currently has 38,000 + miles on the car . Wish I could figure out why ?

Does Dex 6 have a super high amount of detergent additives ?

Thanks , :)
 
Oh, if it has a drain plug and a fill plug then it's not bad at all. "Spill & Fill" threw me off
lol.gif
 
Actually , it has a black plastic fill cap that is pretty easy to get to . Under the hood , using a long funnel .

What I do is remove the side / overflow plug first . Then the drain plug . After it is pretty much finished dripping , I replace the drain plug .

Add ~ 3 quarts of fluid , from the top fill opening , until it oozes out the side / overflow plug .

Start it up and run through the gears a few times . Leave it idling in Park & add about 1 more quart , until it oozes out the side plug , again .

Since I have the LF wheel off & that side jacked up , I place a 3' level across the radiator core support & level the car . In hopes of achieving an accurate fill .

The biggest pain is I am way to fat to get under the car & having to jack it up & remove the wheel . :-(

But GM could have improved this 1000% by building the trans with a dip stick . :-(

Thanks , :)
 
Castrol Dexron 6 has been recommended by a person that has a Chevy Cruse ( next size larger car ) , that uses the same transmission .

The ads I have found for it indicate it is a synthetic blend ?

The plugs look to be 1/8" pipe plugs . Would never get the new fluid back into the transmission through that small hole . :-(

Best I remember , you would need a long skinny funnel that terminated to the size of a big soda straw . Or use with a milk shake .

Thanks , :)
 
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Nice! That's a great thing that these ATs are pretty easy to do drain/fills on. I know it makes us feel better to do a pan drop and magnet clean, but it makes you wonder if it has that much benefit when pan drain/fills are so easy to do.
 
Well , since the filter apparently is not DIY servicable , spill & fill is about all I can do .

Thanks , :)
 
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