Checking the Fluid Level
Prepare your vehicle as follows:
• Park your vehicle on a level place. Keep the engine
running.
• With the parking brake applied, place the shift lever
in PARK (P).
• With your foot on the brake pedal, move the shift
lever through each gear range, pausing for about
three seconds in each range. Then, position the shift
lever in PARK (P).
• Let the engine run at idle for three to five minutes.
The transaxle fluid dipstick
handle is the black loop
near the rear of the engine
compartment, toward
the center. See Engine
Compartment Overview on
page 5-12 for more
information on location.
Then, without shutting off the engine, follow these steps:
1. Pull out the dipstick and wipe it with a clean rag
or paper towel.
2. Push it back in all the way, wait three seconds and
then pull it back out again.
3. Check both sides of
the dipstick, and read
the lower level.
The fluid level
must be in the
cross-hatched area.
4. If the fluid level is in the acceptable range, push the
dipstick back in all the way.
3400 V6 engine shown,
3800 V6 and
3800 V6 Supercharged
engines similar
3400 V6 engine shown,
3800 V6 and
3800 V6 Supercharged
engines similar
5-27