the 4L60E transmission was somewhat common a few years ago
and it was a pain to deal with due to the absence of a dipstick. It required filling with the engine running and even running until it was hot and allowed to overflow to prevent overfilling.
Rod Knox
We have tons of gm vehicles in our fleet, some dating back to the mid 1990s. Many of them have a 4L60E transmission, and all of them have a dipstick
At what point in time did the 4L60E not have a dipstick?
I recall that the Isuzus and Isuzu variants and some GM vehicles in the early 90s used that transmission and had no dipstick.
A little nostalgia: When I was a kid (over a half a century ago) my father had a '49 Pontiac with a 4 speed Hydramatic that had a dipstick, but to get to it you had to pull back the front floor mat then pry out a 4 inch plate on the transmission hump and there it was. Not to convenient.
Excuse me @db. Maybe it was the 4L30E that was giving me grief
I’ll look around for an old Mitchell Manual to see where my memory is slipping.
The automaker puts clauses in the warranty that state that certain changes to the engine will void the warranty, they could easily state that additives void the warranty.
Manufactures don’t require a fluid sample to be analyzed for a transmission repair. It would be too difficult to prove who contaminated the fluid. Voiding the engine/transmission warranty because of an add on such as Bully dog power products on diesels are common.
The presence of a dipstick enables the consumer to AVOID warranty claims by ensuring fluid is at the proper level.
The odds are you won’t achieve the “proper level” without some guidance on a modern vehicle. Removing the ability to pull the dipstick every Sunday to make sure the fluid is OK also eliminates the risk of dirt getting into the fluid.
I have checked the fluid level on vehicles after 125,000 miles and there is no change in level. If your from the cork gasket and 99 cents a quart era you may never be comfortable with this. The transmission shouldn’t leak and the fluid doesn’t evaporate. For those who have grease monkeys change their oil they are better off without access to the transmission.
I just spent a few minutes reading up on the 4L30E
I suppose GM thought it was easier to bolt an OD to an existing 3 speed AT versus designing another unit from scratch . . . which they eventually did
What is interesting is that the 4L60E and 4L30E existed side by side for quite some years
But yeah, how the heck are you going to have a dipstick on that 4L30E with two pans? Might as well have 2 dipsticks . . .
I’m kind of disappointed that BMW apparently used the 4L30E on some of their vehicles. Not because it’s not their own design, but because it seems a bit unconventional.
I thought that I’d bring this post back to add to it.
There is a recent 8-14-14 post of a young girl who hit a curb…blew a tire…and found a puddle under the car.
How can this girl check her fluids to see if it’s tranny fluid if there is no dip stick.
Just check all the other fluids and if they are Ok… then just presume that it is the tranny leaking.
How can we advise her that the car is safe to drive to a mechanic to be checked out for damage.
She does not know the difference between a puddle of coolant from a puddle of oil.
Yosemite
that poor girl, she obviously never had anyone take the time to explain the basics to her.
she just seems so nice that its hard to criticize her. I mean she chose her name as clueless cassie, so she is aware of her limitations.
its hard to explain to someone who knows absolutely nothing about cars. the way she described her radiator was priceless. she was obviously trying.
I think that maybe some basic knowledge should be required to get your license, and a quick basic course offered by the DMV to those who fail a basic quiz. if only for the safety of the public.
I’m with you @WESW. But I think it should be part of High school classes or Drivers ED.
Kind of like "Home Ec. classes. A little cooking, a little sewing, a little cleaning, a little budget maintainence.
Why not a class with How to maintain a car like below, changing out a lamp plug, how to remove the electrical plates from the switches and outlets before you paint, etc…
A simple ABCs of how a car works, changing a tire, maintaining your car (ie; checking oil, tire wear, coolant, fuses, cracked belts, etc etc.).
Maybe a part two with Oil change, Battery maintainence, Bulb replacement, etc…
I could teach that in a matter of a few hours on a Saturday morning.
I wouldn’t want them changing brakes, tranny pan drops, or wheel bearings. Those can be pretty involved, but the easy stuff that takes just simple tools.
Look how many people come here and we have to go over and over how to clean your battery posts and clamps.
Yosemite
@Yosemite
I agree with you about the need for car basics to be taught in high school
That said, didn’t thousands of schools across the country get rid of driver’s ed and auto shop classes?
My point is, perhaps those schools no longer even have the tools, instructors, facilities to teach anything auto related?
I would just say that we cannnot advise someone that cannot tell the difference between the various fluids in the car. Even if it had a dipstick, you could not expect the person to follow the proper procedure to check it and add more. It just really needs to go to a shop to evaluate. That’s just the way it is.
Basic car knowledge in drivers ed. Outstanding idea!
You are right @db4690; I don’t know if our local school still has those courses or not.
I took woodworking. welding, Steel shop, and a motors class…all durring High school.
And I always made straight As for lunch!!!
We even made a electric motor from scratch with paperclips for the brushes. The motors would be evaluated and judged by how little current it took to start your motor. The instructor tried out a half dozen motors and I noted that most had a problem with the paperclips not wanting to keep in contact with the armature. Mine was scheduled to be tested the next day. That night I removed the paperclips and made the brushes from some old metal banding that my dad had around. The springyness of the banding ensured that the brushes would stay tight against the armature. Worked like a champ and the instructor asked to keep my motor as an example of how to make it better.
Now the schools are too involved in teaching other things that you will never use.
Yosemite
It would seem to me that if fluid “dribbles” out of the side plug and this indicates that it is full, why couldn’t you add some fluid into that side plug hole until it is level with the bottom of the hole???
easier said than done.
consider…
would you rather open your hood , pull a dipstick and check the level, pour any fluid if needed thru a funnel into the filler tube, replace dipstick and close the hood?
or
would you rather elevate your car (remember, it has to be level to get accurate reading), using jacks and stands or ramps and stand to get all 4 wheels up, since you need it level.
crawl under neath. remove a plug (you need tools), stick your finger in oil, get a turkey baster or some kind of pump to get the fluid in, add until the fluid drips out (hopefully not in your face).
replace plug (maybe needing new crush washer)
then get all the jacks stands and ramps removed and put away again?
My 2012 Camry has no dipstick and the owners manual claims it is sealed but the side of the transmission has a fill plug and the car doesn’t have to be running-just up to temp.
In a case of auto damage, like “Clueless Cassie” mentioned, a dipstick would be necessary to avoid further costly damage.
My point exactly @Argeebee;
Yosemite