OUFan22 Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 (edited) I changed the fluid in the transmission of my 2013 Fusion SE and am not sure how to verify if I have the correct amount of fluid. For the record the car has the 1.6L Ecoboost engine. I take off the fill cap/plug on top and don't see a way to read the fluid level. The manual says that 9 quarts are required. The wrench dash light just came on and I want to see if a low fluid level would be the cause for this general drivetrain dash night to come on. Any advice? Edited February 5, 2016 by OUFan22 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drolds1 Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 Your owner's manual: The automatic transmission does not have a transmission fluid dipstick.Have an authorized dealer check and change the transmission fluid at the correct service interval. See Scheduled Maintenance. You need to get under the car: Start the engine and slowly select each gear position, stopping in each position and allowing the transmission to engage. With the engine running in PARK on a level hoist make sure the transmission is at normal operating temperature 85-93°C (185-200°F). Check the transmission fluid is even with the oil leveling plug hole. If the transmission fluid is not even with the oil leveling plug hole, add clean transmission fluid in increments of 0.25L (0.5 pt) until the transmission fluid is even with the oil leveling plug hole. Did you use the correct fluid? (Mercon LV) What method did you use to change the fluid? See if there's a DTC present. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OUFan22 Posted February 5, 2016 Author Share Posted February 5, 2016 (edited) I did use the correct fluid. I just added some fluid because when I drained the fluid I assume that all nine quarts were removed and that must not have included the torque converter and somehow maybe that drained out too, but I am not sure how. The wrench engine light also went off and the transmission started shifting g smoother. I saw on another thread that some people experience some hard shifting and this started doing not a little bit but went away once I added fluid. Still not sure I have the correct amount but it seems to be better. The method I used was simply draining the fluid just like you would drain the engine oil. I removed the plug underneath, replaced the plug and then refilled with Mercon LV fluid. Should I be able to see the fluid level when I look down the rubber hose filler on top of the transmission? Edited February 5, 2016 by OUFan22 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drolds1 Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 I did use the correct fluid. I just added some fluid because when I drained the fluid I assume that all nine quarts were removed and that must not have included the torque converter and somehow maybe that drained out too, but I am not sure how. The wrench engine light also went off and the transmission started shifting g smoother. I saw on another thread that some people experience some hard shifting and this started doing not a little bit but went away once I added fluid. Still not sure I have the correct amount but it seems to be better. The method I used was simply draining the fluid just like you would drain the engine oil. I removed the plug underneath, replaced the plug and then refilled with Mercon LV fluid. Should I be able to see the fluid level when I look down the rubber hose filler on top of the transmission? The only reliable way to check the fluid is with the leveling plug on the side of the trans. Did you measure how much fluid drained out? With a drain and fill on a 6F35, 4-5 qts. is what will drain out. How much did you refill? Did you put in 9 qts? If so, it's now overfilled and you should get it down to the proper level. See this video. Obviously, the part about the dipstick doesn't apply in your case. To do a complete fluid change you have to drain and fill three times. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Posted October 9, 2017 Share Posted October 9, 2017 Where exactly is the oil leveling plug hole? If there really is one, it seems to me a good procedure would be to: warm the engine & transmission remove transmission drain plug - (about half of the 9 quarts will drain) remove transmission oil leveling plug remove transmission oil filler cap fill transmission with new transmission oil until oil begins to drain out of the oil leveling hole, establishing the correct oil level (no dipstick needed) replace oil leveling hole plug and filler cap 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drolds1 Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 Yes, there really is really is a leveling plug. See below. Why would you doubt that? The procedure from the shop manual is as follows: Quote Start the engine and select each gear, stopping in each position and allowing the transmission to engage. With the vehicle on a level hoist, the engine running in PARK, remove the oil leveling plug and allow the transmission fluid to drain until its even with the oil leveling plug hole. If the transmission fluid does not drain from the oil leveling plug hole add transmission fluid in increments of.25 L (0.264 qt) until the transmission fluid is even with the oil leveling plug hole. Install the oil leveling plug. Drive the vehicle until the transmission is at normal operating temperature 85-93°C (185-200°F). With the vehicle on a level hoist, the engine running in PARK and the transmission fluid at normal operating temperature 85-93°C (185-200°F), remove the oil leveling plug and allow the transmission fluid to drain until it is even with the oil leveling plug hole. Install the oil leveling plug. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennycoulter Posted November 3, 2017 Share Posted November 3, 2017 I would highly recommend changing the steps to this: warm the engine & transmission >>>>>>>> remove transmission oil filler cap >>>>>>> remove transmission oil leveling plug >>>>>>remove transmission drain plug - (about half of the 9 quarts will drain) fill transmission with new transmission oil until oil begins to drain out of the oil leveling hole, establishing the correct oil level (no dipstick needed) replace oil leveling hole plug and filler cap Make sure that your fill plug can be removed before you drain all oil. These may be newer cars, but in certain areas, corrosion can still get the best of your components. I was a member on a foreign car board and people were often draining their fluids and unable to get the fluids back in, due to seized fill plugs (Porsche transaxles) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eGuru Posted November 3, 2017 Share Posted November 3, 2017 I assume that between Step 4 and Step 5 that you would have replaced the transmission drain plug after draining the old oil? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m.emmanuel@att.net Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 The fill cap near the top of my 2.5L is very difficult to get to. Blocked by air intake and some hard lines. Is there any problem adding fluid through the leveling plug hole? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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