2005 Chevy Aveo LT 5 Speed Automatic Transmission Service - Specific How-To...?

Greetings Everyone,

I have attempted to do as much research as possible on previous threads before posting this thread. I have yet to figure out if this has helped or hindered my understanding of this procedure. -__-

Here is what I have gathered, please correct or add to if I am mistaken. This is the FIRST time that I will be messing with the transmission on Chewy. I would like to have it run as smoothly as possible, and not "fry" anything. My Dad has done automotive work for many years, along with other things. However, he does not know the specific in's and out's of our Aveos...

Here goes,

1.) There is no filter to replace, only a "screen".
2.) One of the bottom bolts on the side of the transmission is a drain plug. Then the pan is removed to drain the rest...? Some have said there are more drain bolts, is this true?
3.) I have read that people have used various kinds of fluids, and even that it holds 9 Quarts?!?!?! Would someone care to shed some light on this for this specific transmission?

Interjecting Side Question: I run the Valvoline MaxLife Semi-Synthetic Oil, is there a SAFE MaxLife option to use in the transmission? There is a Valvoline MaxLife Transmission Fluid. From what I have read, it calls for Dextron III. However, does that apply to a 5 Speed Automatic as well? Some fluids are backwards compatible, while others are not. I'm hoping someone else here has done this for this particular transmission and can help me out.

4.) Is there some sort of plug on top of the Transmission besides the DipStick to allow it to drain faster? I know there is on the manual Aveo Transmissions.
5.) I'm fairly sure that I will need a gasket for the pan. Unless this uses the Black GM Silicone "Goop" like the oil pan does, to which I doubt. Going to find the best place and Price for a Gasket. Most likely Amazon if our local NAPA or Mullis doesn't have it available.
6.) What is the easiest way to flush the transmission, just pour in a quart and let it run out? Or is there some sort of special way that this is accomplished?

I apologize if these are "Newbie" questions, but I want to make for absolute certainty that I have all of the correct information before proceeding.

Any advice is welcome, hopefully someone who has done a service on this exact transmission can give me the specifics.

Thanks,
-Andrew B.
:vtec:

I own the massive shop manual for our car:

1.) No filter, just a strainer
2.) The drain should be on the bottom of the oil pan, just remove the plug and allow the oil to drain. You will want to remove the oil pan anyway, as there are two magnets inside that should be cleaned of debris (per the manual). The drain plug should be tightened to 13 lb ft.
3.) Okay, this is a few answers in one (3/6). You should be flushing your oil cooler using GM J 45096 or equivalent (in our case, DEXRTON III ATF). You must flush the transaxle using DEXTRON III ATF. To do this you must drain the original fluid, fill it up, run it for 5 minutes and then drain again. This car (even when fully dry with torque converter/oil cooler empty) will only accept 6.2 quarts max! According to the table, our engine (with just a drain/flush) will only need an extra 2.2 quarts because you are not actually removing all the fluid. Thus the flush.

The way at which you find the correct level of fluid is by filling it 3/4 full (in reference to dipstick) when the transaxle is cool. You must then run it (while shifting through gears) until at operating temperature. The level of fluid (when hot) should be between the HOT MIN (2) and HOT MAX (1), if it is not reached add fluid until the desired level is reached.

4.) As far as the manual says, no vent other than the dipstick.
5.) Yes, there is a gasket (no black goop)

Hey Newbie, buy a manual. I work in the aviation maintenance business and if you don't follow the manual you get serious repercussions.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Merlins_Holden

I own the massive shop manual for our car:

1.) No filter, just a strainer
2.) The drain should be on the bottom of the oil pan, just remove the plug and allow the oil to drain. You will want to remove the oil pan anyway, as there are two magnets inside that should be cleaned of debris (per the manual). The drain plug should be tightened to 13 lb ft.
3.) Okay, this is a few answers in one (3/6). You should be flushing your oil cooler using GM J 45096 or equivalent (in our case, DEXRTON III ATF). You must flush the transaxle using DEXTRON III ATF. To do this you must drain the original fluid, fill it up, run it for 5 minutes and then drain again. This car (even when fully dry with torque converter/oil cooler empty) will only accept 6.2 quarts max! According to the table, our engine (with just a drain/flush) will only need an extra 2.2 quarts because you are not actually removing all the fluid. Thus the flush.

The way at which you find the correct level of fluid is by filling it 3/4 full (in reference to dipstick) when the transaxle is cool. You must then run it (while shifting through gears) until at operating temperature. The level of fluid (when hot) should be between the HOT MIN (2) and HOT MAX (1), if it is not reached add fluid until the desired level is reached.

4.) As far as the manual says, no vent other than the dipstick.
5.) Yes, there is a gasket (no black goop)

Hey Newbie, buy a manual. I work in the aviation maintenance business and if you don't follow the manual you get serious repercussions.

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Thanks! I would love to buy the "book" on our cars, I have yet to find one though. :(

I'll run this past dad the first chance I get, and see if he has anymore specific questions. Did you order your "book", or buy it from a store? If you ordered it online, I'd love to pick one up.

Thanks Again,
-Andrew B.
:vtec:

Hey again,

If you are prepared to pay in excess of 250 USD then you can get them just about anywhere (particularly eBay).

Cheers

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Merlins_Holden

Hey again,

If you are prepared to pay in excess of 250 USD then you can get them just about anywhere (particularly eBay).

Cheers

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Yikes! I just heard my wallet whimper in the other room. I am thankful that you have the "book". Thanks for the info. I'm going to order the gasket, and our shops here do have the Dextron III since it's SO common.

One final question, how many quarts do you think I should pick up? I can always buy a Gallon Jug and pick up a couple individual quarts.

Does it show how many bolt holes the pan has? This listing on Amazon shows 18 and is all that came up. Just wanting to confirm. I hate to go out and jack up the car just to count the bolts. lol


Thanks,
-Andrew B.
:vtec:

I would pick up a gallon, maybe a few extra quarts since you will be doing the flush. Finally, yes, the pan has eighteen bolts according to the manual.

I actually never thought I would turn an eye to the automatic transaxle part of my manual!

Cheers

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Merlins_Holden

I would pick up a gallon, maybe a few extra quarts since you will be doing the flush. Finally, yes, the pan has eighteen bolts according to the manual.

I actually never thought I would turn an eye to the automatic transaxle part of my manual!

Cheers

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Thank you SO much! I'll order the gasket, and try to get this done ASAP before the weather turns cold. :)


Thanks,
-Andrew B.
:vtec:

You can certainly do the more complicated complete flush using the tranny cooler hoses if you're so inclined. On my daughters '06, all I've done (3 times) is drain 2 quarts via the drain plug and refill 2 via the dip stick tube. I believe this will keep the fluid quality up to par, but at some point I'm going to send a sample to one of the labs for analysis, just to confirm that strategy is working well.
I use MaxLife, which is meets the spec for Dex III (along with many others as well).

*Update*

I did the service today with Dad's assistance. We ended up being able to reuse the gasket. It came off perfectly, no tearing, no peeling, flaking or anything else. Dad and I are going to redo the service again in the spring, since it's not a complete drain. We were able to get 4 quarts out of it, so there isn't much of the "old" fluid left. Dad had me start it and count to four and shut it off, that causes it to "dump" a large portion of the remaining fluid without damaging it. Before we did that, we only drained about 2 quarts out of it after taking the pan off.

The fluid was a little dark, but didn't smell and wasn't smokey or lumpy. The magnets were clean, except from dad called the "normal fuzz" that they have. There was a "tad" of it, at best. (Always nice to see.)

All of the info you gave me was spot on, Thanks! Hopefully this thread will help someone else who does a service themselves that has this transmission. There isn't a lot of "specific" information on here about Automatics, and especially a 5 speed for that matter. Almost everything I found on here was about manuals, and that doesn't apply to Chewy. lol

I bought two gallons of the Max-Life, and only used one so I have an unopened jug for the Spring. Yay!
When we service it in the Spring we will use the new gasket and repeat this, and then it will be all "new" fluid.

I've always checked it every month, along with all fluids. I would rather check it the 1st of every month, then at every oil change. That's not often for me since I don't drive very far and the oil is always as clean as it was when I poured it in. lol

Thanks Again
-Andrew B.
:vtec:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AndrewButler05

*Update*

I did the service today with Dad's assistance. We ended up being able to reuse the gasket. It came off perfectly, no tearing, no peeling, flaking or anything else. Dad and I are going to redo the service again in the spring, since it's not a complete drain. We were able to get 4 quarts out of it, so there isn't much of the "old" fluid left. Dad had me start it and count to four and shut it off, that causes it to "dump" a large portion of the remaining fluid without damaging it. Before we did that, we only drained about 2 quarts out of it after taking the pan off.

The fluid was a little dark, but didn't smell and wasn't smokey or lumpy. The magnets were clean, except from dad called the "normal fuzz" that they have. There was a "tad" of it, at best. (Always nice to see.)

All of the info you gave me was spot on, Thanks! Hopefully this thread will help someone else who does a service themselves that has this transmission. There isn't a lot of "specific" information on here about Automatics, and especially a 5 speed for that matter. Almost everything I found on here was about manuals, and that doesn't apply to Chewy. lol

I bought two gallons of the Max-Life, and only used one so I have an unopened jug for the Spring. Yay!
When we service it in the Spring we will use the new gasket and repeat this, and then it will be all "new" fluid.

I've always checked it every month, along with all fluids. I would rather check it the 1st of every month, then at every oil change. That's not often for me since I don't drive very far and the oil is always as clean as it was when I poured it in. lol

Thanks Again
-Andrew B.
:vtec:

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All the advice given by others is accurate. I've written at length about the Aveo Aisin A/T and I suggest you reference my previous posts for an extensive discussion of it.

There is an easier way of doing A/T fluid change and it is simply to drain the tranny and add new fluid on a regular basis. The way you did it is not bad, but you still didn't get all the old fluid out. You never can because much of the remaining fluid is in the torque converter. If you do the fluid drain and refill every six months or yearly, it will eventually replenish and change all the fluid. It's somewhat like doing blood transfusions. You don't need to drain all the blood out of a person to do a beneficial transfusion. You only need to do it with regularity, as needed.

The Aisin A/T is the same on all Aveos, in use now for about a decade. It's a very reliable transmission, although not a very efficient one for MPG. The Dexron fluid is backward compatible. It was initially designed to use Dexron III. The only difference between Dexron III and the Toyota IV type is that the later version is a partially synthetic fluid, whereas Dex III is not. I've been using the Valvoline Max Life IV version, but it is much more expensive and it seems to look thinner after wear than Dex III does. The warranty is about up on my '09 and I will switch to Dex III instead, as all my other cars use it. I prefer traditional oils and non-synthetic fluids. I'd rather err on the side of caution and change them more frequently rather than wait until too late. Considering that transmission failure is usually due to deteriorated fluid, it's 'cheap insurance' to prevent a very costly repair.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Thymeclock

All the advice given by others is accurate. I've written at length about the Aveo Aisin A/T and I suggest you reference my previous posts for an extensive discussion of it.

There is an easier way of doing A/T fluid change and it is simply to drain the tranny and add new fluid on a regular basis. The way you did it is not bad, but you still didn't get all the old fluid out. You never can because much of the remaining fluid is in the torque converter. If you do the fluid drain and refill every six months or yearly, it will eventually replenish and change all the fluid. It's somewhat like doing blood transfusions. You don't need to drain all the blood out of a person to do a beneficial transfusion. You only need to do it with regularity, as needed.

The Aisin A/T is the same on all Aveos, in use now for about a decade. It's a very reliable transmission, although not a very efficient one for MPG. The Dexron fluid is backward compatible. It was initially designed to use Dexron III. The only difference between Dexron III and the Toyota IV type is that the later version is a partially synthetic fluid, whereas Dex III is not. I've been using the Valvoline Max Life IV version, but it is much more expensive and it seems to look thinner after wear than Dex III does. The warranty is about up on my '09 and I will switch to Dex III instead, as all my other cars use it. I prefer traditional oils and non-synthetic fluids. I'd rather err on the side of caution and change them more frequently rather than wait until too late. Considering that transmission failure is usually due to deteriorated fluid, it's 'cheap insurance' to prevent a very costly repair.

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Well said.

I ran a couple close errands yesterday and checked after I got home and it was still bright Cherry Red. No farther than I drive, it will be fine until Spring. I will keep close tabs on it, and if it gets any dirtier we will service it again before Spring. :)



Thanks,
-Andrew B.
:vtec:

It will probably be fine. In the future draining and refilling on a yearly basis should do the trick. ;)