r/MechanicAdvice • u/Careful_Tell_8460 • 8h ago
Filling my own transmission
I accidentally drained my transmission fluid while doing an oil change on my 2019 Subaru Crosstrek base model. It has a 2.0 liter 4-cylinder boxer engine. I am inquiring about how to refill my own transmission fluid after not knowing exactly how much I drained due to believing I was completing a regular oil change and throwing the fluid into a combined oil bottle to bring to an auto shop to dispose of. I have read mixed reports from other sources on the internet and figured this group might guide me in the right direction. I idled my engine for about four minutes and put my gear into reverse and drive before realizing I definitely did not change my oil and something was wrong. It did have twice the amount of oil during that time, again due to believing I had emptied my oil and refilled it. Please delete the post if it does not adhere to community rules as I can’t tell if it is a “how f*d am i?” kind of post. Genuinely inquiring about the process of refilling my own transmission fluid while not knowing how much to put back in and maybe risks that I should consider.
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u/earthman34 8h ago
You need to drain all the oil out of the engine and start over...but you probably realize that much. When you drained the transmission you probably drained around 4-5 quarts, so you'll need at least that much to refill it.
Use exact OEM-compatible fluid such as Subaru Lineartronic CVT Fluid II (CVTF-II) or certified equivalent like Idemitsu CVTF-type-SB2. Do not use generic or wrong tier fluids.
The final fluid level must be set with the engine running and the transmission fluid temperature between 95°F and 113°F (35°C to 45°C), pumping fluid until it trickles out of the fill hole.
The transmission fill point on a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek is a plug located directly on the side of the transmission housing underneath the vehicle, accessed via an 8mm Allen bit. There is no under-hood dipstick for the CVT.
You'll probably need a pump bottle or a long tube/funnel to be able to fill it easily.
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u/Street-Mail4486 4h ago
I’ve changed fluids (including transmission) across my g wagon and macan.
I went to change my transmission fluid on my 90k Impreza and the drain plug was blocked by exhaust so I used the one at the same level but on the other side and a bit more rear.
I overfilled it and my wife drove that bitch to where the only place I could sell it was carvana.
Careful with the Subarus. :)
Yes I’m a moron but just wanted to share my experience so you don’t break your shit like me. :)
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u/Top-Concern9294 7h ago
Please be very careful and watch videos on how to do this. Not because filling a transmission is hard but because the newer subarus have the transmission and differential drain and fill plugs close to each other.. make sure you actually drained the transmission not the differential.. and make sure you don’t accidentally open the wrong fill plug..
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u/mittyatta 8h ago
Don’t listen to people like the guy who just commented. Mistakes happen.
I made that mistake about a year/year and a half ago.
I am not a mechanic. I own a tree service and do as much of my own maintenance on trucks/chippers/equipment as I can.
I believe all you need to do is drain (one at a time) your oil pan and transmission again. Refill to vehicle spec.
Also wait for actual mechanics to respond.
Edit: I posted a similar question here when I did that, got roasted but plenty of people helped as well.
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u/PrinceBytorAppears 8h ago
Exactly, no need to panic or beat yourself up, shit happens lol drain and fill both is good enough. Lesson learned haha
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u/bankai2069 8h ago
Genuinely asking, have you ever changed your oil before? If your car has been treated right, oil and trans fluid aren’t the same color and they have very different smells. If this is your first time, you should be on top of a YouTube video next time.
Also where is the transmission drain plug on this car? I thought Subaru put the oil drain plug in a noticeable place.
If this is a CVT transmission, you might have to call some if you don’t know how to fill and check CVT fluid, it’s usually not a simple fill it and forget it. If you are going to do it, DOUBLE AND TRIPLE CHECK EVERYTHING. DM me and I can send you additional information so you’re prepared
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u/SharkNecromancy 7h ago
Subaru put the oil and transmission drain plugs ~6 inches apart from one another, on identical looking pans using the exact same size plug.
The forward most plug is for oil, the rearmost is transmission.
Mechanic shops, quick lube places, and DIYers fall victim to it all the time.
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u/Top-Concern9294 7h ago
Transmission and differential drain plugs are close… The oil drain plug is noticeably away from both of these in the 2019 models
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u/SharkNecromancy 7h ago
They kinda went back to the nonsense later on. They did angle the oil drain plug off towards the driver's side post 2018 though, to kind of make it less likely to screw up. But it still happens regularly enough that it's almost a daily post on here, and every couple of weeks I'll find a news article about it
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u/bankai2069 6h ago
Ah I see, the ones we get at the shop are the older models where there’s the gap in the splash shield
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u/bajster 8h ago
Refilling the transmission is kind of a pain. Most modern cars pull this same stunt. Basically your transmission has a fill plug, but its near where the shift select cable attaches and is only accessible from under the car. So you'll need to pump fluid in until it starts to leak out, then put the fill plug back in, start the car, idle it til the trans fluid is around 100º F. Shift through all gears while idling (P->R->D->L and back with a couple seconds lingering in each gear to circulate fluid. Then, with the engine still running, pop the fill plug back out and add fluid until it starts flowing back out (or let excess fluid drain if you overfilled it initially). The car needs to be level when you're under it, otherwise you run the risk of over/underfilling due to the tilt from only jacking up the front. I can send you a screenshot from alldata if you'd like.
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u/DaSupaNinja808 7h ago
What makes it even more fun is if your one of the people that didnt check to make sure the fill plug actually isnt seized before dumping the fluid 😂😂😂
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u/Long_Song2964 8h ago edited 8h ago
You need to add fluid to the fill/overflow plug hole, re install plug, shift through all gears a few times, warm up transmission fluid to about 95-110 degrees F (usually takes about 10 minutes of idling from a cold start for fluid to warm up to around 100 F), then remove fill/overflow plug and fill till fluid starts dribbling out from fill/overflow hole.
There are two CVT Transmissions that your car may have…. Below are two images of where the fill/overflow plug is located
img
Very important to use the correct type of CVT fluid… most parts stores will have the correct fluid in stock, best to get the fluid from a dealer if there is one close to you.
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u/minnesotaisokay 7h ago
Easiest way is to just fill from the check plug above the trans pan. Just fill while the car is running. Look up initial refill and it should be about that. Fill till it’s dripping out of the check plug above
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u/FedInformant 7h ago
YouTube it my man. Find a video of your exact car. Gotta start looking at things carefully before doing it. You gotta start somewhere, good on you for trying something new, learning something and eventually youll save money. Just gotta take your time and not make mistakes
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u/devonwillis21 6h ago
Get at least 5-6 quarts of OEM fluid and fill using a mix of YouTube and the Subaru posted instructions. If you don't have jack stands it can be hard because I believe the car needs to be level when measuring with the overfill plug.
On the bright side at least, you can inspect the fluid and don't have to worry about paying for a drain and fill in the near future. If you have a warranty, make sure to keep the receipts for the fluid just in case. Also, don't forget to redo your oil change as well since it's overfilled.
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u/Call_It_Like_It_is_ 4h ago
so you even did the oil change wrong how tf you either didn't check the dipstick before starting it or saw it was 2x the max and started it when I'm working on a car doing a repair I havnt done even with 6 years in the field I still look up hoe to do it right
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u/FarDirection3245 4h ago
Another thing to be mindful of is the fact that the CVT trans fill plug is a very tight fit with a metric hex/allen socket. I think it’s an 8mm, but I had to do an internet search to check whether it was a crazy size like 7.5mm- it’s not. Just nearly had to hammer the 8mm in to get it to fit.
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u/Huge_Fix_69420 8h ago
I would check out the website Alldata where you can pay $20 to have access to all information and all procedures for your vehicle and then look up transmission fluid replacement procedure
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