No dipstick?

[walnutman]

My 2023 Harley Heritage has a regular old dipstick.

 

[drizler]

Had a BMW Z4 that would check the oil and show the level on a scale in the dash cluster.
Lots of newer motorcycles going to a sight glass. My Kubota has a sight glass for hydraulic oil and a dipstick for the engine oil. I had to put a dye in the hydraulic oil to see it reliably.

Ahhh, so you discovered that too. I had a sight glass on my Yamaha in the 80s then wondered why no one else seemed to use that nice simple monitor. All those years later I get one finally on my Massey and thought how nice! Then I noticed you can’t tell low fro overfilled . Put on the backhoe and it’s a event . Now I’ve got to add dye just to read it

 

[4Liberty]

Never change transmission fluid especially on an old high mileage car

If it’s never been changed or unknown that’s true to a point.

 

[Ronald G]

All my vehicles have dipsticks even my lawn equipment.
I wouldn't buy it unless it did.

 

[Aquabird]

Newer? My 1976 Kawasaki KZ900 used a sight glass. No dipstick. I don't know that they were the first but all the 900's and KZ1000's used a sight glass. The Z1 was the first of the 900's. Sight glass is right above the brake pedal on this Z1b.

Loved those Kaws.
My 02 TBird had no dipstick for the Tranny. Shocked me when I first found that out.

 

[Gregster613]

This is a burr under my saddle for sure. I’ve got a 2018 Ford Escape with the 1.5 Ecoboost. At the time we got it I decided that I’d have it dealer serviced and not touch it. Was a dealer I’d previously worked at and left on good terms. Until the day one of the new service writers tried to sell me a transmission flush on our 2012 Focus. It’s a stick. There were a bunch of other things they tried snake behavior on so I started service myself. Turns out if you read owner manual 30K is the service interval for the Transmission and they never mention the PTU if you have AWD. I was told “lifetime fluid”. It’s not, the filter is. They want to be able to sell $8,000 transmissions. I have since dropped my oil changes to 3500 and I change my transmission and PTU at same time. Cheap insurance and lessons learned. There’s other stuff they dont tell you too that doesn’t apply to transmission. Fords customer service has gone in the bucket a while ago.

What do you mean by PTU? I know that AWL is all wheel drive, but am unaware of PTU. Thanks, Greg

 

[4Liberty]

What do you mean by PTU? I know that AWL is all wheel drive, but am unaware of PTU. Thanks, Greg

It’s bolted to the transmission right side front axle goes into it. It’s like a transfer case, sends power via driveshaft to rear axle. Can hold it in one hand when it’s removed, holds 1/2 quart of oil and almost touches the cat. Cat cooks the fluid in it and junk. The dealer never even mentioned it, because of course they want to sell you one. Regular fluid changes prevent that. It’s infuriating.

 

[Jstpssng]

Never change transmission fluid especially on an old high mileage car

I believe that's an old wive's tale.

 

[Hodado]

The manufacturer doesn’t want you to change your fluid they’d rather sell you a new model

 

[aircommuter]

My experience is it started in the mid nineties with European cars, they had a tube but the dipstick was sold as a tool. Then like many have said fill in the pan with a pump until it overflows from the pump adapter. The fluids are also coming in green and blue for identification.
I started in my dad’s shop in the late fifties, when I asked why did they make something different but of lesser quality he said when you’re working on cars just think money. He started in a Detroit auto factory in the thirties and made tanks from 41-45. Including the Chrysler 5 engine model.

 

[ranchito]

Never change transmission fluid especially on an old high mileage car

Why not, even on a lower mileage vehicle?

 

[KennyG]

Why not, even on a lower mileage vehicle?

I think the mistaken theory was that new fluid would damage aged components like seals. Probably sometime in the past one person changed the fluid and the transmission started leaking, so the myth propagated.

 

[Rockbadchild]

Toyota Tacoma are like that as well....

 

[Highlandr]

Toyota Tundra also. And Toyota doesn't do anyone any favors by referring to the fluid as "lifetime" transmission fluid.

 

[lilranch2001]

I’ve always kind of considered the lifetime fluid change sales pitch was a total non-starter with myself.

I’m sure there are some fools out there that consideres it a valid statement.

 

[RayIN]

Thinking about it, I believe the reason for no dipsticks is that all dealers have lifts to service the car on. You can't check a dipstick with the car up in the air. Also designing a dipstick for several models with tight access engine compartments is going to cost some engineering time and money. So cheap it out. Most A/T dipsticks are hard to read once some oil has been put down them and the MFGs may have thought that a side level plug was more accurate and faster when a trans was being refilled on a lift.
My 6.0L Chevy 2500 had the engine dipstick and housing rust and break off after 3 years. They don't make them very well anyway.
Having said all that, there is nothing like a dipstick for checking fluid quality.

Allison truck transmissions, can check oil level via the shift-pad. Allison says using the shift-pad is more accurate than using the dipstick.

 

[bigtiller]

What do you mean by PTU? I know that AWL is all wheel drive, but am unaware of PTU. Thanks, Greg

A Power Transfer Unit (PTU) is a compact, axle-mounted transfer case in FWD-based AWD vehicles (commonly Ford/Lincoln) that splits power to the rear wheels. It is prone to failure from high heat and minimal fluid capacity (approx. 1 quart or less), leading to failed seals, gear damage, and expensive repairs, often requiring fluid changes every 30,000 miles.

 

[4Liberty]

I believe that's an old wive's tale.

I’ve heard this, and it’s a multi-pronged situation. If it’s been maintained then your fine. If not it’s a coin toss. The way I understand it sometimes accumulating clutch/bearing materials help with friction surfaces on their last leg and the thicker (old) fluid is replaced by thinner fluid, and ATF is also highly detergent, washing all that gunk into places it shouldn’t be. And as if that wasn’t enough a lot of garages try to sell a transmission flush done by a flushing machine with highly detergent fluid, and then on top of it don’t change the filter. Good luck with that. But I think you are correct with a vehicle that’s had regular fluid changes on time.