How to check transmission fluid on 1976 Corvette 4spd.?

Question

Hello! I have a 1976 Chevrolet Corvette 350 L-48 4spd. I looked around the engine compartment and could not find the dipstick to check the transmission fluid! Also, my shifter has gotten a bit stubborn. It doesn't have much smooth free play to jiggle around in neutral anymore.. it has recently became like this. It also seems harder to switch between the left side of the gears (1&2), to the right side (3&4). Any insights would be great..maybe it needs some lube? I was considering purchasing a new shifter anyways, any suggestions? Thank you.

Answer 1

you will have to find a way to jack the car up (good luck) and crawl under it and on the transmission there is a square nut on the passenger side that you have to unscrew to check the fluid, just stick your finger in the hole once you get the bolt out and if you feel fluid it's ok but if you can't you need to add tranny grease, it's possible your clutch needs adjusted to fix your problem and if no adjustment left you will be looking at replacing the clutch itself.

Answer 2

It is very common for an automatic transmission to leak fluid from the reat tail shaft seal when the car is in extended storage. Most likely all you need to do is to fill the transmission to the correct level with Dextron II automatic transmission fluid before you start the engine. Then allow the engine to reach full operating temperature, shift the transmission into all gears, then check the fluid level again. Last, drive the car for a few miles then check one last time. Then watch for leaks. If the transmission leaks it is possible that a seal has dry rotted. Try this trick. After you get the car back on the road, when you park it place a piece of cardboard under the engine and transmission. Mark a reference point on the cardboard. The next day look at the cardboard. If it has a red stain you have a transmission fluid leak. Measure from your reference point and it should give a clue as to the location of the drip. Look in this location for your leak and replace the gasket or seal as needed. Other tips to get it foing. Instead of jump starting put the battery on a charger. If the battery was allowed to go completely dead for any amount of time it may not hold a charge and may be junk. If you failed to put any fuel stabilizer in the fuel and the car has been in storage for more than a year it would be a good idea to drain the stale fuel form the tank and use fresh fuel. Also, drain the fuel from the fuel lines. If you failed to use any fuel stabilizer you may also find the carburetor is now messed up. Try running some Sea Foam in the fuel tank the first couple of tanks. If this does not help you may need to either rebuild or replace the carburetor. If you did not change the oil before storage and the car has been stored for over a year change the poil and filter before you start driving the car.

Answer 3

You have a fill plug and a drain plug. The fill plug is about center the side of the transmission. Remove it and see if any leaks out if it does your fine but if not you need to add. Bear in mind a manual transmission uses several different types of oil just depending on what the manufacture decided to put in it. Some has 30 weight, gear oil, automatic transmission fluid. Also bear in mind that the car should be just about level when performing the check. Good luck

Answer 4

On the side of the transmission there's two plugs...and upper one and a lower one. The lower plug is for draining the transmission. The upper plug is for filling and checking the level of the transmission. Take the upper plug out and stick your pinkie in there to see if it touches the gear oil, if not it's low and you need to add some until it just starts trickling out the hole. The vehicle must be on a level surface (a car lift is preferred) in order to be checked or if adding fluid. It sounds like you have some internal wear, and new fluid will help but it won't preform miracles. Start saving for repairs now.

Answer 5

To check the trans fluid level, the trans has a fill and drain plug on the side of it...fill plug towards the top and drain plug towards the bottom---you have to pull the fill plug and stick your finger in the hole to check the level which should be just below the bottom of the hole for the plug....if it's much lower, fill with the proper gear lube and check for any evidence of leaking seals. Parts stores sell shop manuals than explain the procedure---Chilton or Haynes manuals. Sounds more like a shifter problem which is mounted outside the trans...the lubricating grease on it may have gotten gunked up over the years and causing it to be sticky to operate. Have to unfasten the linkage arms to remove it, clean it all off with spray brake cleaner---parts stores carry--- and relube the shifter arms with Teflon-type spray lubricant for bike chains to keep it from gumming up again. You could try unfastening the shifter linkage rods from the trans arms and see how it operates not being connected to the trans...if it still sticks and binds, it could just be a worn out shifter also that needs repair or replacement. If it works smoother, the problem may be inside the trans.

Answer 6

There is no dipstick for a standard shift. There is a plug on the side of the transmission like the rear end will have that uses a 3/8 drive ratchet.

Answer 7

on a manual shift transmission there is no dip stick ,just a plug on the side of the transmission that you loosen to check the oil level in it,if it runs out when you remove the plug its ok,that means its full,if not fill it until it barely starts to run out,and put the plug back in it,then its full,the plug is about half way up on the side of the transmission,good luck with it.

Answer 8

get under the car and on the side of the trany is a filler plug.fluid level is that of it leeking out a bit if the plug is removed