Transmission; Maintenance And Inspection; Fluid Level And Appearance; Capacity - Fleetwood Bounder 1987 Owner's Manual

'.
5. Start the engine of the vehicle that is providing
the jump start and turn off electrical accessories.
Then start the engine in the vehicle with the
discharged battery.
6. Reverse these directions exactly when remov-
ing the jumper cables. The negative cable must
be disconnected from the engine that was jump
sta rted first.
TRANSMISSION
Maintenance and Inspection
Check the automatic transmission fluid level regular-
ly (at each engine oil change) and change it at the in-
tervals recommended in the Maintenance Schedule
for your vehicle. Typically, the recommended inter-
val for changing the fluid and service screen is every
24,000 miles (Heavy-Duty Emissions equipped
vehicles) or every 12,000 miles if the vehicle was sub-
jected to severe use.
In addition, check the oil (fluid) cooler lines, elec-
tricallines, vacuum lines, control linkage and transmis-
sion periodically for leaks, damage or deterioration.
NOTE: Transmission problems can be the result
of poor engine performance. If the engine re-
quires a tune-up, this should be done before
checking the transmission.
. Fluid Level and Appearance
Many times a transmission malfunction can be
traced to an incorrect fluid level or improper reading
of the dipstick. A fluid level which is too high or too
.' "" . {, low can cause overheating and clutch plate damage.
In addition, overheating can be caused by excessive
clutch plate slippage which can result from improperly
installed plates, an out-of-adjustment selector linkage
or the manner in which the vehicle is operated.
Transmission fluids currently in use may appear to be
darker and have a stronger odor. This is normal, and
not a positive sign of required maintenance or
transmission failure: .
When the dipstick is removed, note whether the
fluid is full of air bubbles. Fluid with air bubbles in-
dicates an air leak in the suction lines, which cim cause
erratic operation and slippage .. : Water or ethylene.
. glycotimt\l~eze il).~h~tIHidJ"lp~~$:AI,rnil~Y;lllr~y c;>r
pink casno.thefh:ddand·can causli'spewlng of flUid
from the transmission breather . Coolant In the fluid,
whether water· or antifreeze, can cause damage to the
nylon parts or clutch plates in the transmission. Water
. in the transmission fluid can turn to steam.when ,the
transmission is at operating temperature, causing the
fluid to "boil over" with the risk of fire. If the fluid
becomes contaminated with coolant,. the most com-
mon cause i"s a leaking transmission cooler·,core. In'
·addition to finding and fixing the.leak,the
tr~nsmis­
sion should be disassembled; cleaned 'and the clutch
plates replaced with new ones.
Glycol test kits on the market can be used to detect
antifreeze in the transmission fluid. While generally
reliable, certain kits may produce positive test results
because of additives used in some transmission fluids.
Follow the kit manufacturer's instructions.
Capacity
The fluid capacity of the transmission is listed in the
Maintenance and Lubrication Section of this manual.
To bring fluid level from ADD mark to FULL mark re-
quires one pint of fluid. Check fluid level at every
engine oil change.
COOL
(65°-a5°F)
NOTE: DO NOT OVERFILL. IT TAKES
ONLY ONE PINT TO RAISE LEVEL
FROM '~DD" TO "FULL" WITH A HOT
TRANSMISSION .
HOT
(190°-200°F)
Fluid level should be to FULL mark with transmis-
sion fluid at normal operating temperature of 200°F.
With fluid at room temperature, 70°, level will be
between the two dimples on the dipstick. Fifteen miles
of highway driving will bring the transmission fluid up
to normal operating temperature.
57
WARNING: AT NORMAL OPERATING TEMPERA-
TURES, THE DIPSTICK WILL BE EXTREMELY HOT
TO THE TOUCH. USE CARE TO AVOID BURNS.
To determine proper level, proceed as follows:
1. Run engine until it is at operating temperature.
2. Apply the parking brake and block the vehicle
wheels .
'G.'With theselector,lever-intthe PARK'position, start·
the engine. DO NOT RACE 'ENGINE: Move the
selector through each range. .
4.
l~med"ilit~ly
check the fluid with the selector
.. leverin·PARK, engine running at SLOW IDLE and
the vehicle on a LEVEL SURFACE. The fluid level
on the dipstick should be at the "FULL HOT"
mark.
5. If additional fluid is required, add sufficient fluid
to bring the level to the "FULL HOT" mark on
the dipstick. .