Hi. I know this is probably a very dumb question but I'll ask anyway. I just got a jack & stands & am trying to do some basic maintenance. I'd like to drain & refill my automatic transmission fluid. Can somebody tell me where to find the plug, and if there's anything special I might need to know, (other than drain it & refill it from the dipstick)? Thanks!!!

RM

there is not a plug - you have to remove the transmission pan and replace the gasket and filter after it drains - its not hard but messy as it leaks out all the way around after you remove the pan bolts. make sure you know which is the transmission pan. the parts stores have the kit and can tell you how many pints of fluid you will need. trick is not to over tighten them and snug them all first, then hand tighten until you see the gasket squeeze slightly.use a criss cross pattern.
good luck - there are directions in the kit

Great, thank you jerryh20!!

JerryH2O -

Could you give me some insight where the tranny pan is? I am going to try that first on mine. I posted in the Grand Prix section about some tranny problems including shuttering, loss of power, jerking in shifting, etc.... Do you think needed a tranny oil change would cause that.. ? I am not familiar with Pontiac or Grand Prix's...

Changing the fluid has always been the mezzy part of any car owner, but removing the whole pan is totally unnecessary if you are doing a fluid change. I think you can just removed the pan if you want to change the filter - this maybe a daunting job for anyone but sometimes it helps when you want to see if the engine is working perfectly. I think there is a magnet that attached to the pan where the metal fillings stick but if you are getting a lot of metal filling from the engine or tranny I guest you need some extensive maintenance work.

_________________
pontiac grand am parts (http://www.autopartsdeal.com/pontiac/grand_am/parts.html)