Where is my fill plug?

[dleccord]

I have a 1994 Toyota Camry 2.2L, and I don't know where the fill plug is at on the engine.

Do I pour the ATF into the tranny dipstick?

[Unco]

are you looking for the fill plug for the engine or the transmission? manual or auto?

engines have filler caps.
automatic transmissions have filler tubes.
manual transmissions have filler plugs.

so which one is it you're after?

[touringcamry]

Don't forget there's a differential too.

[samarai912]

yeah you gotta get a transmission funnel and fill it through your dipstick tube. throw a couple quarts in then start the the motor, while its on check it the dip stick and fill fill till its full.

[dleccord]

Originally Posted by Unco

are you looking for the fill plug for the engine or the transmission? manual or auto?

engines have filler caps.
automatic transmissions have filler tubes.
manual transmissions have filler plugs.

so which one is it you're after?

I said ATF in my post.

Originally Posted by touringcamry

Don't forget there's a differential too.

But isnt it in a different compartment or do they both sharing the same tranny fluid.

Originally Posted by samarai912

yeah you gotta get a transmission funnel and fill it through your dipstick tube. throw a couple quarts in then start the the motor, while its on check it the dip stick and fill fill till its full.

Yeah but then how do you know it's full? All it says is cold and hot.

[Unco]

Originally Posted by dleccord

I said ATF in my post.

it's not "on your engine".

since you're looking for the "filler plug" on the engine. i wouldn't put it past you that you're trying to put ATF in your engine.

don't assume so much buddy. manual transmissions can also be filled with ATF. we're just trying to help here.

if the engine is cold, fill it up to the cold level on the dipstick. then check it again when the engine is hot. preferrably the level should be checked with the engine hot after taking the car for a drive.

place the gear selector in Park and pull the dipstick out. clean it up and quickly put it back in all the way and pull it back out again. it should now be level with the "hot" mark on the dipstick. if it's not, add some until you get it to the right level.

[uibalnme]

Ok, let's clear one thing up. The "Hot" and "Cold" marks on the transmission dipstick refer to the temperature of the transmission fluid, not the engine coolant temperature.

When refilling your transmission after the old fluid has been draind, fill the transmission to the top "Cold" mark. Typically, it's 2.5qrts of ATF for a drain and refill. I've done this dozens of times since I've had my Camry.

When you check the trans fluid, the level will be different depending on when you check it. If you check it right after you start the engine 1st thing in the morning, the level should be between the the two "Cold" marks. If you check after you drive a few miles it should be between the two "Hot" marks.

Whatever the temperature of the fluid (hot or clod), as long as the fluid level is between the corresponding temperature range marks on the dipstick, your fine. The amount of fluid doesn't have to be exactly spot on, though it is preferable. As long as it's not running low, don't worry.

[touringcamry]

Originally Posted by dleccord

I said ATF in my post.



But isnt it in a different compartment or do they both sharing the same tranny fluid.



Yeah but then how do you know it's full? All it says is cold and hot.

On a 94 with a 2.2 auto, the differential fluid is separate.

[JustinC25]

Originally Posted by samarai912

Yeah but then how do you know it's full? All it says is cold and hot.

if you wanna be exact there is a fill plug check at the back of the transaxle. kind of a bolt that runs along the ribs of the transaxle. theres only one so its not hard to find.

jack the car up on stands and unbolt the filler plug check. then fill till it is coming out of the filler plug check and levels off. then plug it and your done. [/QUOTE]

The plug on the rear is for the differential, and is housed in a seperate compartment of the transmission, and has nothing to do with the fluid level in the body of the trans, only the diff.
This is why there are 2 drain plugs.

You should change the diff fluid at the same time as the trans.
When you go to do this make sure that you can remove the fill plug FIRST!
Many people over tighten them, or round off the heads. When is happens you either need to remove it with a turbo socket, or an air chisel to loosen it.

As far as the question about checking the fluid on the dip stick, there are 2 notches above the cold, and 2 notches above the hot. You want it to be between the 2 notches for the condition of the transmission. "Hot" is after 3 or more miles of driving. When first filling the trans, it is ok to go a little over when "cold". When I worked for the dealer we used to put it between the cold and hot marks, and road test it. When we got back it was perfect.
I have the same setup in my Camry, It never takes more than 2 qts. Usually it is like 1- 1/2 to 1-3/4 qts. in the trans body. If you over fill it, it will shift strange.

[ghettosled]

Originally Posted by JustinC25

When you go to do this make sure that you can remove the fill plug FIRST!
Many people over tighten them, or round off the heads.

VERY good information not to forget. i cant believe the number of people that run into this problem on differentials, manual transmissions (speaking of which the manual trans on my camaro uses ATF as an example for earlier in the thread) and transfer cases.

[dleccord]

Originally Posted by Unco

it's not "on your engine".

since you're looking for the "filler plug" on the engine. i wouldn't put it past you that you're trying to put ATF in your engine.

don't assume so much buddy. manual transmissions can also be filled with ATF. we're just trying to help here.

if the engine is cold, fill it up to the cold level on the dipstick. then check it again when the engine is hot. preferrably the level should be checked with the engine hot after taking the car for a drive.

place the gear selector in Park and pull the dipstick out. clean it up and quickly put it back in all the way and pull it back out again. it should now be level with the "hot" mark on the dipstick. if it's not, add some until you get it to the right level.

Thanks and sorry. I thought you use manual gear oil for manual trannies and ATF for autos.

Originally Posted by ghettosled

VERY good information not to forget. i cant believe the number of people that run into this problem on differentials, manual transmissions (speaking of which the manual trans on my camaro uses ATF as an example for earlier in the thread) and transfer cases.

So if Im just doing my tranny fluid change alone, do I have to remove any fill plug to prevent it from getting stuck if I remove it next time, or is that just goes for the differential.

One more thing, my fill plug is basically where the dipstick is, correct?

Thanks

[uibalnme]

You don't have to remove that plug, because that's for the differential. Yes, the diff., and the trans are seperated, and don't share fluid. Each is drained and filled from different locations. Just remove the transmission drain plug, drain the fluid, reinstall the drain plug, remove the transmission fluid dipstick, pour new trans fluid into the trans dipstick tube, start engine, and check trans fluid level with engine running. That's it.

[dleccord]

Originally Posted by uibalnme

You don't have to remove that plug, because that's for the differential. Yes, the diff., and the trans are seperated, and don't share fluid. Each is drained and filled from different locations. Just remove the transmission drain plug, drain the fluid, reinstall the drain plug, remove the transmission fluid dipstick, pour new trans fluid into the trans dipstick tube, start engine, and check trans fluid level with engine running. That's it.

Wow, perfect answer. Thanks man.

Just out of curiosity, where is the drain plug for the differential and does it use the same ATF for my automatic tranny?

[uibalnme]

The diff. drain plug is on the bottom of that ribbed area of the transaxle that was discussed earlier in this thread. The fill plug for the diff. is the one on the back of that ribbed area closer to the top, also discussed earlier.

Here's an online repair manual...
http://www.**********s.com/camry/ax1.pdf

Look at page 13/second picture from the top on the left. The little "dot" bottom center of that picture is the diff. drain bolt.

Both the trans, and differential use ATF. They just have seperate supplies of ATF. Like I said before, they don't share the same supply of ATF. Each must be drained, and refilled seperately. Though the diff. fluid(ATF) only needs to changed every 12k - 15k miles. Personally I change the trans fluid, and diff. fluid every 3rd oil change to make things easier to remember.

[outapsyt]

i thought the diff and a tranny were separate compartments too.
but i sprung a leak on my diff from the gasket and
i couldn't find a leak anywhere else on the tranny.
but the dip stick comes up in the cold level even after a 40 mile drive.