thismarks 65 Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 I figured I would do a write up on a transmission fluid change. There seems to be no specifics for the general public on transmission capacity nor any tutorials for the 1.4l Spark, 5 speed manual transmission. I was waiting for my oil pan seal to set so, I decided to use my time wisely and provide some good information to the forum. You will need a few rags, half inch ratchet for the drain plug, 15mm socket for the fill bolt, 1/2" ratchet extension ( optional ), set of dependable ramps, an oil drain pan, and a marine lower unit fluid pump kit ( Pepboys $9.99). Pre Warning! Do not screw the fitting from the kit into the fill hole with a ratchet or wrench, the threads are not correct and you will damage the threads for the fill hole. I hand tightened the fitting just enough to grab the threads and not come loose or damage them. This worked very well! Not a drop spilt. With that said, you will need 2.2qts of manual transmission fluid. I used Mobile 1 fully synthetic 75w-90. The factory suggests AC Delco Syncromesh. The pump from the kit screws on the fluid bottle and makes things easy. First, drive your car up on your ramps. Once in place, set your emergency brake and shut the car off. Pop your hood and set your hood stand. On the right side of the car below the battery, you can find the fill bolt. Remove the 15mm bolt and place it somewhere safe. Now, your going to locate the drain bolt on the under side of the transmission. Place the oil pan under the drain bolt. Loosen the 1/2" ratchet plug until it starts to leak into the oil pan. By hand, loosen the bolt so the fluid flows out well. You may not want to remove the plug completely because it will pour rather quickly and may splash. Once the fluid draining starts to slow, you can remove the plug completely. Let the fluid drain out until it starts to drip very slowly. Clean the metal debris off the magnetic drain plug. You will notice that there is blue threadlocker on the plug threads. You may clean the plug and re-apply it very thinly but, I chose to leave it as it was. Next, hand tighten the plug until you need the ratchet to tighten it back into place. Once tight, you can start filling the transmission with the kit and your manual transmission fluid. You will be attaching the pump to the bottle of fluid and pumping the fluid into the fill hole. Attach the 3/8" fitting to the pump hose and screw it onto the fill hole BY HAND. A rag comes in handy when changing the pump into the new bottle. Once you have pumped in 2.2qts, remove the fitting and hand tighten the 15mm fill bolt. Last tighten the fill bolt completely with your ratchet or wrench. I included pictures to help guide people and help them locate the fill and drain. Link to post Share on other sites
thismarks 65 Posted October 14, 2019 Author Share Posted October 14, 2019 Link to post Share on other sites
thismarks 65 Posted October 14, 2019 Author Share Posted October 14, 2019 (edited) Included a pic of the correct fluid and my drain plug covered in metal flake after 65,000mi. Edited October 14, 2019 by thismarks Link to post Share on other sites
Fire Spark 13 Posted November 3, 2019 Share Posted November 3, 2019 Thank you for instructions. Hard to find specs and do it yourself information from GM on these cars. Does it shift even smoother with the synthetic? Link to post Share on other sites
thismarks 65 Posted November 27, 2019 Author Share Posted November 27, 2019 (edited) On 11/3/2019 at 4:35 PM, Fire Spark said: Thank you for instructions. Hard to find specs and do it yourself information from GM on these cars. Does it shift even smoother with the synthetic? Honestly, in the cold weather it takes some time to feel smooth, maybe 5-10min of driving. I might switch to Royal purple Syncromax. I'm giving the Mobile Syntheticsome time to wear in a bit as it seems to be a bit thicker. Edited April 20, 2020 by thismarks Corrected misinfo Link to post Share on other sites
thismarks 65 Posted April 20, 2020 Author Share Posted April 20, 2020 Update: Royal Purple Synchromax fully synthetic works excellent! $21 a quart at Pep-boys. I recommend this over the Mobile 1 since the Mobile 1 is just too thick and takes too long to warm up and do its job. Link to post Share on other sites
Dmontalvo001 0 Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 (edited) Thank you for this write up, I did use your write up to change mine now at 50k. I did post a video on how to do it also I would like to post all maintenance videos so that we can keep these little suckers running for a while. If by any chance the link doesn’t go through, type in 2017 Chevy Spark transmission oil change Edited September 23, 2020 by Dmontalvo001 Link to post Share on other sites
Crazychris1871 0 Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 Quick question incase anyone knows. I have an output shaft seal that's gone bad in my 2015 Spark LS. I can't find ANYTHING on fluid type or ammount for the manual trans. Can anyone help a poor man out with some info? Link to post Share on other sites
Dmontalvo001 0 Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 On 1/22/2021 at 1:36 PM, Crazychris1871 said: Quick question incase anyone knows. I have an output shaft seal that's gone bad in my 2015 Spark LS. I can't find ANYTHING on fluid type or ammount for the manual trans. Can anyone help a poor man out with some info? If anything you should check out alldata.com, pay I think $20 for a month or $30 for the year and it should be able to give you a full write up of what your looking for and what oils to use. Basically the guidebook for dealers but you can download it too Link to post Share on other sites
fuzzball 0 Posted August 21, 2022 Share Posted August 21, 2022 (edited) I always make sure the fill plug will come loose before draining. LOL Also might be more accurate to measure how much comes out and put the same exact amount back instead of just going the full 2.2. Edited August 21, 2022 by fuzzball added info Link to post Share on other sites
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