I am ready to pickup a 98 Blazer. I checked the fluid when I started looking at it, took it for a test drive then checked the fluid again when I got back and it was not registering on the dip stick. The truck sat for the short time and it then register the correct amount on dip stick. So today I stop to look at the truck again, the guy had it running in the driveway for about 15 minutes, I moved it to forward and reverse then checked the trans level and it did not register on the dip stick. There are no visible leaks on the ground or around the pan. My question is could it just possible be low and need to be topped off, I would think just idling in the driveway would still show it registering correctly. It seemed if you shut it off and let it sit for awhile the level goes back to normal. Should I be concerned it is somehow getting mixed in with the radiator fluid also what is the correct fluid to put in this truck. Any feedback to easy my mind would be great, as I am supposed to close the deal tomorrow or Wed.

 

if you are sure theres no leaks..

Is it 4wd? If so,the transfercase seal could be leaking,and the transmission fluid could be leaking into the transfercase.

If not,it might just need a top off. If it shifts good i wouldn't worry about it.

 

It is 4wd. It did seem to shift fine. What is the going rate to drop the pan and put new fluid in and inspect / replace the shift solenoids. It is a very clean truck with 87K just concerned with running into major tranny problems after getting it. Also how do I tell what model tranny is in the 98 models?

 

if its automatic you have a 4l60e trans. Only 98-99 will work.


For a pan change (filter and 5quarts of fluid) is about $100-$150 if you dont do it yourself. Dont get a flush. they can kill em if its not been maintained. Dont worry about the solenoids unless you have problems. Buy it. Add fluid (dexron 3) and if it keeps disappearing,it may be the tcase seal.

 

Chris,

Thank you for the information and feedback. Worst case if the seal is bad what kind of money are we talking to repair? It does not blow white smoke from the exhaust so I don't think it is being sucked up from the vacuum devices. If I jack the truck up is it easy to access the front diff filler screw to determine if the tranny fluid is going there? What should I be looking for or will I just know? What are your thoughts on the radiator mixing with the tranny fluid causing this problem. I opened the radiator cap and the fluid looked brownish.

 

Most Blazers have to use Dex-cool, which is orange. The brownish color just means its kinda oldish..

 

Just checking the fluid level when the vehicle has been sitting idling isn't good enough. The vehicle has to be driven for the transmission to get warm enough and get to the "warm level". Warm engine and warm tranny are two different things. So, it should be driven for 15 minutes before checking the level. Or driven longer if it's in cold weather. And checked on a level surface, like a gas station fueling island. Make sure to slowly shift through the gears 2 times right before checking. Checked of course with the engine running.