1996 GMC Savana Van Owner's Manual - Page 240

Automatic Transmission Fluid 7 ' ~ How to Check Because this operation can be a little difficult, you may choose to have this done at your GM dealer Service Department. n to Check and Change A good time to check your automatic transmission fluid level is when the engine oil is changed. Change both the fluid and filter every 50,000 miles (83 000 km) if the vehicle's GVWR is over 8,600 or if the vehicle is mainly driven under one or more of these conditions: 0 If you do it yourself, be sure to follow all the instructions here, or you could get a false readingon the dipstick. In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature regularly reaches 90°F (32°C) or higher. In hilly or mountainous terrain. When doing frequent trailer towing. Uses such as found in taxi, police or delivery service. NOTICE: Too much or too little fluid can damage your some of transmission. Too much can mean that the fluid could come out and fall on hot engine parts or exhaust system parts, starting a fire. Be sure to get accurate readingif you check your an transmission fluid. 0 0 0 If your vehicle's GVWR is not over 8,600 and you do not use your vehicle under any of these conditions, the fluid and filter do not require changing. See "Scheduled Maintenance Services" i n the Index.