1996 Pontiac Bonneville Owner's Manual - Page 265

Automatic Transaxle Fluid When to Check and Change A good time to check your automatic transaxle fluid level is when the engine oil changed. is Change both the fluid filter every50,000 miles and (83 000 k ) the vehicleis mainly driven under one m if or more of these conditions: O ~ NOTICE: Too much or too littlefluid can damage your transaxle. Too much can mean that some the of fluid could come out and fall on hot engine parts or exhaust system parts, startingfire. Be sure to a get an' accurate readingyou check your if transaxle fluid. In .heavy eity.trafficwhere the 'outside temperature regularly reaches90O F (32 C ) or higher. Wait at least 30 minutes before checking.& . a :Je @n 0 In hilly or mountainous terrain. fluid levelif you have beendriving: 0 When doing frequent trailer towing. 0 When outside temperatures are above90°F (32°C). 0 Uses such as found in taxi, police or delivery service. 0 At high speed for quite while. a If you do not useyour vehicle under of these any In heavy traffic -- especially in hot weather. conditions, the fluid filter do not require changing. and While pulling a trailer. in See "Scheduled Maintenance Services" the Index...To get the right reading, fluid should be at normal the I Bow Check to operating temperature, which 180°F to 200°F is (82°C to 93°C). Because &is operation can be a little dBicult, you may choose to have done atyour P'ontiac dealership this Get the vehicle warmed up by driving about 15 miles Service Department. (24 km)when outside temperatures are above 50°F (10°C). If it's colder than 50°F (lO"C), you may If you do it yourself, be'sure to follow all the instructions have to drive longer. here, or you could geta false reading on the dipstick.