1998 Buick Skylark Owner's Manual - Page 242

Automatic Transaxle Fluid When to Check and Change A good time tocheck your automatic transaxle fluid level is when the engine oil is changed. Change boththe fluid and filter every 50,000 miles one (83 000 lun) if the vehicle is mainly driven under or more of these conditions: In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature regularly reaches90 O (32 " C) or higher. F NOTICE: Too much or too little fluid can damage your transaxle. Too much can mean that some of the fluid could come out and fall on hot engine parts or exhaust system parts, starting a fire. sure to Be get an accurate reading if you check your transaxle fluid. Wait at least30 minutes before checking the transaxle fluid levelif you have been driving: When outside temperatures are above O F (32 " C). 90 At high speed for quite a while. In heavy traffic -- especially in hot weather. While pulling a trailer. To get the right reading, the fluid should be at normal operating temperature, which 180°F to 200°F is (82°C to 93°C). In hilly or mountainous terrain. When doing frequent trailer towing. Uses such as found in taxi, police or delivery service. If you do not use your vehicle under any these of conditions, the fluid andfilter do not require changing. See "Scheduled Maintenance Services" the Index. in How to Check Because this operation can be little difficult, you may a your choose to have this done at Buick dealership Service Department. I you do it yourself, be sure to followl the instructions f al here, or you could get a false reading on the dipstick. Get the vehicle warmed up driving about 15 miles by m when outside temperatures are above 50°F (24 k ) (10°C). If it's colder than50°F (lO"C), you may have to drive longer. 6-19