AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLUSH PROCEEDURE

Thanks to Robert Anton for contributing to this FAQ!

My 2001 SAAB was manufactured in July 2000. There is a drain plug for the transmission fluid, provided with a magnet to collect all the metal shavings. It's placed on the bottom of the transmission on the same side with the oil drain plug. You can't miss it since it's the only one for that you'll need a 24mm socket. Must pay attention when opening the drain plug since the oil shuts out close to the front right side wheel. It's a good idea to hold the collecting pan by hand to start with, or to open the plug half way and wait for some fluid to slowly drain. Holding the brakes I started the engine a few times and slowly shifted through all gears.
I noticed that more fluid was pushed out. At the end I collected 4 litres. Please make sure not to tighten to much the drain plug since the O ring is metal but not copper! It's easy to top up the trans fluid using a thin funnel and with no rush to allow the fluid to drain. Add only 3.5 litters to start with and check the transmission fluid level following the proper procedure that are written in the OWNER MANUAL.

NOTE: This is a canadian car and not all models will have a drain plug. On those models the only way to do a flush is to siphon it out of the dipstick!

Drain Plug Picture 1

Drain Plug Picture 2