🔧 Cadenza - Transmission Fluid Drain & Refill

This is a drain-and-refill service on your A/T (automatic transmission). It replaces a portion of the old fluid to help shift quality and extend transmission life, without doing a power flush.

Difficulty Level: Intermediate | Estimated Time: 1.5-3 hours

---

⚠️ Safety & Precautions

• 🛑 Support the car on jack stands—never rely on a jack alone.
• 🔥 Transmission fluid can be hot; let it cool and wear gloves and safety glasses.
• 📏 The fluid level check must be done with the car level, or your level reading will be wrong.
• 🚫 Keep dirt out of the fill port—clean around plugs before opening.
• 🔋 Battery disconnect is not required for this service.

---

🔧 Required Tools

You'll need the following tools for this repair:

• Floor jack (rated 3-ton minimum)
• Jack stands (rated 3-ton minimum)
• Wheel chocks
• Safety glasses
• Nitrile gloves
• Drain pan (10-quart minimum)
• Socket set (8mm-19mm)
• Ratchet (3/8")
• Extension (3/8", 6")
• Torque wrench (10-100 Nm range)
• Trim clip removal tool
• Shop towels
• Brake cleaner spray
• Fluid transfer pump (specialty)
• Funnel with hose (long neck)
• Infrared thermometer
• OBD-II scan tool with transmission temperature (specialty)

---

🔩 Required Parts

HowToo sells all the parts you need for this repair:

• Automatic transmission fluid (ATF), Hyundai/Kia SP-IV equivalent - Qty: 6 quarts
• Transmission drain plug gasket/washer - Qty: 1

---

📋 Before You Begin

• 🧱 Park on a level surface, set the parking brake, and place wheel chocks behind the rear tires.
• 🧼 Use brake cleaner spray and shop towels to clean around the transmission plugs so no grit falls inside.
• 🌡️ Plan to check the fluid level at operating temperature (you’ll measure ATF temperature with an OBD-II scan tool or infrared thermometer).
• Clean work area = happy transmission.

---

🔨 Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps in order:

Step 1: Raise and level the car

• Use a floor jack (rated 3-ton minimum) to lift the front, then support with jack stands (rated 3-ton minimum) at the proper lift points.
• Make sure the car sits level (front-to-rear). If needed, raise the rear and support it with jack stands too.
• Place wheel chocks to prevent rolling.

Step 2: Remove the lower splash shield (if equipped)

• Use a trim clip removal tool to pop out plastic clips.
• Use a socket set (8mm-19mm) with a ratchet (3/8") to remove any bolts holding the undertray.
• Set the shield and fasteners aside in a small pile so nothing gets lost.

Step 3: Locate the transmission drain and fill/level plugs

• Look for the transmission case at the front of the engine bay area underneath the car (not the engine oil pan).
• Identify the drain plug at the bottom of the transmission case/pan area.
• Identify the fill/level plug on the side of the transmission case. A “level plug” is the plug used to set fluid height at a specific temperature.
• Always loosen the fill plug first.

Step 4: Crack loose the fill/level plug first

• Use the correct size from your socket set (8mm-19mm) and a ratchet (3/8") to loosen the fill/level plug.
• If it won’t budge, stop and reassess—don’t drain the transmission if you can’t refill it.

Step 5: Drain the old transmission fluid

• Position a drain pan (10-quart minimum) under the drain plug.
• Use the correct size from your socket set (8mm-19mm) with a ratchet (3/8") to remove the drain plug.
• Let it drain until it becomes a slow drip (typically 10-20 minutes).
• Clean the drain plug and magnet (if equipped) using shop towels and a small spray of brake cleaner spray.

Step 6: Reinstall the drain plug with a new washer

• Install a new transmission drain plug gasket/washer on the drain plug.
• Thread the drain plug in by hand first to avoid cross-threading.
• Use a torque wrench (10-100 Nm range) to tighten: Torque to 45 Nm (33 ft-lbs).

Step 7: Refill with SP-IV ATF

• Use a fluid transfer pump (specialty) to pump new SP-IV ATF into the fill/level port. (A fluid transfer pump is a hand pump that pushes fluid from the bottle into a side-mounted fill hole.)
• Add roughly what you drained (commonly about 4-5 quarts on a drain-and-refill).
• Reinstall the fill/level plug finger-tight for now using your ratchet (3/8").

Step 8: Warm the fluid and circulate it through the transmission

• Start the engine with the car still safely supported on jack stands.
• With your foot on the brake, slowly shift through each gear position (P-R-N-D and manual ranges if equipped), pausing 2-3 seconds in each.
• Use an OBD-II scan tool with transmission temperature (specialty) to watch ATF temperature. If you don’t have that, use an infrared thermometer on the transmission pan/case as a rough guide.

Step 9: Set the transmission fluid level (temperature-based)

• With the engine idling and the car level, bring ATF to about 50-60°C (122-140°F).
• Place the drain pan underneath the fill/level area.
• Carefully remove the fill/level plug using a ratchet (3/8") and the correct socket.
• Correct level is typically a thin stream that becomes a steady drip from the level opening at the specified temperature.
• If no fluid comes out, use the fluid transfer pump (specialty) to add ATF until it just begins to overflow, then let it slow to a drip.
• Reinstall the fill/level plug and tighten with a torque wrench (10-100 Nm range): Torque to 30 Nm (22 ft-lbs).
• Small drip at temp = correct level.

Step 10: Reinstall the splash shield

• Reinstall the undertray using your socket set (8mm-19mm) and ratchet (3/8").
• Press clips back in using the trim clip removal tool (use it gently as a pusher).

Step 11: Lower the car

• Use the floor jack (rated 3-ton minimum) to lift slightly, remove jack stands, then lower the car slowly.

---

✅ After Repair

• 🧪 Test drive 10-15 minutes and confirm smooth shifting.
• 🧻 Check for leaks around the drain plug and fill/level plug with a clean shop towel.
• 🌡️ If you notice delayed engagement or flare, re-check level at the same 50-60°C (122-140°F) range.
• 🧾 Dispose of used ATF properly (recycling center or parts store drop-off).

---

💰 DIY vs Shop Cost

Shop Cost: $250-$450 (parts + labor)

DIY Cost: $60-$120 (parts only)

You Save: $130-$390 by doing it yourself!

Shop labor rates vary but typically run $100-$150/hour. This repair takes a shop approximately 1.5-3 hours.

---

🎯 Ready to get started?

HowToo makes it easy: same-day/2-day shipping on every part, plus all the tools and specialty tools you need! Check out the parts and tools sections below to add everything to your cart.

Assumption: Procedure written for the Cadenza’s temperature-based level check using SP-IV ATF (common for this model’s automatic transmission).