Hi everyone,
I drained/refilled the 9 speed AT in my 2017 Malibu Premier recently. There's a lot of digital ink spilled on the 6 speed in the forum but not much about the 9 speed. Here's my experiences with 2 drain/refills on my Malibu and the 1st drain/refill on my wife's 2020 Terrain, which also has the 9T50
- The service manual says draining will result in 5.3-6.3 qts of fluid. During the 1st drain, I got 5.8 qts out, right in the middle of the range. BUT, on the 2nd drain/fill (I did two drain/fills to maximize the new fluid in the AT), I drained 6.8 qts. I was perplexed but this (and bit freaked out) but I did indeed drain 6.8 qts on the 2nd try. In my wife's Terrain, i got 6.3 qts.
My suggestion is if you try to change it yourself, assume you'll need 7 qts.
- With the extensive help (and patience) from Campb292 during the process, we both guessed as to why the 2nd drain was a quart more the 1st time: different drain period allowed. On the first drain/refill, when the bulk of the fluid was drained and just a small stream was left (about 10 minutes of drain time), I replaced the plug. On the 2nd drain, I let the car drain for over 2 hrs. During the last 1.5 hrs., that small dribble/stream netted 1/2 qt. alone. I did the same with the Terrain, hence the larger amount of drained fluid.
- I suggest for the last drain replacing the drain plug with a new one. It's not that the plug is damaged but the factory plug has yellow material in the threads to prevent any weeping. It is NOT threadlock either. After one removal that yellow stuff is gone. Amazon sells the OE plug for around $4.29, the listing is here:
Also, the torque spec for the plug is 12 ft-lbs; it's pretty light torque and the plug is tapered (making it easy to over-torque). Take it easy with reistalling the plug; when I felt some resistance, I stopped and every day or two I'd check for plug leaks or weeping. I had some weeping after the 1st drain/fill, an 1/8th turn of the plug fixed it. I haven't seen any weeping with the new drain plug since I installed it 10 days ago.
- Regarding the 6.8 qt. 2nd fill: I was extremely concerned that I overfilled the transmission even though I checked what I drained 4 times and came up with the same amount each time I re-measured. The shop manual procedure to check the fluid level isn't shade-tree mechanic friendly so I bit the bullet and let the dealership check. The dealership tech said the fluid level was spot on.
- It's not necessary but I used the full-synthetic version of ACDelco's Dexron VI fluid. It's available from Amazon, price difference isn't that much more than the std. Dexron VI. Rock Auto though beats Amazon's price, in particular if you're ordering for 2 drain/fills then it's worth getting it from Rock Auto instead of Amazon. In my neck of the woods (central North Carolina), no auto parts store carried ACDelco except for dealerships. The only upside to getting it from Amazon is if you over-buy, they'll accept returns for the unopened containers.
That's about it, overall the drain/refill procedure is the same as with the 6 speed auto but there are a few differences to know before you DIY.
I drained/refilled the 9 speed AT in my 2017 Malibu Premier recently. There's a lot of digital ink spilled on the 6 speed in the forum but not much about the 9 speed. Here's my experiences with 2 drain/refills on my Malibu and the 1st drain/refill on my wife's 2020 Terrain, which also has the 9T50
- The service manual says draining will result in 5.3-6.3 qts of fluid. During the 1st drain, I got 5.8 qts out, right in the middle of the range. BUT, on the 2nd drain/fill (I did two drain/fills to maximize the new fluid in the AT), I drained 6.8 qts. I was perplexed but this (and bit freaked out) but I did indeed drain 6.8 qts on the 2nd try. In my wife's Terrain, i got 6.3 qts.
My suggestion is if you try to change it yourself, assume you'll need 7 qts.
- With the extensive help (and patience) from Campb292 during the process, we both guessed as to why the 2nd drain was a quart more the 1st time: different drain period allowed. On the first drain/refill, when the bulk of the fluid was drained and just a small stream was left (about 10 minutes of drain time), I replaced the plug. On the 2nd drain, I let the car drain for over 2 hrs. During the last 1.5 hrs., that small dribble/stream netted 1/2 qt. alone. I did the same with the Terrain, hence the larger amount of drained fluid.
- I suggest for the last drain replacing the drain plug with a new one. It's not that the plug is damaged but the factory plug has yellow material in the threads to prevent any weeping. It is NOT threadlock either. After one removal that yellow stuff is gone. Amazon sells the OE plug for around $4.29, the listing is here:
Amazon.com: GM Genuine Parts 8654382 Automatic Transmission Fluid Pressure Test Hole Plug : Automotive
Shop Amazon for GM Genuine Parts 8654382 Automatic Transmission Fluid Pressure Test Hole Plug and find millions of items, delivered faster than ever.
www.amazon.com
Also, the torque spec for the plug is 12 ft-lbs; it's pretty light torque and the plug is tapered (making it easy to over-torque). Take it easy with reistalling the plug; when I felt some resistance, I stopped and every day or two I'd check for plug leaks or weeping. I had some weeping after the 1st drain/fill, an 1/8th turn of the plug fixed it. I haven't seen any weeping with the new drain plug since I installed it 10 days ago.
- Regarding the 6.8 qt. 2nd fill: I was extremely concerned that I overfilled the transmission even though I checked what I drained 4 times and came up with the same amount each time I re-measured. The shop manual procedure to check the fluid level isn't shade-tree mechanic friendly so I bit the bullet and let the dealership check. The dealership tech said the fluid level was spot on.
- It's not necessary but I used the full-synthetic version of ACDelco's Dexron VI fluid. It's available from Amazon, price difference isn't that much more than the std. Dexron VI. Rock Auto though beats Amazon's price, in particular if you're ordering for 2 drain/fills then it's worth getting it from Rock Auto instead of Amazon. In my neck of the woods (central North Carolina), no auto parts store carried ACDelco except for dealerships. The only upside to getting it from Amazon is if you over-buy, they'll accept returns for the unopened containers.
That's about it, overall the drain/refill procedure is the same as with the 6 speed auto but there are a few differences to know before you DIY.
