The first step was to get...
The first step was to get the Firehawk up on a lift (you can use jacks if you don't have a lift).
If you're Trans Am or Formula is like most hobbyists, you keep the oil changed regularly (AMSOIL 5W30 is the brand preferred by this author) and you check your antifreeze/water mixture to make sure you're operating your Bird with the proper level of coolant.
But what about your transmission? When was the last time that you thought about changing the fluid in your T-56 six-speed or you're 4L80-E four-speed?
The factory recommends that you change your transmission fluid every 50,000 miles, but take our word for it, the sooner you get the factory fluid out and some synthetic fluid in, the happier your manual trans will be, and the longer it will live to give you a little bit of happiness, too.
AMSOIL, the world's inventor of synthetic motor oil, makes a full-synthetic transmission fluid which replaced GM Dextron III (and earlier Dextron versions). It's called AMSOIL Universal Transmission Fluid.
Our 1995 Pontiac Firehawk had only 44,000 miles on it, but the fluid was put in at the factory. That meant it's 15 years old.
It only took 15 minutes to get the old fluid out and the AMSOIL synthetic transmission fluid in. (Special thanks to Justin Cesler, Associate Editor of GM High Tech Performance for being the technician for this story.)
The factory decal state to...
The factory decal state to only use Dextron IIE. A quick call to AMSOIL confirmed that their synthetic ATF fluid is backwards compatible with all versions of Dextron. No worries about the swap!
Above the decal, (on the passenger...
Above the decal, (on the passenger side of the trans if your decal is gone) is the fill plug. You can clearly see the word "Fill" cast into the transmission case.
On the opposite side (drivers...
On the opposite side (drivers side) is the drain plug. You can clearly see the word "Drain" cast into the case. There's no way to get them reversed!
Using a 3/8-inch drive ratchet,...
Using a 3/8-inch drive ratchet, loosen and remove the drain plug. It helps if you have an oil catch can to avoid spillage. Be careful. The fluid may be hot and will surge out of the drain hole. Reinstall and tighten the drain plug before the next step.