The transmission in your Chevy truck uses special fluid that helps lubricate the transmission gears. Chevy trucks use a planetary gear system and need sufficient lubrication to prevent the gears from seizing or grinding on each other. Once the gears become damaged, you will likely need major transmission service by a qualified, professional, transmission specialist. Before you have any work done on your Chevy transmission, however, you need to troubleshoot the problem.
Start your Chevy's engine and let the engine warm up. When the needle on the temperature gauge is at or near the middle of the gauge, the engine will be sufficiently warm.
Open the truck's hood and pull the looped handle out of the transmission filler neck in the back of the engine bay. This will the transmission dipstick.
Wipe the oil off the end of the dip stick and put the transmission oil dipstick all the way back into the filler neck.
Pull the dipstick back out of the filler neck and check the end of the dipstick. The oil on the end of the dipstick should be between the upper and lower marks on the end of the dipstick. If your Chevy is an automatic, the transmission fluid should be red in color. If it is a manual transmission, the oil should be a dark, deep brown color. If the oil level is not between the upper and lower marks on the end of the dipstick, you'll need to pour more transmission fluid into the filler neck until you reach the proper oil level.
Check for transmission or gear slipping. If your transmission slips out of gear while driving, it is most likely the clutch or the torque converter (depending on whether you drive a standard or automatic) on your Chevy truck.
