Are the gears slipping on your 2002 Kia Spectra? Have you noticed a delay or roughness in the shifting? Your transmission is most likely going bad. The good news is that there are a few easy fixes, such as draining and replacing your transmission fluid and changing your transmission filter. The bad news is that if those fixes do not improve the problem, you have a more serious and expensive transmission issue at hand that will need servicing by a professional mechanic who specializes in transmission repair, rebuilding and replacement.
Turn your Kia Spectra on and allow it to pass through its initial warmup cycle. Check the transmission fluid level once the RPMs (revolutions per minute) have settled between 600-800 on the dashboard gauge. Leaving your Kia turned on, open the hood and remove the transmission dipstick, which is located to the left of the air filter box. Wipe the dipstick clean and re-insert it into the dipstick tube. Remove the dipstick again, noticing the transmission fluid level as indicated by the min and max lines on the dipstick.
Smell the ATF and observe the coloration. If it smells like burnt toast and has the appearance of a black color, then it needs to be drained and replaced. If the color is more of a reddish tint, then the ATF can still be used in your Spectra. Add more fluid if it is low by pouring it in through the dipstick via a funnel. Be sure that the engine is still running when you add the ATF.
Drive the 2002 Spectra up on a set of car ramps if the ATF is burned or you continue to experience shifting problems as described in the introduction. Pull the emergency brake and place chop blocks behind the rear wheels so that your vehicle does not accidentally roll back while you are underneath it.
Put a catch pan underneath the drain plug and use a wrench to unscrew the transmission drain plug on the side of the drain pan on your 2002 Kia Spectra. Unscrew the 13 mounting bolts for your Spectra's transmission pan using a 6mm socket.
Use an 18mm socket to remove the mounting bolt on the transmission filter.
Remove the gasket from the transmission pan using a plastic scraper tool and insert a new gasket into the pan. Clean the pan with an automotive cleaning solvent and use a cloth to wipe the magnets in the bottom of the pan clean. Reinstall the transmission filter and pan. Add more transmission fluid to your Spectra using the method described above.
