Said It Here

Drained transmission fluid instead of engine oil during an oil change

Mistakenly draining the transmission fluid instead of the oil and overfilling the engine pan leaves drivers stuck trying to locate the correct fill hole to refill the transmission. This prevents finishing the oil change safely and risks running the transmission dry.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

  1. 1
    Locating the fill hole using online images or direct messaging for guidance
  2. 2
    Considering pumping the fluid back in through the drain hole
  3. 3
    Draining the extra oil, refilling fluids to the correct levels, clearing the codes, and driving to see if errors persist
  4. 4
    Taking the car to a professional mechanic for service instead of doing it yourself

In their words

Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.

r/AskMechanics1 person · September 2026

“The fill hole is the bit I'm stuck on. Does anyone know exactly where it is in an R60? Or can I just pump it back in through the same drain hole I took it out of? I only drained about 2L so I'd be putting the same amount back.”source ↗

DIY_Noob38 · r/AskMechanics · 1 upvotes
r/MechanicAdvice1 person · September 2026

“I accidentally drained the transmission fluid instead of the engine oil. Then I added 5.1 quarts of engine oil to the already full oil pan.”source ↗

NoviceGatekeeper · r/MechanicAdvice

Where this came up

People with this problem also raised