09 escalade hybrid trans question

[09escaladehybrid]

This is my first post so any thoughts on this are greatly appreciated. I picked up an 09 Escalade hybrid with about 138k a year ago. It was from the south so no rust and looks really good. Since then, I replaced the tired 6.0L with a Jasper reman, OE cats and a few other parts. Everything has been really good since then until yesterday. I changed the oil and started the engine to check for any leaks. It threw a trans malfunction code 0700 which I cleared but couldn't get the car to move more than a few feet. It had engine rpm but the trans wasn't engaging, so I checked the trans oil. It showed nothing on the dipstick. Zero. That doesn't seem possible as there's no signs of oil leakage anywhere. Garage floor is dry and bottom of the vehicle is also, so here's my question. Where could 7 quarts of trans have gone without a trace? And probably most importantly, will the trans engage when I add the 7 quarts including filter? Or do I have a bad trans that will need to be replaced? Thanks in advance for any help with this.

 

[j91z28d1]

so this is going to be a dumb question to ask, but I don't know your skill level, these trannys have a drain plug on the pan where most don't. is it possible you drained the tranny and and not the oil pan?


honest no clue where the tranny fluid went.. only thing I can think of is the tranny cooler and hybrid inverter cooler is in front of the radiator, one unit is split in half, maybe it's leaking up there? or if the tranny fluid is leaking into the hybrid coolent side? don't know if that's even possible as I haven't had my apart. if so, I think you'd see a mess and high coolent level in the center hybrid reservoir. only other thing would be if it's 4 wheel drive, maybe it found a way into the transfer case? again, I haven't had my transfer case off to really know if that's possible. if it is 4wd it's well passed time to change that fluid too if you haven't

the tranny itself holds like 15 quarts and without a torque converter like a normal tranny, when you pull that drain plug, it all comes out. so have a big pan or bucket ready. there's 2 filters, make sure you get both.

as for not showing in the dip stick, that isn't good, but it doesn't mean you're 7 quarts low forsure, all it's really telling you is you're atleast about 3q low. it could be anything from that to empty.

will it work after you add fluid, I don't know. definitely try it and see as finding a rebuild shop for these is almost impossible, unless you happen to be in Las Vegas, I don't know if any tranny rebuilder is even curious about this. good thing is they last a long time, so most used ones are still good.

definitely post up what you find. Hopefully you fill it back up and it works fine. tomorrow if I get a min I'll look up what all that fault code means.

 

[09escaladehybrid]

Thanks for all the info and possibilities. This is my second oil change I've done since the engine swap. And after looking at a few videos, it's possible that I used the wrong drain plug. It's real easy to verify as the engine oil dipstick will show it's waaay over filled. And that would also explain the lack of a trans oil leak. I'm hesitant to say it on this forum, but I've been a Ford guy forever and this is my first GM vehicle so I just don't have the familiarity with it. That doesn't forgive my doing something so dumb, but at least it's an explanation for the problem. I'll check it when I get back in town but I just bet that's it. Thanks again for the response and places to look.

 

[j91z28d1]

hey, I knew a Ford tech when we were all kids that was changing oil in his friend's girl friends car and he forgot to drain the oil. just spun off the filter and added 5 more quarts. a week later and started running really badly from being over filled. silly things happen to all of us. I honestly hope that's what it is, as it could be an easy fix and probably didn't hurt anything if you didn't run it to long.


you definitely picked a interesting vehicle to make your first gm. these can be a bit picky and not many left. let us know how it goes.

 

[j91z28d1]

the code P0700 is just a very generic code that says the transmission control module sent a request to the ecm to thru the check engine light on. you'll need a higher level scanner that can read all the other non standard fault codes to see what faults the tcm has.

the China version of the tech 2 is probably the best for these trucks, it's basically dealer level scanner for 300$ others will work thou too.

 

[09escaladehybrid]

hey, I knew a Ford tech when we were all kids that was changing oil in his friend's girl friends car and he forgot to drain the oil. just spun off the filter and added 5 more quarts. a week later and started running really badly from being over filled. silly things happen to all of us. I honestly hope that's what it is, as it could be an easy fix and probably didn't hurt anything if you didn't run it to long.


you definitely picked a interesting vehicle to make your first gm. these can be a bit picky and not many left. let us know how it goes.

Thanks for the replies and troubleshooting tips. I had a friend stop by and check the engine oil since I'm out of town. Seemed like the quickest way to get some peace of mind by knowing the problem. And y'all were right. The engine oil level is way over filled per my friend so I'm guilty of doing something I've never done in hundreds of self oil changes! Still beating myself up over that one! The good news is that I doubt any harm was done to the trans. I only moved it a few feet before shutting things down. I see that Dexron VI 20W is what it calls for. Any recommendations on which brand to use? Here's a pic

 

[j91z28d1]

clean looking truck.

I've changed my tranny fluid twice, first time I went oem acdelco dex6 that it calls for. got the part number for the dealer and ordered it online to save some money. (it's a lot of fluid) the 2nd time since I had expected to do more long towing trips with it, I went with amsoil atf that they recommended. their specs showed it had a little better viscosity at 100deg c than normal dex 6. but it's even expensive and you can't go wrong with just putting the oem fluid in them.


filters, no one really carries, only ones available are OEM. I ordered mine thru rock auto. seem to be best price since you probably gotta order than anywaways. when looking them up, they are listing as the ones for the 4 speed auto and there's 2 of them in the pack. the normal trucks are 6 speed with 1 filter

 

[09escaladehybrid]

Thanks for the reply. I picked up 2 gallons of Valvoline Dex VI. Checked a couple of sites for compatibility and it looks OK to use. I'll put 6 or 7 quarts in and check the level and continue filling from there. When I check the 09 hybrid trans fluid specs, I've seen 7 quarts as the capacity. But I'll go slow and not overfill it. Then I'll drain the engine oil, replace the filter and start over. Pretty expensive oil change! Oh well, that's just how things go somedays. Thanks again for your reply.

 

[j91z28d1]

see that's what makes me wonder.. because the tranny fluid capacity of the 2ml70 hybrid is 14 quarts and believe me, all 14 quarts come flowing out at a high rate when you pull the drain plug, overflowing most people's drain pans. because there's no torque converter to trap floor. the 7 qt sounds like a standard non hybrid 6L80 transmission filter change capacity. I'm still not 100% sure that's what you did. give me a minute and I'll take a pic of the 2 drain plugs..

 

[j91z28d1]

so this is the oil pan drain plug.. it's closer to the front of the truck.




this is the tranny pan drain plug.

 

[09escaladehybrid]

Thanks for the pics. Very helpful. I definitely drained the trans fluid. The plug was on a flat cover pan. And I recall the first and only time I did an oil change, it was on the side and upfront. Given that my friend checked the engine dipstick and said it was way over filled, I'm confident that's what I did. Still can't believe it but that's what I get for being in a hurry and not paying attention. Oh well... Thanks so much for the pics.

 

[Bigburb3500]

Thanks for the pics. Very helpful. I definitely drained the trans fluid. The plug was on a flat cover pan. And I recall the first and only time I did an oil change, it was on the side and upfront. Given that my friend checked the engine dipstick and said it was way over filled, I'm confident that's what I did. Still can't believe it but that's what I get for being in a hurry and not paying attention. Oh well... Thanks so much for the pics.

This is a major bummer! We all make mistakes tho… please keep us posted if everything gets sorted when you complete the oil change and add back trans fluid.

 

[j91z28d1]

did it work?

 

[TollKeeper]

did it work?

He said he was out of town, and was going to work on it when he got back, I seem to remember from a earlier post.

 

[TollKeeper]

Thanks for the reply. I picked up 2 gallons of Valvoline Dex VI. Checked a couple of sites for compatibility and it looks OK to use. I'll put 6 or 7 quarts in and check the level and continue filling from there. When I check the 09 hybrid trans fluid specs, I've seen 7 quarts as the capacity. But I'll go slow and not overfill it. Then I'll drain the engine oil, replace the filter and start over. Pretty expensive oil change! Oh well, that's just how things go somedays. Thanks again for your reply.

You bought 8 quarts, and I think you are going to need 15-17 quarts. You should be able to buy what you need from your local parts store. Most use the Dex6 Valvoline Max-Life, as it meats all the specs, and is cheaper than the OEM fluid.

Before you start, since you already drained it... Its a good time to replace that tranny filter.. But I am hesitant to say that since I know on the 6L versions, the Y-Pipe gets in the way. I cant remember for sure on the 2L if thats the same story.

Little bit more info than you asked for... But..
Although I own a Rivian, I still have a soft spot for these Hybrid GMT's. I would like to find a low mileage 2012-2013.. But the 1.5 gens usually sell for stupid money. The 1st gens (2008-2010.5) were the years that had more problems thru of the Shared Technology program. The Hybrid system in the GMT was borrowed from Toyota, and then used by and GM and Chrysler/Cerberus Capital. For some reason, once Chrysler/Cerberus dropped out of the Hybrid in 2009 model year, for GM the 2010.5 and up became a very good vehicle, but the damage to the name was already done at that point.

 

[j91z28d1]

the pan will come off without dropping the exhaust but you need to remove the auxiliary tranny fluid pump to do it. it's only 4 bolts, but it's a bit intimidating if you're not used to working in stuff.

 

[09escaladehybrid]

He said he was out of town, and was going to work on it when he got back, I seem to remember from a earlier post.

Yes, I'm out of town till next Monday. My plan was to change the oil and filter for the trip. That's when I learned I'd drained the trans oil vs the engine. We live off grid in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where the closest auto parts store is a two plus hour trip. I opted for our F150 to make the drive leaving the Escalade till I got back. With the help of this forum, I realized what I'd done and had a neighbor check the engine oil level. It's way over filled and the trans dipstick is dry which confirmed my really dumb mistake. Can anyone tell me where the trans oil filter is located? Usually they're inside the pan but I can't confirm online so thought I'd ask. Any help with this is appreciated. Thanks

 

[09escaladehybrid]

I picked up another gallon so 12 quarts total on hand. That should get me close. I noticed the drain pan was pretty full, which should have been my first clue. I'll see where 12 takes me while checking as I add to get the right level. Does anyone know where the trans filter is located?

 

[TollKeeper]

They are going to be in the transmission pan. Apparently there are 2 of them.

ACDelco Automatic Transmission Filter 19168277 | AutoZone

GM Genuine Parts Automatic Transmission Filters are designed, engineered, and tested to rigorous standards, and are backed by General Motors. These filters help capture abrasive particles such as metal shavings or debris caused by the transmission operation, preventing them from entering or...

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Edit: That said, and you have already completed a drain and filll... If you dont feel comfortable in doing the tranny filter, dont do it. These 2ML70 transmissions are nearing impossible to find, and I have yet to find anyone thats willing to rebuild one.

 

[09escaladehybrid]

Thanks. I'll leave the filters as-is. They were changed with the 6L Jasper reman swap so I'm sure they're fine with only 10k miles on them. With no trans fluid, I only moved the Escalade about 20' total. I'm telling myself I didn't do any damage with that. I'll know next Monday when I get back in town. Fingers crossed.