AMC Ambassador

Manual transmission fluid capacity & service interval

AMC Ambassador manual transmission fluid capacity ranges from 0,7 to 1,8 liters. Service intervals include checks at 6400 km, 8000 km or 5 months, and 9600 km. The data covers 11 configurations.

The configuration chart below lists fill volumes and service intervals for each engine and trim variant.

TypeSpecifications
Ambassador 258 Six (1971-1974)
  • Use: Normal
  • Capacity 1,2 liter
  • Check 8000 km/ 5 months
  • Code: 3/1
Ambassador 304 V8 (1971-1974)
  • Use: Normal
  • Capacity 1,4 liter
  • Check 8000 km/ 5 months
  • Code: 3/1
Ambassador 304 V8 (1971-1974)
  • Use: Normal
  • Capacity 1,2 liter
  • Check 8000 km/ 5 months
  • Code: 4/1
Ambassador 360 V8 (1971-1974)
  • Use: Normal
  • Capacity 1,2 liter
  • Check 9600 km
  • Code: 4/1
Ambassador 401 V8 (1971-1974)
  • Use: Normal
  • Capacity 1,2 liter
  • Check 8000 km/ 5 months
  • Code: 4/1
Ambassador 232 Six (1968-1970)
  • Use: Normal
  • Capacity 0,7 liter
  • Check 6400 km
  • Code: 3/1
  • Ambassador 232 Six (1968-1970)
  • With overdrive
  • Use: Normal
  • Capacity 1,3 liter
  • Check 6400 km
  • Code: 3/1
Ambassador 290 V8 (1968-1970)
  • Use: Normal
  • Capacity 1,2 liter
  • Check 6400 km
  • Code: 3/1
Ambassador 290 V8 (1968-1970)
  • Use: Normal
  • Capacity 1,7 liter
  • Check 6400 km
  • Code: 4/1
  • Ambassador 290 V8 (1968-1970)
  • With overdrive
  • Use: Normal
  • Capacity 1,8 liter
  • Check 6400 km
  • Code: 3/1
Ambassador 343 V8 (1968-1970)
  • Use: Normal
  • Capacity 1,7 liter
  • Check 6400 km
  • Code: 4/1

Additional Notes

  • The AMC Ambassador 232 Six (1968-1970) equipped with a manual transmission and overdrive unit carries a fluid capacity of 1.3 liters, compared to 0.7 liters for the standard manual without overdrive. The additional 0.6 liters reflects the extra fluid volume required to lubricate the overdrive mechanism housed alongside the main gearbox.
  • The 290 V8 (1968-1970) lists two distinct manual transmission capacities — 1.2 liters and 1.7 liters — indicating that two different gearbox units were fitted to the same engine across the model years. Using the wrong fill volume for a given unit risks either underfilling or overfilling the transmission.
  • The 290 V8 manual with overdrive carries the highest single capacity in the 1968-1970 group at 1.8 liters, consistent with the added volume an overdrive assembly requires over the 1.7-liter base unit it accompanies.
  • The 343 V8 (1968-1970) manual transmission shares the 1.7-liter capacity figure also seen in one of the 290 V8 configurations, suggesting both engines used the same gearbox unit during that generation.
  • All 1968-1970 Ambassador manual transmission entries carry a check interval of 6400 km, regardless of engine displacement or whether an overdrive unit is fitted.
  • The 1971-1974 generation introduced a revised check interval structure. The 258 Six, 304 V8, and 401 V8 all specify 8000 km or 5 months, whichever comes first, while the 360 V8 carries a longer interval of 9600 km with no time-based component listed.
  • The 304 V8 (1971-1974) also lists two different manual transmission capacities — 1.4 liters and 1.2 liters — mirroring the same pattern seen with the 290 V8 in the prior generation, where multiple gearbox variants were available for a single engine.
  • The 258 Six (1971-1974) manual transmission capacity of 1.2 liters is notably higher than the 0.7-liter figure for the 232 Six standard manual in 1968-1970, pointing to a different gearbox design between the two inline-six generations.
  • The 360 V8 (1971-1974) manual transmission capacity of 1.2 liters places it in line with several other 1971-1974 configurations despite the engine's larger displacement, indicating that transmission size does not scale directly with engine size across the Ambassador range.

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