[ST Ken]

You can only get about half the fluid by a drain/fill, which is why it is done 3 times with driving between by some - this is because most of the fluid is in the torque converter. Even if you only do it once, there is a tremendous benefit. Valvoline Max Life is indeed an excellent ATF. Doing multiple D/Fs close together is extremely wasteful because of the amount of fresh fluid drained on the second and third times - 50% on the second and 67% on the third. This is why it is typically spaced out to at least get some use on the new fluid before dumping it. By this method, you would do it about every 20,000 to 30,000 miles, or annually if you drive that much.

I looked today to find the fill plug on my SX trans, I didn't see it.
Probably need to look harder, maybe I should remove the air filter box to get a better look.
Would appreciate any more info you have or photo.

 

[ST Ken]

It has a fill plug, a drain plug, and an overflow level check plug. The fill plug is accessed from the top after removing some air tube plumbing. Overflow plug can be reached from top or bottom. And, obviously drain plug reached from bottom only.

You need a scantool for running level check. ATF temp for level check is a must.

It's not sealed and can be serviced as often as you want.

Thanks "deadrx7conv" & "CrockPot" - I found the fill plug, further to the front than I was looking yesterday.
On driver side, down between the battery and one of the intercooler hoses.
Drain plug was easy to spot when viewed from under the SX. (photo)

 

[ST Ken]

Would you guys who have done the "Drain & Fill" method; please let me know how many quarts of ATF to have ready on hand when I do mine .

 

[ST Ken]

I've done it twice on my 2013 Sportage. Our KIA dealer has great prices on genuine KIA parts & fluids, so I just used KIA type4. "Replaces type IV the manual states". I get 6 quarts. It takes like 5 3/4. I do a drain and replace the exact amount that came out. When I get my fill & drain plugs out, I let it sit for a hour or so to drain. It can be a pain to fill. There seems to be a baffle in the fill area and you have to fill with the new fluid real slow. Like bob2c stated, I run the car until it gets warm while taking a test drive then open the side, "over fill plug he called it" and let it drain until a drizzle then put the plug back in. Harbor Freight sells a cheap heat gun if you want to make sure it's 140 degrees. This process is very easy. Hardest part is taking the plastic under shroud off.

I change my fluid yesterday. Got into a mess when refilling. As you said " It can be a pain to fill. There seems to be a baffle in the fill area and you have to fill with the new fluid real slow."
I was planning to replace the exact amount that I drained out but when filling; it burped occasionally and that caused overflow. The 2016 Sorento YouTube video showed no problem when filling. I therefore put in about 8 oz more than I drained out to make up for approximately what I figured I spilled.
Shifted P to D a few times, took a 1/2 ride, fluid temp was about 130 degrees, then removed the ATF Level Plug.
About 16 oz came out quickly, so I put the Level Plug back in before too much drained back out. I can only figure that my trans fluid had always been a bit overfilled from new.
Today I (paid $19 bucks) went on kiatechinfo.com to see if there was any info about this ATF filling problem, the procedure by KIA to drain and refill was exactly what you all said and exactly what I did.
Please let me know if anyone figures out how to fill these Sportage trans without overflowing the fluid.
PS: It's running fine. (66,550 miles)

 

[ST Ken]

The people who change the transmission fluid more often live in the past when you did have a dipstick and even the old manuals said to change it every 30,000 to 60,000 miles. Generally, these are the same people who change their oil more often than the manual recommends.

Too bad we see the classifying of site members for their personal choices in their maintenance decisions.
The manual also shows a 60,000 mile ATF change recommended under severe usage conditions.
On the KIA tech info site it shows that the 2.0 turbo fill capacity is 8.3 Qt's, whereas the 2.4 fill capacity is 7.1 Qt's.
Clearly there is some difference in the transmissions in the 2.0T and the 2.4L.
With 25% more horsepower in the turbo I feel the 2.0T transmission and the ATF takes more load, more wear and tear.

 

[ST Ken]

One should have 4 quarts ready for D/F.
Also, once again, if you disconnect ATF cooler line with yellow paint mark on the hose - that will make it easy to fill as air will escape thru that line while filling.

Thanks for the info on: "disconnect ATF cooler line with yellow paint mark on the hose" I do plan to D/F again, I forgot to say I also tow which probably puts more load on the trans.
Here is a little more info I found: SPORTAGE(QL) > 2017 > G 2.0 T-GDI THETA II > Automatic Transaxle System (the ATF Level Check is PDF = should download)

 

[ST Ken]

If you know ATF level/volume is correct then you can simply D/F with same volume as long as ATF in transmission and fresh one are at same temp.
Too much ATF is just as bad as too little, checking level is highly recommended.

Yesterday I did my 2nd ATF change. I decided to do D/F.
I did not do "ATF Level Check" this time because both times I drained the ATF the drained amounts were within 1 ounce of each other. I refilled with the same amount that I drained out.
As dubber09 recommended I disconnected the upper ATF cooling line to the radiator to allow air to escape while filling.
Disconnecting the upper ATF cooling line made all the difference: filling was very quick and easy with no spills or mess.
I can't thank dubber09 enough for his help.
Hopefully these photos photos will aid the ATF change procedure. Following this thread should be helpful for anyone

considering the ATF change in their 4G 2016-2018+ Sportage.