2003 Mountaineer overfilled transmission

[BillTheClumsy1]

How is this possible? We bought it about 6 months ago. It clunks when slowing down into first gear. So I thought I would check the transmission level. I unscrewed the little torx plug that's inside the main drain plug. About 2 quarts of fluid came out. I thought the whole point of that design was so that you pump fluid up that hole until it overflows, then you know it's full. How is it possible it could be overfilled? The only thing I can think of is it came that way from the factory, but at 139,000 miles that doesn't seem possible either. I'm completely baffled and don't know what to do next.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Maybe it wasn’t level and someone added fluid. (Like on ramps) Was it running when you checked it?

 

[BillTheClumsy1]

It was running and level when I checked it. The only thing I can think of is that someone before me changed the fluid, pumped way too much in there, and then just put the plug back before letting the excess out.

 

[Mbrooks420]

It’s definitely possible.