Checking tranny fluid level???

[stahrman]

Ok....I did a quick search on the web and found some info on this. I drove the x about 5 miles this morning to warm up the tranny. I forgot to leave the truck running in park (like you do on normal cars with dipstick...lol) and when I unscrewed the torx bolt, fluid came out quite forceful and I hurried and screwed it back in...WHEW!!! I forgot to leave it running so I started her up and waited for about 5 min. When I unscrewed it again the fluid came rushing out......so I let about a quart come out before I decided to hurry and put the torx bolt back in until I know for sure if I'm doing this right?? Am I missing something?? I thought once that bolt is removed fluid should only drip out meaning the level is perfect? Could PO really have over-filled that much???

 

[Exproblems]

Ok....I did a quick search on the web and found some info on this. I drove the x about 5 miles this morning to warm up the tranny. I forgot to leave the truck running in park (like you do on normal cars with dipstick...lol) and when I unscrewed the torx bolt, fluid came out quite forceful and I hurried and screwed it back in...WHEW!!! I forgot to leave it running so I started her up and waited for about 5 min. When I unscrewed it again the fluid came rushing out......so I let about a quart come out before I decided to hurry and put the torx bolt back in until I know for sure if I'm doing this right?? Am I missing something?? I thought once that bolt is removed fluid should only drip out meaning the level is perfect? Could PO really have over-filled that much???

Go to the link below and watch the short video. It will show you how to fill and check the proper fluid level on your transmission.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=396615

 

[fireball 440]

Wow that is the dumbest thing I've ever seen in my life. So much for a quick check of the trans fluid. I spent 5 minutes looking for the dipstick. This is just retarded.

 

[fireball 440]

So to clarify, you have to lay under the hot exhaust with the vehicle running with about 12" to wiggle under there, try not to burn yourself, and try not to spill hot fluid on yourself or on the ground..... just to check the fluid level. BRILLIANT!!! my god.

 

[JoshMcMadMac]

So to clarify, you have to lay under the hot exhaust with the vehicle running with about 12" to wiggle under there, try not to burn yourself, and try not to spill hot fluid on yourself or on the ground..... just to check the fluid level. BRILLIANT!!! my god.

It is a closed system...why do you need to check the fluid level? If it is not visually leaking and the transmission is not acting up, your fluid level is fine.

 

[fireball 440]

Oh I don't know.... piece of mind maybe? And to check fluid color and smell to see if it is burnt? Common practice at any oil change is to check all fluid levels. To just assume its ok is pretty ignorant IMO.

 

[JoshMcMadMac]

Oh I don't know.... piece of mind maybe? And to check fluid color and smell to see if it is burnt? Common practice at any oil change is to check all fluid levels. To just assume its ok is pretty ignorant IMO.

Peace of mind would be from keeping up with it and the fact that the transmission is functioning properly. It is good practice to change the fluid and filter in it every 50k miles or so anyway. Is it ignorant to assume that the oil in your transfer case or rear end are ok? There is no dipstick for those, either.

 

[fireball 440]

No dipstick but there most definately are fill holes to check the level! Do you assume your engine oil is ok too? I guess theres no need to check ANY fluid level according to your assessment of things? Ignorance indeed I say IMO.

 

[fireball 440]

...hope you dont think I'm trying to be an ass. but really? 50,000 miles is a looooong time to go without checking on something. Your trans fluid could be 3 quarts low and dark brown and still shift through the gears and you'd have no idea.

 

[JoshMcMadMac]

No dipstick but there most definately are fill holes to check the level! Do you assume your engine oil is ok too?

Fill holes are not used to check the fluid level, and you cannot check the condition of the oil that way either. What about a manual transmission? They have oil in them, how do you check that?

...hope you dont think I'm trying to be an ass. but really?

It is hard to believe otherwise with ass-like comments like this :

I guess theres no need to check ANY fluid level according to your assessment of things? Ignorance indeed I say IMO.

50,000 miles is a looooong time to go without checking on something. Your trans fluid could be 3 quarts low and dark brown and still shift through the gears and you'd have no idea.

The fluid cannot be 3 quarts low without drive-ability issues, most likely not moving at all. One of the first times I refilled a 5R55 I think I was less than a quart low and it did not want to shift between reverse and drive. Also, why would the fluid be dark brown? Again, it is a sealed system that unless the transmission is self-destructing (which checking the fluid will NOT be the first indication) there will be no contamination into the transmission.

I understand the mentality of wanting a transmission dipstick, but it really is a non-issue. If you do not like the 50k interval (which is certainly less than the intention of Ford!) then change the fluid and filter ever 30k. If you are that hell-bent on checking the transmission fluid, crawl under the vehicle and get a trickle of it out of the drain plug (something a LOT of vehicles do not have on the transmission) while you are checking the fill holes on your transfer case.

 

[fireball 440]

I guess you know everything there is to know then, and that is that on transmission 101. We'll have to agree to disagree.

 

[pet575]

I think the most important thing here is that the OP's question got answered and he was provided with help.

 

[stahrman]

I think the most important thing here is that the OP's question got answered and he was provided with help.

Absolutely!!! Thank you everyone! Update: I had this terrible clunking and jerking going from drive to reverse and vice versa? I put the 48 ounces back in and everything is fine now?? I guess I should have left it alone.

 

[xcbuc]

Good to hear it's fine now.
I just checked mine last night. I replaced my transmission myself last fall, so I wanted to double check the level and fluid condition.

Just wondering if you did this on a flat surface?
Also, when the fluid was coming out, was it a solid stream or some drips in the flow?

 

[stahrman]

It was on a flat surface, drove truck around 5 miles, took out allen bolt, fluid poured out just like changing the oil???? Like I said, wouldn't stop so I quickly put bolt back in and ended up filling a 48 ounce speedway cup which I recently put back in. Runs like a top!!!

 

[fireball 440]

that is great but according to the procedure isn't your transmission over-filled? I understood it is suposed to pour out and then put the plug in when it starts dripping, according to the video and step by steps I read.

 

[stahrman]

that is great but according to the procedure isn't your transmission over-filled? I understood it is suposed to pour out and then put the plug in when it starts dripping, according to the video and step by steps I read.

Yes, that is correct. My truck ran like crap when I took that fluid out?? All I know is if you are going to check it yourself.....make sure you are at the correct temp....maybe I had mine too hot and the fluid expanded too much????

 

[fireball 440]

perhaps? If Ford put a dipstick in these things there would be no question.

 

[Bobmbx]

perhaps? If Ford put a dipstick in these things there would be no question.

One of the reasons Ford removed the dipstick is because these trannies are very sensitive to fluid level, and too many shade tree mechanics would either over-fill or plop in the wrong fluid type.

Another issue is moisture. With a dipstick, water finds its way into your tranny through the tube either from car washes, running through puddles, or simply humidity. Over time the water ruins the tranny. Those are not closed systems.

But yeah, its a stupid way to check a fluid level. When you buy a used car, you sometimes never know what happened before you bought it. Case in point:

1) I just recently replaced all four tires on my Ex. They were the tires that were on it when I bought it used. Incredibly, one tire had nearly a gallon of water in it. A gallon! How the hell does that happen?

2) Same Ex as above. In November 2013, I hit a deer, and ended up having everything forward of the radiator fan replaced. All the coolers were new. I had lost some amount of tranny fluid due to the cooler line busting, and the new cooler itself required fluid to be replaced. Come to find out I was nearly 4 quarts low after having some weird shift issues. The shop didn't top off the fluid. No leaks. Just low fluid due to a repair.

You never know what your fluid status is unless you check it. Even with closed systems.