How bad is too much ATF? | Page 2 | Ford Explorer Forums

  • Register Today It's free!

How bad is too much ATF?

will 8 ozs. 1/4 of one QT, make a sig diff? do not think one could see an 8 oz diff on a dipstick when measuring 4 gals in the tranny pan
 



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year or try it out for $5 a month.

Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





well there's the rub. In an engine, most of the oil IS in the pan, with some amount circulating. In an auto trannie, a lot is in the Torque convertor, a lot is in servos etc, so the full amount of fluid is not in the pan, maybe 50-60% or less when operating... check an auto trannie cold and see how much has drained back! (and at least a gallon give or take will reside in the TC when cold.)

(and the 8 oz was where I said you *might* see a glimmer* of something.... personally I am not wildly averse to an 8 oz overfill.... not as a rule, but it doesn't make my socks roll up and down)
 






Yes, we are almost nitpicking here. The real problem is what I hinted at. The volume of change per difference on the dipstick is completely unknown. A quarter inch on the dipstick could be a pint, or two ounces, or a quart.

The fluid in a transmission is not a large top surface area, which would give a predictable change when adding fluid. The actual surface is broken by the valve body, and shift brackets, servos, etc. My point is that the actual space that the fluid can rise is probably like the surface area of a small bowl, or large glass. And it is different at every different level.

Sometimes adding trans fluid(say a pint at a time) will raise the level only 1/8". The next time it might change by 1/4", or 1/2". I have seen it go up by close to an inch, when adding only a pint. I usually add no more than a pint at a time, rechecking after settling.
Thus the amount that this trans we are talking about is over, could be as little as a few ounces. But not knowing the actual volume for that amount of dipstick distance, we are guessing that it may be more than a pint, getting to a worrysome amount.

I'd try to pull a good pint or so out, and recheck it. Good luck,
 






What he said. (well put Don)
 






I have a 97XLT4.0 SOHC the dipstick is 35 and 3/8" long, from extreme end that goes into the pan to the other end that meets the rubber stopper With that said if yours is in fact that long and same engine that I got there is no need to go to the shop. Just do as these guys say and drain it, unless you don't want to do it yourself. IF they say its no big deal at the shop your at the wrong shop.... 1and1/2" above hatch mark is too much.
 






glacier RULEZ!!!!!
 






Featured Content

Back
Top