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Opinions on trans fluid dipstick level please

usapadyra

Well-Known Member
Joined
November 23, 2022
Messages
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City, State
South Lake Tahoe, CA
Year, Model & Trim Level
98 Ex XLT 4.0 SOHC 2WD
Hello,

Had my transmission serviced about a week ago and I'm not sure it was refilled to the right level.

Please see attached picture.

Car wasn't 'hot hot' like after a long drive, but engine fully up to temp. I'd say it had driven for 20 mins between 35 and 55mph when I checked the dipstick.

Car is idling in Park on a perfectly level gas station forecourt. I return the dipstick and pull it back out in one smooth motion after first wiping it off.

I've fiddled with the photo so it should be more clear where the level is.

Does this look overfilled? If so, any guesstimates how much it is over by?

I have a hand pump to remove any excess if needed. Is that safest way - just taking out small amounts at a time until when fully warm the fluid level sits within the hatched area on the dipstick?

Thanks

12FAEED2-0565-4646-A6FA-6FDED284BF4F.jpeg
 



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@usapadyra I haven't ever messed with it when warm, so I can't say how high it goes at operating temperature. I have always filled mine it to just under the max line while cold, and I've been running it for years at that level with no issues.

If there's a warm fill line, then follow that when the engine/trans is already warmed up. If there isn't a warm fill line, then use the existing line to fill it when the engine/trans is cold.
 






It appears that the fluid level is indeed high. One thing I recommend doing is to shift the transmission through all the gears and back to park before checking the level on a warm, running engine to get the most accurate reading. Two questions which could confirm if the transmission is overfilled:

1. Is there a noticeable change in the transmission feel when driving?
2. Does there appear to be any bubbling in the transmission fluid when reading the dipstick?
 






Hello,

Had my transmission serviced about a week ago and I'm not sure it was refilled to the right level.

Please see attached picture.

Car wasn't 'hot hot' like after a long drive, but engine fully up to temp. I'd say it had driven for 20 mins between 35 and 55mph when I checked the dipstick.

Car is idling in Park on a perfectly level gas station forecourt. I return the dipstick and pull it back out in one smooth motion after first wiping it off.

I've fiddled with the photo so it should be more clear where the level is.

Does this look overfilled? If so, any guesstimates how much it is over by?

I have a hand pump to remove any excess if needed. Is that safest way - just taking out small amounts at a time until when fully warm the fluid level sits within the hatched area on the dipstick?

Thanks

View attachment 437588
Looks like it fill to the top.. It not over filled.
 






IIRC, the holes represent the cold fill area, and there should be lines or a crosshatched area above it for the hot fill.
 






Hello,

Had my transmission serviced about a week ago and I'm not sure it was refilled to the right level.

Please see attached picture.

Car wasn't 'hot hot' like after a long drive, but engine fully up to temp. I'd say it had driven for 20 mins between 35 and 55mph when I checked the dipstick.

Car is idling in Park on a perfectly level gas station forecourt. I return the dipstick and pull it back out in one smooth motion after first wiping it off.

I've fiddled with the photo so it should be more clear where the level is.

Does this look overfilled? If so, any guesstimates how much it is over by?

I have a hand pump to remove any excess if needed. Is that safest way - just taking out small amounts at a time until when fully warm the fluid level sits within the hatched area on the dipstick?

Thanks

View attachment 437588
The level is perfectly fine mine is the same way
 






Thanks for the replies.

My dipstick looks like the one in the attached pic, taken from the owners manual. To my eye, the fluid level currently lies where I've put the vertical red line.

That said, I didn't go through all the gears before checking, so it may be reading higher because of that. @DaSovietPotato is the correct process to go P - R - N - D - 2 - 1 and then straight back into Park? Or are you supposed to go back through each gear selection in the reverse order? Is a few seconds in each selection enough time?

A bit of backstory why I'm so touchy with getting the correct level.

I had been getting very soft shifts that felt a bit like slipping between 1 -2 and 2-3 but exclusively when under low throttle. Normal or hard acceleration was fine.

Had the transmission serviced by a recommended mechanic. Afterwards, shifts were generally better, but the soft shifts under low throttle still remained.

That same day, I drove 300 miles from Ukiah to Tahoe with no issues (other than the occasional soft shift when crawling through towns).

In Tahoe I replaced the throttle position sensor, and immediately I stopped getting the soft shifts. Figure this was the original culprit.

Set off from Tahoe to Portland, and after about 300 miles I had something happen that has never happened before.

Cruising at about 65mph, in a split second I felt the car lose forward drive, immedietly followed by a thump / bang that went through the car. But then everything carried on as normal.

It happened again so I slowed down to about 50mph and kept it there until I could pull over. Checked the fluid level and it seemed a bit high, and I was sure I saw some bubbling on the dipstick. Over the remainder of the journey the 'drive loss and thump' happened a few more times, including one time where I had just landed in 4th after turning off overdrive at the start of a climb. Seemed to only happen above 60mph, so kept it at 50 the rest of the way.

I have been hanging out over christmas so the car isn't getting driven much, and any driving I have been doing has been short distance / low speed. No issues. Although I did replace the TPS sensor AGAIN, but this time with the Motorcraft OEM part as I found it cheap on Walmart online. Just in case.

Just about to drive into town so I'll try and get a more accurate reading when I stop.

Screenshot 2022-12-29 at 13.04.55.png
 






When shifting through the gears I would recommend stopping on each gear long enough for the transmission to engage going both ways. Judging by the picture I believe that you are overfilled by about 2 pints. I accidentally overfilled my transmission by the same amount when I dropped the transmission pan, I remember having a different transmission feel when driving and noticing that the fluid was bubbling toward the top of the dipstick. I would definitely recommend sucking a couple quarts from the dipstick tube.
 






When shifting through the gears I would recommend stopping on each gear long enough for the transmission to engage going both ways. Judging by the picture I believe that you are overfilled by about 2 pints. I accidentally overfilled my transmission by the same amount when I dropped the transmission pan, I remember having a different transmission feel when driving and noticing that the fluid was bubbling toward the top of the dipstick. I would definitely recommend sucking a couple quarts from the dipstick tube.
Ok great thanks for the input. I approached the mechanic who serviced the trans with 'it's been fine for 40000 miles' so he may have taken it upon himself to refill based on how much fluid he pulled. I'm going to try and get a super accurate reading on my way back home. It will be 18 miles and I'll check it at the nearby Chevron with a totally flat forecourt. If it still reads above I'll take a little out before my long drive and see what happens. Cheers
 






It’s hard to accurately check the level after adding, bc fluid coats the tube.
 






It’s hard to accurately check the level after adding, bc fluid coats the tube.

I think I may have come across this problem this morning.

I pulled 1 litre out through the dipstick and took it for a drive. When I checked it (hot) it still seemed high and more or less in the same place.

Some fiddling and comparing sides of the dipstick vs how the stick is inserted seemed to show that there is a particular way it needs to be inserted. With the blue dot on the dipstick handle facing towards the fire wall when inserted, I get a much cleaner fluid line on the crosshatched / marked side of the dipstick. Realising this, several 'clean' readings showed that actually it probably had been filled correctly, as it now kept reading low. Makes sense as I took that 1 litre out this morning.

Added a fresh quart, drove around and even though I'm sure it's probably at the right level now, I can't get a reading because both sides of the stick are slightly coated when it comes out, presumably because there is still fluid in the tube from filling.

Does anyone know the rough amount between the two holes on the dipstick? Is it the same as the engine oil stick, so between the lower hole and upper hole is 1 quart?

Thanks
 






csnt day for sure but it seems like the holes were about a quart apart from memory
 






Not sure how much. I generally just wait overnight or so for the tube to drain before checking. It takes me a couple days to get the level nailed, but whatever.

I also check mine cold. I feel it’s more consistent.
 






The picture of my dipstick above was definitely overfilled.

I took 250ml out a long time ago and when checked it sat right on the crosshatched area when at 70c / 160f.

Probably not enough to cause any issues but figure it's better right where it should be.

As others have said, you need to leave it overnight after re-filling through the dipstick since the coating the fluid leaves can throw off the reading.

I insert the dipstick with the blue circle facing into the truck. Get a clean reading every time.
 






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