What's going on here. I tear down my transmission, its completely bone dry. Ford manual says the E-4WD takes 10 quarts, so in go 10 qts. Next day, the fluid level is WAY beyond the two hole region of the dipstick, that is the indicator for room temperature. I suck out nearly 3 qts to get it down between the indicator holes. Start the van up and the dipstick does not even register. Let her warm up and keep adding fluid back until the level is in the crosshatched area...2.5 qts back in. Next morning, room temp level is even higher than the day before with half a quart less fluid!!

Is is possible I have leak down from the torque converter causing this level to rise so far overnight? The TC is recently new, but it seems I recall having issues like this with old TC as well. Never did trust that lying dipstick!

 

I clean mine off with thinner cause it tends to missread. All I can say is check it hot and adj it at that time.

 

aren't these supposed to be check running in Neut. at op. temp.?
at least that's the way I've been checking mine since I got it.

haven't been messin' around with that can of white litium grease again Aero?

 

Nope, not sniffing any potent fumes. Have been mopping up lots tranny fluid (gawd I hate tranny fluid) with paint thinner.....maybe I pickled my brain with that. Yeh, I almost always check the level while warmed up and idling, figuring that is the better way. Has worked for years. Just curious why the big discrepancy in level readings.

 

Check/adjust the fluid level with the transmission and engine at normal operating temerature, engine at idle, transmission in park. That is the correct fluid level. The cold marks just let you know the level is high enough to safely (i.e. without damaging the transmission) drive the van to get it hot, and they're -more or less- approximate. The transmission will normally leak down various amounts of fluid overnight or after sitting (say...at work) long enough to cool, with the amount depending on time and how much wear the transmission has.

 

Your trans does take 10 quarts, but only if you drain all the internals out, including the torque converter and cooler lines. Even at that, you can have some variation.

The proper way to check fluid is on a level surface with the engine warmed up and running with trans in park.

The dipstick is accurate, but not if you have fluid in the dipstick tube. If you add or remove fluid, to get an accurate reading you need to drive the van around the block, the motion makes the fluid in the tube drain back to the sump, otherwise it will get not eh dipstick as you put it in and take it out and you will get an artificially high reading.

The reverse servo holds a lot of fluid, so it will drain out when the van is turned off. If you measure the fluid level with the engine not running, then that amount of fluid will mess up your readings. This is why you have to take you measurements with the engine running and in park, but more with one more step, you have to engage forward and reverse to fill all the servos and reservoirs, otherwise your reading will not be accurate.

 

Before checking the transmission fluid level, cycle through all the gears, pausing a few seconds at each gear.

The idea of checking the level in neutral or park with the engine running is to make sure you fill up the torque converter, which does leak back into the pan once the engine stops.

Also, check both sides of the dipstick. On one side, you will see a level much higher than the other side. Take the lower level since the higher one is caused by the wet wall of the dipstick tube.

Have fun Dave, and remember that transmission fluid is very corrosive, it will eat the paint and quite possibly your lunch too!

 

And when copper says each gear, that includes od, d, 2, and 1. At least that's what I do.

 

Are you sure about that? I think you may be referring to brake fluid.

 

ATF is alkaline, will damage paint even the new clear coats

 

ATF does not cause damage because of its alkalinity, besides your aluminum parts wouldn't like that very much. ATF has strong ether based solvents. Thats what will cause damage to paint. It is mildly alkaline, that is true. But it is not as alkaline as sodium bicarbonate, which will not damage paint. I try not to let any oils get on my paint, it makes dirt stick and its gross. Dirt will damage your finish.

 

Haha. I just got burned by this, and just now opened this thread that has been on the front page for weeks.

The tranny had never acted well since my filter change a few weeks back. Then I finally got around to reading the fine print on the dipstick. "CHECK WHEN HOT - IDLE IN PARK". No lie. That shows you I've never been to shop classes.

These two pics were taken in sequence top then bottom, 30 seconds apart. It shows a significant quantity of fluid (1+ quarts) immediately returning to the pan after engine stop.




Put another way, if you fill to the second hole with the engine stopped, the true official level in idle won't even reach the dipstick.

Tip: In going from engine stopped to idle, it takes about 2 minutes for the fluid to drain back down the tube sufficiently to make a good assessment of the level. The longer you wait, the more clear the reading becomes.

{Ed: Symptoms with the fluid below the dipstick were: Refusal to engage gears from a stop unless throttle tricks were used. While van was stopped in traffic, it would suddenly kick you in the back, prompting you to check the mirrors.

After filling to the proper level, the tranny returned to normal.}