Trans Overheating?
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Trans Overheating?
Ok, Long story. '98 4.6 ex cab with towing package. Driving down the road the rubber cooler line popped off and fluid went bye bye. I thought all of it blew out so I had a quart laying around in the truck and put in there . Limped hone at 25mph. I went to carquest and bought 13 quarts and poured eight in. I hear a dropping under the truck and tranny fluid is pouring out of the top near the tailshaft. I freak out and then realize i probably overfilled it. I start it up and check the fluid. It's definitely overfull. Im getting ready to make an 8 hour drive (over flatland) on Tuesday. Will the extra fluid over heat and ruin my trans? What is the best/easiest/least messy way to remove the excess? Thanks Guys!
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Hmmm.... level indicators. I think they're there to tell you when you put too much stinkin fluid in :P Like an idiot, I assumed my trans was run almost dry and proceeded to fill er up! and at the hot idle, it's well above the crosshatching. Its at the "A" in the third word if I remember right. BUT... I am going to disconnect the rubber line under the truck and just drain the excess fluid that way.
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Even if your trans was run dry, it will not take nearly that much fluid. It is very difficult to get a transmission completely empty.
There are really only two good ways to get it out, drain some of it out yourself or have someone else do it. It depends on your tools and the exact setup you have. Transmissions in my experience need to have the fluid level adjusted and tweaked by the cup, not the quart. I leave pretty much all of my transmission work to professionals for that reason.
Draining it out the return line is not a bad way to do it, probably the least messy, but out of curiosity, when was the last time your trans was serviced?
There are really only two good ways to get it out, drain some of it out yourself or have someone else do it. It depends on your tools and the exact setup you have. Transmissions in my experience need to have the fluid level adjusted and tweaked by the cup, not the quart. I leave pretty much all of my transmission work to professionals for that reason.
Draining it out the return line is not a bad way to do it, probably the least messy, but out of curiosity, when was the last time your trans was serviced?
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I am VERY fierce about my maintenance. Tranny gets serviced every 50k. Full flush. I have 230k on the thing and it was services at 200k. 150, 100k, 75k, 50k have been the service points. I just need to get fluid out of it so I don't burn it up on my way to Greenville SC tomorrow. Tools are not a problem. 15,000$ in crafstman tools 
Setup is the factory towing package with two lines into the trans cooler then into the radiator. The screw clamp had come undone and forced fluid out the line.
Setup is the factory towing package with two lines into the trans cooler then into the radiator. The screw clamp had come undone and forced fluid out the line.
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Yesterday I afternoon I made the mistake of disconnecting the input line (not the return) and used the metal part only. Big no no! With the rubber line still attached it makes it easier to control the flow and put it into quart bottles. I used the empty trans fluid bottles so I could reuse it. Made a big mess but drained a gallon and it took two quarts to restore it to proper level. Thank you gentlemen for the advice and thoughts. Just FYI...a chemical stripping agent poured on ATF will remove it from concrete 
Just passing that one.
Just passing that one.
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