That tranny fluid dip stick in my 1999 E-350 has me confused. By the time I get it out it is more or less all moist with fluid but it's very hard to see just where the exact level is.

I'm trying to read it when cold. I'm sure it needs fluid as I had a leaking hose to the tranny cooler that I've now fixed.

Should it be easy to see the mark?

Thanks!

BTW: Is there any way to drain (most of) the tranny fluid to add fresh without dropping the pan?

 

You have to read it when it is HOT...it should be easy to read ...If you do not have a drain plug you have to remove the pan...I would get a Pan with a drain plug so you only have to do this once....and change the filter at the same time ....

 

Understood, but to get it hot I have to drive it miles and I'd like to know there is, in fact, enough fluid in there, first.


Are there not two locations on that plastic rod... one marking for cold and a higher up marking for hot?

 

There is no way to get an accurate reading with a cold transmission. Look at both sides of the dipstick and take the lowest dry spot as the fluid level. Vans are especially hard to get a good reading because of the long, curved tube.

Here's how to change the fluid: Changing ATF Fluid in a E4OD and 4R100 transmission .: Articles

 

'98 FORD F150 owners manual shows/describes both HOT 150F-170F (run ~20 minutes) & COLD (room temp) 50F-95F crosshatced measuring sections on tranny dipstick. Suspect '99 E-350 is similar?

It gives procedure; set park brake/foot on brake, start motor, shift thru all gears pausing in each position, AND leave motor running. Remove & wipe dipstick, insert & remove again to read level. Fluid should be in crosshatch area for corresponding temp.

Tip I learned was to plunge & remove dipstick quickly for clearest level. Presumably this prevents much fluid from splashing above level.

 

The dipsticks are impossible to read. I spent 7 years managing a transmission rebuild shop and I'm still skeptical of the dipstick. Its especially hard when you just rebuilt one and filled it. The tube is completely coated with fluid and it gets all over the dipstick.

Usually (as has been mentioned) you can often read between the lines on the dipstick. Pull it out and look for voids (place where its not wet). As you go down the stick, the first point at which there are no voids usually indicates the actual level. BUT... there are some times when you scrape fluid off the dipstick as you pull it out. Then you have to discern if it was wiped off or not.

Another thing I did on my E350 is to fill it with what I think is right, go through the gears, then let it sit a while and warm up. The heat will let most of the fluid "melt" off the tube walls. If you're filling from brand new, 6 quarts or so is enough to get picked up and lubricate everything, so you could put 6 in, start it, let it get hot, then fill until full so your tube is warm and helps you out.

As far as draining, many of the trucks had an NPT drain plug in the torque converter. Pull the inspection cover off and turn the engine to see if you have one.

I feel the need to say this, though. If you're doing this as maintenance, good for you. If you're doing it to try and solve a shifting problem, don't. If you have shifting issues, chances are you have burnt clutch material. Changing fluid is like changing dishwater. All that new clean fluid will dissolve the burnt friction surface off the clutches and you'll be worse off than you were. The only real solution is to rebuild if that's the case.

 

Scooter is your dipstick metal all the way to its tip? Mine has a white plastic tip with crosshatching that seems to catch and hold the fluid level long enough to read it.

There are several good ways to drop a full pan if your a DIY'er doing it in the driveway or garage. Every auto trans vehicle I've owned received a pan drain plug during its first fluid change under my ownership---makes the next time incredibly easier, much less messy.

I'm happy to describe the easy, less messy process if you like. As Mark K says there's no way to get an accurate fluid level check without it being at the proper temperature.

 

another method that some use of changing MOST of the fluid is to slide a long hose down the dipstick tube and use a little pump to suck it dry. if your goal is just to get most of it fresh in the name of preventative maintenance, that'll work just fine for you.
i haven't used that method myself, but i hear its fairly common at quick-lube places

i just had a thought for the constant fight of reading the dipstick. what if someone were to take a spare dipstick and attach a tip to it thats designed to hold a little patch of cloth, much like a shotgun cleaning rod, and wipe out the tube with that so they could get a reading... or if you don't have a spare dipstick just zip-tie the patches to your dipstick a couple inches above the fluid level
i haven't tried this, just thinking out loud

 

I'll add photos of my dipstick, maybe Mark K can identify it with a type or part number?







This is just about the easiest to read dip stick I've seen in a lot of years---the warm trans fluid seems to cling to the tip, the color contrast allowing a view of the level.

HTH

 

Yes, this appears to be the one I have. Not sure mine has the overlapping cold and hot area like this one has. Will take another look at it.

I think, as someone said above, the issue is it catches fluid that may be lining the tube walls so there is fluid all over it by the time I get it out. I added some Lucas tranny fix (see my other post on my tranny issues) and that stuff is very thick so it's making a good read even harder. In time, that stuff will melt off the walls, I assume.

Like the idea of "wiping the tube" but worry that cloth might fall off and into the tranny.

The "voids" trick might work, though. Need to try the "fast plunge" method someone came up with, as well.

Got to be a way to make this work.

 

I was correct in that my dip stick does not have the cold to hot overlap.