Hello, I'm fairly new to this part of the forum. I have a 87' Bronco that the transmission works fine, doesn't slip except slightly in OD shifting from the 45MPH range to the 55MPH range. It just kind of winds up and shifts right when you are thinking "is this thing going to shift or what?"

I checked the ATF the other day, truck hot, and there is fluid on the dipstick but it is kind of bubbly if that's a good description. Not foamy but still a good color but with little bubbles included. It kind of gets in the way of detecting the true level of the fluid because the bubbles extend above the do not add above this line mark. . Also there seems to be more bubbles than fluid, fluid at bottom of dipstick, the more bubbles than fluid the rest of the way up. Any help / suggestions are appreciated, Thanks!

Nate

 

Bubbles or foam on the dipstick is a sure sign of the tranny being overserviced.. The fluid level is high enough that it is coming into contact with the rotating internals causing the fluid to become aerated. This is harmful to the unit, as air in not a good lube.. Make sure you double check the fluid, draining some out if you have to. Just make sure it is NOT overserviced...Hope this helps..

Metro2

 

The other thing about bubbles is that you may not be following procedure for your model. Each tranny model may have a different procedure and they are usually pretty picky about following it. If you don't follow procedure, you may get bad readings. I ususlly get bubbles after a long drive in warm temperatures. My 94 F250 E4od specifically says in the manual not to measure under these conditions.

A generic procedure but not always correct for your Ford is to either test after driving 10 minutes after a dead cold start or idling for I think 15 minutes and looking at the cold mark. Try to find a manual since I am almost sure I have screwed up at least the cold timing. A long drive violates the time limit requirement.

You also must be on flat level ground. You should shift thru each forward gear, then neutral then reverse then park and wait a second or so in each gear. Then you let it idle for about a minute in park before you pull the dipstick, wipe and then put it back in and pull again then measure. You may want to do this a couple times and maybe even on different days.

Not following procedure was listed as one of the main causes of getting a wrong reading.

It really would pay to have the manual or a shop guide to be sure of the gear sequence, timing and temperatures.

My answer may actually cause more confusion than help if your tranny is significantly different in measuring the fluid levels.

Of course you may also just have too much fluid.

Good Luck,

Jim Henderson

 

Yeah, I just had the dipstick tube seal replaced. I wonder if the service provided would make sure that the ATF level was correct, considering that it would leave a decent size puddle after every drive. I would assume that a repair center would check that after they performed the work.. Thanks for the replies folks!

Nate Oh, I'll consult my Haynes manual in regards to this matter,

so to sum it up you guys think that the ATF level is too high?