Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums - Oops! Overfilled transmission fluid!

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Oops! Overfilled transmission fluid!

Well, I went to change the transmission fluid and filter on my 98 ranger with a 3.0 L. I started added new fluid and found out I had overfilled it when I looked underneath and saw transmission fluid coming out of a pressure release (I guess) on top of the transmission. My question is, should I pull the pan and drain the excess and do I need a new pan gasket if I do that.

I was going by the manual spec of 9.5 quarts when the refill amount was 3 quarts. I got to 5 quarts when it started leaking.

Thanks for your help,
Mike

Being two quarts over I would drop the pan again and start over to be safe. I would also spend the couple bucks on a new gasket.

Did you drain the torque converter? If not, some fluid will stay in there.

To get the fluid out you will need to pull the cover. I also suggest replacing the gasket.

When the guys at the lube shop replace the tranny oil on my truck, they do a purge to flush new fluid into the converter. A hard thing to do by yourself. That's why you used less. The rest is in the converter. I've overfilled it myself before and just disconnected the tranny line at the radiator to bleed some off, but I was only over the line by 3/4 inch.

HOLD ON..... No need to redrop the tranny pan!!!!

You can easily pump any excess fluid out, by removing the trany dip stick & insert a length of plastic or rubber tubing down to the tranny sump, (just make sure it's long enough, so if it comes off, enough sticks out so you can get hold of it again) & use a transfer pump to remove the exess fluid.

In the absense of a transfer pump, I once used a spray bottle pump, took forever to pump out a qt, but I got er done, by opening up the nozzle hole with a small drill bit!!!! Any port in a storm!!! lol

Just a quick thought on the subject.

Thanks for the advice. It looks like a got about 5 quarts out and put in around 5 and a half estimating what overflowed out. I'm only over the mark by around 3/4 of an inch on the dip stick so I'll try either disconnecting the line at the radiator or syphoning some out the fill tube.

Thanks again!

Pawpaw - I have the same exact situation on my Aerostar - in fact, I'm afraid to drive it now, I'm a good 1 inch over the crosshatches for sure...

I have a hand held pump that is brand new actually, and was going to use it to bleed brake lines on another car, but all you are saying is I can get a long length of the same diameter tubing, and just feed it down the same tube as where I filled it (or overfilled in this case)

the pump kit even comes with a little tank, which looks like it holds a pint, which is about what I'm over I think.

I just don't want to feed the tube down there, and have it get stuck or something... but it would be the easiest way to do it for sure, short of disconnecting the tranny line, but then you have to run the engine, and contain that stream, etc... plus I don't have a good set of flare wrenches, and with my luck, I'd screw that fitted up, and then I'd have a leak.

The good news, is that topping off the tranny solved the shifting and slipping problems I had - it amazing how picky the tranny is as far as the range of fluid - too little is problems, too much is problems....

Let me know how you solved this, Phroman for your Truck too.... I hate to get into dropping the pan, etc...

ive used a clear hose and sucked some up in the hose with my mouth, pulled it out and put it in a bucket. it works.

Matt

pawpaw is right I just use those cheap harbor freight hand pumps when ever that happens. Pump out what you need. You are checking it in park warmed up and running. it should be between the hatch marks in that mode. It will always read high if the engine is not running.

I use a mity vac hand pump to pull about a half quart out of my trans every oil change it makes me feel better to know i have a bit of fresh fluid in there. I use a dedicated hose that is as long as my dipstick, I have ziptys on it to prevent it from going to far in
and I keep it in a gallon zip loc so it stays clean!!
That mity vac rocks for bleeding brakes too, I suction out all the old fluid from the resivoir refill it with fresh fluid, That way when I bleed my brakes it is getting fresh fluid completely not a crappy mix of old and new!! Be careful when bleeding it goes so fast it can run the res. dry. It is good for changing out rear end
lube too, open the fill plug, pull out the lube through the filler hole, If the cover isn't leaking why open it up and potentially cause a leak, if there is a bunch of metal in
the lube then you should open it up. You can check the operation of vacum operated
components, change your small motor engine oil without getting oil all over the deck.
It really is worth the cost of the mity vac, It does need a bigger bottle but it is easy to make one out of a plastic jug.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mediaman67

That'll work, in fact almost any hand pump will work, if the tubing is long enough.

The window spray pumps don't dispense much per pump, so they take a long time to remove any quantity.

As I posted above I once rigged an old discraded liquid soap had pump & a piece of tubing about a foot longer than the dipstick & smaller in diameter than the dipstick is wide & pumped away!!!! Never have had it hang up going down, or being removed.

A outboard engine lower unit had pump, used to pump the lube in, would make it go faster, as the pump is larger.

Good to hear the tranny likes the new fluid.

Mediaman67, I was able to undo the hose to the radiator and get out what I needed to. From all the good things blue beast said about the mity vac, I'm going to have to get one for future overflows. :) Good luck!

thanks all you guys! as I said, I just got one of these hand pumps for brake bleeding, but it lists like 20 other things you can use it for - might be a knock off of that same pump - it is a craftsman unit - I may need to get a longer piece of hose though...

I guess all I was asking about sticking the hose down the neck, was where does it go? right into the pan, or is there the valve body in the way or something? I don't want to disturb anything, etc...

also, pawpaw, what diameter tube did you use? I guess that doesn't really matter either?

Thanks

the filler neck goes straight to the pan. you will be fine putting hose down it

Matt

Well I had some 5/16 diameter rubber tubing, that happened to fit the old liquid soap pumps siphon tube snugly, so thats what I used.

You'll have to use or fashion what ever will fit onto your mighy vac.

I suppose if one had a syringe, with a length of tubing, that could be made to work in a pinch.

Or just call Matt, heck he doesn't even use a pump, just feeds his tubing in & sucks the stuff out, now thats the MAN!!!! BTW Matt what's Mercon-V taste like, the smell gives me a head ache????? lol

Matts right, just feed that tubing down it's throat & pump away with the mighty vac!!!!