ATF level high

[vanuatoo]

Today I've checked my ATF level and it's a little bit high than MAX.

How dangerous is this?

[180sx]

Very dangerously safe to the point that it's safe to say that the year has 365.25 days in it!! Did you check it when it was cold or warm?

[fleurys]

[WOT]

Check it cold on a perfectly level surface is the method I found best to find out tranny fluid levels. After the car has been running the dipstick seems to get some blowby or oil run off down the dipstick tube that gives hard to verify readings.

 

I just check my trans oil after its been sitting for atleast 2 hours or so, make sure all the oil has settled down.

 

And I would definetely put it back into the spec region of the dipstick, I dont know of a way to remove just a bit of fluid though, maybe just loosen the drain plug until it JUST starts to slowly drip and let however much you want drip out... would be kinda tough lol

 

get er done

[silverton]

Proper way to check fluid is get it up to operating temp, get it to a level surface, run it through all the gears, and then P, and check the level. I had my transmission replaced by a shop and upon checking the fluid shortly afterward, it was higher than the max mark so it must be normal, the transmission has shifted perfect, doesn't leak, and I've put over 10k miles on it.

Edited December 15, 2010 by silverton

[adamzan]

X2 on the let it warm up part. There is a hot and cold reading on mine but I prefer to use the hot as the manual states.

 

If it is too high, drain some out of the pan and re check. If it is too low add a little bit at a time until it is at the max on the hot side.

 

Or if you've never changed the fluid you could go and get it changed and then you'd know the right amount was put in.

[MY1PATH]

Depending on how over filled the tranny fluid could come out the vent on your passenger side firewall.

 

 

[WOT]

I had my transmission replaced by a shop and upon checking the fluid shortly afterward, it was higher than the max mark so it must be normal, the transmission has shifted perfect, doesn't leak, and I've put over 10k miles on it.

 

Over the max mark is never "normal"

 

I find it gives false readings like I said when you chck when its warm as oil has just run up the fill tub and gets on the dipstick when you pull it out.

 

Since there is a cold mark, why not let everything flow down back into the pan and get an uncontaminated reading??

 

Warm might be what the manual says, but I can never get a consistent reading

[Hawzzy]

Over the max mark is never "normal"

 

I find it gives false readings like I said when you chck when its warm as oil has just run up the fill tub and gets on the dipstick when you pull it out.

 

Since there is a cold mark, why not let everything flow down back into the pan and get an uncontaminated reading??

 

Warm might be what the manual says, but I can never get a consistent reading

I havent posted this yet BUT....i had my tranny repalced in my 01 and ive complained of BAD mileage and lack of power for the last year. ( my maf goes intermittently too) and CEL on too, A couple of months ago i checked all fluids and couldnt get a good read on the ATF...so after having a neighbour check as well (with method from manual) we decided to check it cold. We figured that if it was cold there is NO way it should give a reading over the HOT area...sure enough it did...in fact ive drained 700 ml out of the tranny, and the dipstick still reads at the MAX...THIS WORK WAS PERFORMED AT A NISSAN DEALERSHIP.....ILL POST ABOUT THE HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE I HAD LATER!!!!!!! They did other damage or reported other damage to be repaired after it was put all back together and brought back TWICE!!!!!!!

 

Anyways...ive gained IMHO roughly 10-15% power and gas mileage back after draining the fluid.

So there...

Tye

[Zibi]

There is an overflow on the actual transmission. When I was doing a roadtrip last summer I had to stop because my truck was pissing transmission fluid everywhere. When I had it checked out their diagnosis was there was nothing wrong with it, so it must have been overfilled and when I got it super hot going over a mountain pass it spilled out the overflow. I'd driven it for over a year with that amount in it though.

[WOT]

Enough tranny fluid to come out of the dipstick is ALOT more than the spec ammount, it only take 10-30min max to drain the fluid down to an area in the "green zone"

 

I paid to have this Vq tranny serviced once already, and I would definitely take all precautions in preventing another

[MY1PATH]

There is an overflow on the actual transmission. When I was doing a roadtrip last summer I had to stop because my truck was pissing transmission fluid everywhere. When I had it checked out their diagnosis was there was nothing wrong with it, so it must have been overfilled and when I got it super hot going over a mountain pass it spilled out the overflow. I'd driven it for over a year with that amount in it though.

 

Depending on how over filled the tranny fluid could come out the vent on your passenger side firewall

I've been there, it gets pushed out the vent runns down the firewall and onto the road. If your hose is disconected it will overflow out of the top of the tranny instead.

[Zibi]

I found that the amount of ATF fluid the Haynes manual says to use is wrong, as I put in the correct amount but it was definitely too full. That or I measured wrong, but don't often make that sort of mistake. Either way if you're changing the fluid and filter in your AT, don't just dump all the fuel in, add it incrementally and check the level in case the Haynes manual (should you be using that as a guide) is wrong.

[Precise1]

Proper way to check fluid is get it up to operating temp, get it to a level surface, run it through all the gears, and then P, and check the level.

This is absolutely correct. I only use the cold level as a rough check when filling it.

 

Since there is a cold mark, why not let everything flow down back into the pan and get an uncontaminated reading??

Simple, because the only time the tranny level matters is when it is running (I've never heard of anyone damaging a tranny in a cold, parked vehicle) so that is how it needs to be checked. If one has a, external tranny cooler and/or inline filter, the cold level is probably lighly inaccurate.

 

I am not an auto tranny expert, but I have read that too much or little fluid is undesirable, listing cavatation, foaming, pressure and overflow as undesirable effects. It's not that hard to get a good reading when it is hot and adjust accordingly. IIRC the acceptable level span on the dip stick is 1 pint (.5 liter) worth of volume.

 

B