Another overfilling ATF question

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I recently changed my radiator and despite my best attempts, ATF kept dripping out of the tranny cooler lines so I had to top it off. I topped off the fluid and re-checked it after the tranny was hot after a highway drive; the level was properly within the cross-hatches for HOT.

Fast forward to today-- Had to drive several hundred miles for a trip and I noticed the tranny was shifting hard/jerking on the highway. Nothing too severe but definitely noticeable. I pulled over to check the ATF level and the dipstick read about 1/4th of an inch over the max line. I surmise that with the 85°+ temps today and long highway driving, the ATF fully expanded and registered as overfilled in the system. The service area I stopped at had a gas station garage. I asked the lone guy there if he had a fluid pump I could use to pull out the excess fluid via the dipstick tube. Of course, he didn't. I had no choice but to keep driving to my destination. I plan to pick up a small pump tomorrow and pull out some fluid.

I hope I haven't done any long term damage to my tranny. I only noticed the jerky shifting in stop-and-go traffic. And like I said, it wasn't too bad.
 
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1/4 inch is nothing and will not cause your tranny to shift funny. You have other problems. Tranny dipsticks are notoriously inaccurate. Have you ever had you pan off and looked where the dipstick level lies?

I run my Ford 1 Liter over recommended as I want more fluid in there.
 
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I got a measuring bucket from Home Depot. I just refilled it with the same amount that come out. Doing that will absolutely not have any problems
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It's only $4
 
My Maxima is also overfilled right now, although I have no shifting issues.
As I understand it, the problem with overfilling is foaming.

Question for more knowledgeable people:
If the level is only a little overfilled and you don't see foaming on the dipstick after let's say running uphill for 10 minutes at 2500rpm and 50mph, is it acceptable?
 
Which car is this anyway?

I'm assuming the 2002 Accord with 190k on it?

If it is the V6 with the automatic you might be getting ready to
replace that trans....it isn't uncommon for those to fail even when properly maintained at 125k+ due to design flaws.
 
As far as I know, as long as you follow the FSM's recommendation on how to check the fluid level you should be fine. Slightly over in an A/T is something I'd try to resolve or have concern over than say slightly over the full mark on my engine oil's dipstick.
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PS: Did you ever fix your leaking cooler lines from the radiator?
 
Originally Posted By: mclasser
I recently changed my radiator and despite my best attempts, ATF kept dripping out of the tranny cooler lines so I had to top it off. I topped off the fluid and re-checked it after the tranny was hot after a highway drive; the level was properly within the cross-hatches for HOT.

Fast forward to today-- Had to drive several hundred miles for a trip and I noticed the tranny was shifting hard/jerking on the highway. Nothing too severe but definitely noticeable. I pulled over to check the ATF level and the dipstick read about 1/4th of an inch over the max line. I surmise that with the 85°+ temps today and long highway driving, the ATF fully expanded and registered as overfilled in the system. The service area I stopped at had a gas station garage. I asked the lone guy there if he had a fluid pump I could use to pull out the excess fluid via the dipstick tube. Of course, he didn't. I had no choice but to keep driving to my destination. I plan to pick up a small pump tomorrow and pull out some fluid.

I hope I haven't done any long term damage to my tranny. I only noticed the jerky shifting in stop-and-go traffic. And like I said, it wasn't too bad.



Almost every auto tranny I've worked with has a very carefully laid out procedure for checking the fluid, and also the TEMP at which the fluid should be checked at. The "HOT" area on your dipstick was intended by the manufacturer to be read and verified at a certain transmission temperature, and is likely specified in the factory service manual.

For example, my wife's Mazda 6 with the 5-speed FNR5 transmission specifies having the car idling, and the transmission temperature at 65 C in order to get a proper reading. At this temp and condition, the fluid should be in the middle of the L and H on the dipstick. So I usually plug in my scan tool and monitor transmission temp until it reaches 65 C, run through the gears / ranges a few times, and verify / correct the fluid level to the middle of the crosshatch area.

Now, if I were to then take the car and load it with people, luggage, and drive up hill for a while, the tranny temp on this car can exceed 120 C (very hot). You can bet the fluid level at those temps is far above the H on the dipstick, and is to be expected.

If you're getting sloppy shifts at extreme hot temps, then the only way to correct that is to control the temps. My wife's car is getting an AUX cooler to control those ridiculous and detrimental temp readings that kill many FNR5 trannies.
 
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