Transmission fluid drain, refill and "how the hell do I read the dipstick!"
After diagnosing my valve cover gasket leak, the mechanic did my second drain and refill of the ATF along with changing out the internal filter. The last time they drained it, only about 4 quarts came out. I brought about 5.5 quarts with me and he said it was still reading low. Clearly more drained out this time. I came home and checked the level again after a 20 minute drive and it did seem low. But, damn, this is hard to read! It looked like it was just above the cold "L" mark. The little hole was filled but it was hard to say how much higher the fluid really was. I added about another half quart but had a hell of a time reading the levels. Clearly it takes a very long time for the fill tube to drain. But I don't want to keep the car idling forever. Do you guys have a procedure to get a good accurate reading on the dipstick? It always seems like there are dry sections all over the stick and wet sections high up the stick.
And does anyone have a feel for how many quarts are needed to get you from the cold "L" to the hot "L" (same as the cold "F"?) and from the hot "L" to the hot "F"? |
Re: Transmission fluid drain, refill and "how the hell do I read the dipstick!"
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Keith:cool: |
Re: Transmission fluid drain, refill and "how the hell do I read the dipstick!"
you could sand the end of the atf dipstick down make it ruff, and paint it a flat black. nothing too smooth. then the atf will stick to it and measure alot easier.
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Re: Transmission fluid drain, refill and "how the hell do I read the dipstick!"
I choose to ignore the atf spattered 2 inches above all the markings on the dipstick and go solely with which hole is filled. Dunking the stick in atf is going to fill the holes. Dragging it against atf splashed up the tube can account for the rest of the mess but it won't consistently fill the holes. Right or wrong, thats my method.
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Re: Transmission fluid drain, refill and "how the hell do I read the dipstick!"
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Re: Transmission fluid drain, refill and "how the hell do I read the dipstick!"
You will find that if your ATF level is too low, your torque converter will not lock up at highway speeds, or may lock and unlock randomly.
From personal experience on my 96 Polo , |
Re: Transmission fluid drain, refill and "how the hell do I read the dipstick!"
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This morning I checked it cold again, after cycling through the gears of course and keeping the engine running. The level looked to actually be below the bottom circle?! None of the circles were filled but the fluid looked to be just below the bottom one. So I took the car for a 10+ mile drive with a mix of city and highway driving. Immediately after getting back I checked the stick and the first check showed two filled circles but the top one wasn't filled. My son's opinion was that the fluid looked to be about mid-way between the top two circles. I checked it again and the top circle was filled!!! But, again, the wetting is inconsistent. I even took a wire brush to the stick to rough it up but the wetting still isn't complete and even on the stick. It almost looks like the fluid is splashing up into the fill tube when driving and some of the fluid on the walls of the tube is getting on the stick when I check it. I suppose it is possible that I am just barely at the top circle and so it fills sometimes but not always. Comments? |
Re: Transmission fluid drain, refill and "how the hell do I read the dipstick!"
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Keith:cool: |
Re: Transmission fluid drain, refill and "how the hell do I read the dipstick!"
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From the Factory Service Manual http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/atta...1&d=1293980211 Seems like on the HOT side the dipstick, the bottom and center holes should be filled filled and the top one is open. On the COLD side of the dipstick, only the bottom hole should be filled. . |
Re: Transmission fluid drain, refill and "how the hell do I read the dipstick!"
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Also, I don't notice any symptoms of the fluid being underfilled. There is no feeling of "slipping" or harsh shifts. The level is probably fine. I just wish I could tell for sure by looking at the stick!!! |
Re: Transmission fluid drain, refill and "how the hell do I read the dipstick!"
I always look at the back side of the ATF dipstick.
The side that faces the firewall. And usually it takes three times to get an accurate reading. |
Re: Transmission fluid drain, refill and "how the hell do I read the dipstick!"
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The bad news is not nearly as bad as the good news is good. The good news that you have no problems with your transmission.. That surpasses, by far, the bad news that you are unable to check fluid level in a transmission. My comment would be... perhaps for "piece of mind" going back to a Subaru dealer and asking them to recheck your transmission fluid level. My thought would be that they would be willing to do this at no charge. :) Granted, there would be some expense for fuel to drive there, but the resulting piece of mine would far overshadow that minimal expense! That would be my best recommendation. Have a great and prosperous new year! Keith:cool: |
Re: Transmission fluid drain, refill and "how the hell do I read the dipstick!"
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Do you have a feel for how much the level should rise from cold to hot? |
Re: Transmission fluid drain, refill and "how the hell do I read the dipstick!"
Hi Tony,
I have used the partial drain and fill PM method for years on my 87 Jag XJ6 and now on two of our SVXi and both Outbacks. I ran into the hard to read dipstick phenomena. I suggest using a graduated paint bucket to catch the drain ATF, then just add back the same amount. It has worked well for me, after the ATF discolors a bit, it is much easier to read... |
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Re: Transmission fluid drain, refill and "how the hell do I read the dipstick!"
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However... that might not work for you, Tony. It would only work if you actually have the correct level of fluid to begin with. Following my previous suggestion might get you started off on the right foot. The dealer!! I still say they will look at the level on the dipstick free! One other small thing to consider, Tony, if after the dealer looks at the level and adjusts it as necessary, any loss of fluid by any method would cause it to revert back to square one.:( Good luck! Keith:cool: |
Re: Transmission fluid drain, refill and "how the hell do I read the dipstick!"
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Also, based on Tom's comment above I tried something different today. I put the stick in the normal way, pulled it out just enough to be able to rotate it 180 degrees, put it back in and then pulled it out an read it. The fluid level was much easier to read this way. On a related note, the K&N 4001 oil filter does indeed fit the SVX. I would guess that this is the best available oil filter for our car. It is more efficient, has better flow and has better capacity than the OEM filter. It is basically identical in design to the Mobil 1 filters. This size filter was OEM on the 1994 Porsche 911 Turbo which was a 3.6L H6. Supposedly, the improved flow also helps keep the engine cooler. I assume that claim is based on the assumption that better oil flow will spread heat out more evenly and, thus, improve heat transfer. |
Re: Transmission fluid drain, refill and "how the hell do I read the dipstick!"
I know this is an OLD thread, but after searching high and low for a satisfactory answer I came up with a different one, that I think is foolproof. Really I tried everything that was posted here and I still couldn't get a good reading with the brand new real clean ATF, especially while thin and hot. here is my advice.
This works for the COLD test with motor OFF. Remove the dipstick. You take a piece of [clean] tubing, stick it down into the dipstick tube and blow gently into the tube while threading it s-l-o-w-l-y into the dipstick tube. when you hear it start to bubble, you know you are in fluid for sure. https://youtu.be/RaGu3_tTcpA if you really want to go at it, get a Mityvac kit (or similar) and do the same thing,,,marking the hose to the depth reading on the dipstick, but then use the Mityvac to suck out excess fluid. extract ATF at the set depth until it pulls air, and youre done...you dont have to crawl under the car and undo the drain bolt, and even extracting hot ATF during the hot check with engine running seems to be ok [it worked for me anyway] http://www.mityvac.com/ AND just to unload a bit...THANKS Subaru for being absolutely certain that the heater hose is routed directly inline and interfering with the reach and withdrawal of the transmission dipstick. You might be able to see in the video that I used a wee bit of steel wire to temporarily hold the heater hose out of the way. |
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