psfred wrote:
Quote:
Transmission fluid expands when hot, quite a bit actually, so it will read high when the tranny is quite warm, as in climbing hills, etc.
Check it after driving enough to get it up to operating temp, and make sure it stays below the top mark in those conditions, and you will be fine.
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Thanks for the advice. Just to double-check, does "those conditions" in your second sentence refer to normal operating temperature (e.g., around town, on flat freeway, engine temperature a little above 80°C), or to the hard-driving conditions, like crossing mountain passes (no trailer, but engine temperature getting up to 90-100°C)? Should I make sure the transmission fluid level is
always below full (which might require removing some on long, hot, hilly drives), or just that it's always below full when the transmission is at normal operating temperature? Sorry if I'm being dense, I just wanted to be sure.
At this point, I'm assuming that the right thing to do is to get the fluid level to "full" when I've been driving around town or on the freeway for 20 minutes or so, with the engine up to about 80°C (which I think will also correspond to about 30 mm below the minimum with the transmission at 20-30°C). Then, if it goes a little higher when I'm out climbing over the mountains, I assume that's OK too. This is contrary to what M.B. Doc said on 8/30, but seems to match what 230/8 suggested, and what I've been able to glean from the service manual. For what it's worth, even with the range of temperatures and levels the transmission fluid has been at (up to about 9 mm above max at the hottest/fullest, or down to about 35mm below the minimum at coolest/least filled), I've never noticed any bubbles or burnt smell on the dipstick. The worst I've had is hesitant shifting (and maybe a hint of flaring) at low fluid levels.