You may very well have a leak but there is also a good chance it is just temporarily overfilled because the converter is empty and if you started the engine briefly to get the pump going it would fill the converter and there would be room in the pan for the rest of the fluid.

__________________
'82 300D - Light Ivory, 2nd Owner (Back in the wind April 2013!)

'95 E300D - White, grey interior. (Suffering from stuck/broken glow plugs)

Deuteronomy 22:4-
"Thou shalt not see thy brother's ass or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again."

__________________
'85 300SD (formerly california emissions)
'08 Chevy Tahoe
'93 Ducati 900 SS
'79 Kawasaki KZ 650
'86 Kawasaki KX 250
'88 Kawasaki KDX200
'71 Hodaka Ace 100
'72 Triumph T100R

To get the fluid into the convertor, is it safe to start (even for a few seconds)? There is probably 3 quarts of ATF in the pan.

Checked the tranny dipstick cold today and the fluid was about 2-3 inches past the full hashes. That seems to explain things.

Thanks for all the help guys.

George

Hi George,

For my transmission I need to check the level when it is HOT engine running and in park. If you check the dip stick when it is cold and the engine isn't running then you get an artificially high reading. My car is a 1981 w123 300D - I'll look up the transmission number and post back here. It is 'the one' that has no drain plug - you drain by undoing the filler pipe banjo...

Yeah I have never heard of checking it anyother way but
up to full temp level ground

You never did mention wether you drove it sat.-mon. after the fluid ect. change

after I change any trans fluid filter ect.
I always start it let it run a little bit
check fluid level
pull it in all gears one by one
and let it roll about 10-20 feet in each gear
starting out in the lowest than up though
including reverse

to let the fluid flow though all the passages
for each gear

check level again (on level ground while at full temp )
then drive it and check it again

this is probally more than is required or more than most people do

but "good enough" isn't
GOOD ENOUGH for me

I am too particular or anally retentive as my friends say

your trans dipstick get tweeked could it be leaking there?
if all else fails just do the job again step by step it's not that hard

The 85TD is a California emission thus it has the Cali trans - 722.416. I drove the car extensivley Sat-Mon with no leaks.

I was only going to start the car for a brief moment so the fluid can get into the torque convertor from the pan. I didn't want to check the fluid hot out of fear there was a very low amount of fluid in the pan.