I hate checking tranny fluid level. What really drives me nuts is the way one side of the stick will be wet way past the marks and the other side dry.

My thought is no way does a round tube wipe the stick clean. The fluid on the other side is fluid skimmed off the side of the tube, and as you just poured some down, more than likely, there is fluid to be had.

Somebody Effed up way back when in this design. There ought to be a way to check it w/o the engine running. Gives more reliable reading.

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Te futueo et caballum tuum

1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Always go by the level on the "lower" side of the stick. Also, to be able to check cold check hot like you normally do and then, after car has cooled off, see where it is on the stick and use that indication from there on to check cold. You may see a slight difference because of ambient conditions but I doubt if it makes that much difference. As the seasons change (if they do in Ca) check hot and make sure the cold measurement is still about where you noticed originally.

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Jim

I use a dipstick. Just cut a length of thin nylon tubing. Slide it down the tube and put your thumb over the end. When you pull it up, the retained fluid in the tube will tell you the actual level. Calibrate this once with a careful reading of the stock dipstick.

Hey now, good feedback. I'll try both. Seems that when I check it cold I get a clear reading, just about like checking the crankcase. The ambiguity of the warm, running, check gets annoying. But I figured it had to be the low side. OTOH, the sanction against overfilling is often heard.

This is my first automatic daily driver in a long time FWIW. I'm not exactly sure what the penalty for overfilling is. I know it causes foaming, what I don't know, does that cause slippage and annoyance, or damage?

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Te futueo et caballum tuum

1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Overfilling will cause damage, don't go there.

I like the dip-tube idea!

On my '87 wagon, 722.317 transmission, the difference between the low and high marks on the dipstick is 0.30 liters. That is a pretty small window between "low" and "full"!

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Respectfully,
/s/
M. Dillon
'87 124.193 (300TD) "White Whale", ~392k miles, 3.5l IP fitted
'95 124.131 (E300) "Sapphire", 380k miles
'73 Balboa 20 "Sanctification"
Charleston SC

x2. I don't not know why an overnight engine off reading isn't recommended. You might drill holes in the dipstick like in other cars. It isn't absolutely precise but you'll know the level is between the highest hole with fluid and the lowest hole without fluid.

Sixto
83 300SD
98 E320 wagon

I just assume its standard practice to leave the car alone for 20 minutes after filling atf for it to dribble down the tube and not mess up your reading.

The FSM tells you how to test for cold level check and its not the lower mark on the dipstick, its lower than that. Once you set it as the book tells you the level will be spot on when the transmission is hot.

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2012 BMW X5 (Beef + Granite suspension model)

1995 E300D - The original humming machine (consumed by Flood 2017)
2000 E320 - The evolution (consumed by flood 2017)

just to clarify: doesnt the fsm say to check cold while running? not cold like engine oil. im thinking the torque converter drains out when not spinning.

TQ ain't going to drain out if it is working like it should.

Are we talking checking cold with engine at idle or checking cold with engine off? Checking cold with engine off the level on the dipstick will be indicated as way high IIRC.

Cmac you know you could just get a newish one without the dipstick. The filling procedure, where you measure the transmission temp, guarantees it will be where it is supposed to be.

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Jim

I don't think the FSM says to check cold while running; rather, it says how to refill after transmission service which is only practical to do cold. For most 722.3s the cold reference is something like 1cm below the lower mark on the dipstick. In my experience Zulfiqar is spot on - when it's right cold, it's right hot.

Sixto
83 300SD
98 E320 wagon

On my '87 190DT, I have the same problem as the OP. The dipstick is simply useless, hot cold, running or not. How one side can read differently than the other, I have no idea. That's why I use the dip tube.

The torque converter doesn't drain out when it stops, but there may be fluid that leaks out of the valve body.