why is transmission fluid dip stick in 260E dry on one side ?

[saumil]

Hi,
I am puzzled as to why my transmission dip stick in a 1987 260E is almost completely free of oil on one side and on the other side has traces of oil that are higher than the marks. I thought that if something is dipped in oil, there should be oil on both sides, I am missing something very basic here. The side that comes up with oil can be any of the two sides, it depends on how I insert the dip stick. Also the oil on the side where it appears does not appear to be uniform, meaning that some regions on the stick have no oil while others have oil. Just does not look like the engine oil dipstick when I remove it. Am I low on transmission oil ?

Thanks for the help.

Saumil