This is a little embarrassing to me, but I'm at my wits end. The truck is a 1991 C2500 LD with a 305 and a 700R4 junkyard swap in it. Last night I was filling up the gas tank and I was checking the fluids under the hood like a studious driver when I noticed ATF coming out the end of my TV cable. Well I unlocked the dipstick to take a look and it shot out spewing ATF all over my nice hot manifolds making a big smoky mess and causing me to throw snow on it just to make sure it didn't burst into flames. It was quite the scene... I checked it again 3 miles away when I got home and it was the same thing...just SPEWING the fluid out the dipstick tube.
Ok...so I'm fairly certain my vent tube is plugged. Fair enough. Well I went to check my fluid level today (warm, engine running in park) and it was barely on the stick. That seemed reasonable enough to me given the spewing problem the last night. I put a quart in it...no real change...it's still at the "add" mark. I turned the truck off while I ran in the parts store to grab another quart. I check it again (still warm, this time engine off) and the fluid was WAY up on the stick, probably 3-4 inches above the full mark. WTF, right? So I start it back up and check it...now it's back down to the add mark. I drove it just around the lot and got a small amount of flare in on the 1-2 shift so I stopped and put the second quart in. I then checked on the stick (warm, engine running in park) and there was no change. I turned it off and it went even further up the stick. WTF?
Coincidently my TCC is very busy and tries hard to lock up, but just can't do it other than at VERY light throttle pressure. The ECM is commanding it the whole time, but it just doesn't lock up.
I can't decide if the thing is so overfull that it's foaming the fluid when it's running making my readings off or if it really is actually low and I need to keep dumping fluid in it. I know I need to address the vent issue, but what the hell? I've never seen a transmission spew out the dipstick like that and neither have any of the other techs at the shop I work at. It shifts fine right now other than the TCC issue, but I haven't stomped on it either for fear that it is actually low and I will get a nasty flare leaving some band or clutch in the pan when I'm done...
Ok...so I'm fairly certain my vent tube is plugged. Fair enough. Well I went to check my fluid level today (warm, engine running in park) and it was barely on the stick. That seemed reasonable enough to me given the spewing problem the last night. I put a quart in it...no real change...it's still at the "add" mark. I turned the truck off while I ran in the parts store to grab another quart. I check it again (still warm, this time engine off) and the fluid was WAY up on the stick, probably 3-4 inches above the full mark. WTF, right? So I start it back up and check it...now it's back down to the add mark. I drove it just around the lot and got a small amount of flare in on the 1-2 shift so I stopped and put the second quart in. I then checked on the stick (warm, engine running in park) and there was no change. I turned it off and it went even further up the stick. WTF?
Coincidently my TCC is very busy and tries hard to lock up, but just can't do it other than at VERY light throttle pressure. The ECM is commanding it the whole time, but it just doesn't lock up.
I can't decide if the thing is so overfull that it's foaming the fluid when it's running making my readings off or if it really is actually low and I need to keep dumping fluid in it. I know I need to address the vent issue, but what the hell? I've never seen a transmission spew out the dipstick like that and neither have any of the other techs at the shop I work at. It shifts fine right now other than the TCC issue, but I haven't stomped on it either for fear that it is actually low and I will get a nasty flare leaving some band or clutch in the pan when I'm done...
I'm more curious why the HELL I can't get a consistent reading and why it's pushing the fluid out the dipstick tube. That's A LOT of pressure. Still...I know what I'm going to end up doing. :shaking: Even my initial fill after I swapped the filter in was a little goofy. I did 4 quarts (calls for 5) and checked on the stick. Everything looked great. Then I put it in reverse, moved 2 feet, and stopped. No biggie...I knew it called for another quart. I put that quart in then and it backed up fine. I checked the fluid engine off and it was at the correct level. I drove it home from the shop and checked it then (engine running) and it was low. I just figured the converter and cooler had purged themselves. 2 quarts later and all was well. I just don't get it...
