How to check ATF levels?

[Kwhistle]

Not trying to ask stupid/obvious questions here, but I'm just not sure about a couple things. So I drove around the block for some 5 minutes, pulled the dipstick out, cleaned it, dipped it again with the engine running. What I see just doesn't look like a clear level, so I'm not sure what the level of the fluid is. There are three holes in the dipstick, the first (lowest) one was filled with the ATF, the other two weren't--is that how you know what the actual level is vs. whatever splashes onto the dipstick above the level in the pan? Or do we just assume that the highest part with some drops on it is the actual level? Or is it somewhere in the middle?

Edited June 5, 2011 by Kwhistle

[General chaos]

i'm not sure what car yo uhave but. the legacy manual says to warm the car up put the trans in all gears. put ift back in park and check the stick. it should read to the full mark when top full warm. i assume it may read half full mark when cold.

[Kwhistle]

i'm not sure what car yo uhave but. the legacy manual says to warm the car up put the trans in all gears. put ift back in park and check the stick. it should read to the full mark when top full warm. i assume it may read half full mark when cold.

 

It's a 98 OBW.

 

I did pretty much what you described above... drove it around till warm, put it in P, checked the the dipstick with the engine running. The problem is, I'm not sure how to read the dipstick, since it seems like the fluid splashes onto the stick above the level in the pan. If this is the case, then I'm low, and if it's not, then I have too much.

 

Edit: Figured I'd add an illustration:

 

 

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This is the picture of the dipstick from the manual. I marked holes in the dipstick with the arrows. Of the three, only the lower one has the ATF in it when I pull the dipstick out. The fluid doesn't really have a level, but more like a gradient where it's very thin and spotty towards the F mark, and thicker at and below the lower hole. (I did clean the dipstick before reinserting it to check the fluid level)

Edited June 6, 2011 by Kwhistle

[Fairtax4me]

The point where the fluid covers the entire width of the dipstick, not just a line or drip on the edge, is right about where your fluid level is.

 

The dipstick tube is partially immersed in fluid in the pan, so the end of the tube has fluid it in. When you pull the dipstick out, it will also pull a small amount of fluid up the side of the tube, similar to tracking dirt into the house on your shoes. When you put the dipstick back, the fluid on the sides of the tube runs down the side of the stick and leaves the thin line on the edge. It is especially bad immediately after adding fluid to the trans. So you should wait for a few minutes for the fluid to drain down out of the dipstick tube after adding fluid before checking the level.