Fluid starts oozing from pores it was never supposed to come out of.
I'm going to assume no one here knows what will happen...
What he said ^ above.
No, you still need to have the engine running. This method just allows you to do it before everything down there gets scorching hot.This is super helpful - my transmission has always made more noise than I liked - thanks to @Fitzmotor for the thread and @ctechbob for this video - once the rain stops I'll go check it cold with the motor off
Ford likely removed as a cost saver ?
I was kidding but thanks for making sure I wasn't a total dunce and misread the thread! I appreciate the very helpful disposition of this site!
Thanks Quang, I always appreciate the effort and detail you include in posts like this. Now I gotta check mine, it seems like it could be in the same boat.Quick update for anyone playing along at home: The Mercon ULV fluid I ordered (2 qts) arrived last week. I added 1/2 qt first, then re-checked the level cold. The very bottom area (below the 6 hash marks) had a bit of fluid on it, but that was it. I added another 1/2 quart (so, 1 full quart added). This brought the level up to even with the 5 on the stick, when checked slightly warmed (by that I mean that the engine had been running for around 90 seconds, all the gears had been cycled, and it was checked in park, with engine running. The shroud on the cat was warm (almost uncomfortably so) to the touch, and the trans pan was beginning to get warm (nowhere near up to operating temp, but not stone cold either). Note that this may be *slightly* overfilled ... by like 2 ounces. Based on all the sources I could check, when checked cold, the fluid should be between 6 and 5 on the stick, when hot it should be between 5 and 4. Anything higher than 4 when hot is considered overfilled. I have no idea how much fluid that would really mean.. but it took 1/2 quart to go from bottom of the stick to bang on 5 when measured cold, for whatever that is worth.
This transmission is supposed to hold 12.5 quarts. I'm not going to be too concerned about possibly overfilling by a couple of ounces.
Now on to what everyone probably really wants to know: Did this make any difference to how the truck drives? YES. Shifts are silky smooth now.. to the point I have to really pay attention to even detect when it is shifting when the throttle is not loaded up. Prior to topping off the fluid, frequently I'd get hard/harsh shifts, and putting the truck in reverse first thing in the morning could sometimes cause a really hard thunk/thud as it shifted, and again when going from reverse to drive. It has not done that yet at all since topping off... park to reverse is smooth, as is reverse to drive - even after leaving the truck parked overnight outside in mid-40ÂşF temps.
I waited a few days since topping off the transmission to post any of my thoughts as I wanted to have some serious butt dyno time under my belt before reporting my impressions. I topped it off on Thursday, then left that afternoon to drive down to the Grand Canyon to hike. 2000 miles later, and I can confidently say that a) my transmission was DEFINITELY underfilled at the factory, and b) the truck now shifts smoother in all scenarios: light acceleration, heavy acceleration (freeway onramps, from 20 mph up to 70 mph as well as passing at highway speeds, etc), engine cold, engine hot, etc.
Sorry to ramble on so long, but I wanted to capture as much detail as I could while everything is fresh. Hopefully my experience is useful to others.
Here's a shot of the fluid level after adding 1 full quart, when checked cold (well, slightly warm):
ouch. hope everything is good for a long time Sid.
