3 spd tranny quantity

[trucker677]

hey guys,

I changed the tranny filter on my car, it is a 3 speed automatic with 4 bolts in each corner. I am trying to read in the book on how much to fill it up with but it doesn't explain or show it very good. There is a bar that has a notch taken out of it that is beside the clear tube where you put the tranny fluid in. do I fill it so it is between those marks or at the bottom of the metal bar. The tranny fluid is at room temp.

[Mrmerlin]

did you drain the torque converter as well?? if so the trans should take about 8 qts possibly more, first fill it till it close to the top then run the engine for about 30 seconds then refill it do this a few times till the level wont drop down the run the engine and keep filling till the level is correct this should be somewhere close to the top 1/3 of the see through reservoir

[trucker677]

No, I didn't drain the torque converter, I only removed the pan and the filter.

[Mrmerlin]

the TC holds about 4 qts of oil it is a wise idea to drain it the drain plug is accessed through the small grate on the bottom of the trans.
turn the TC till you find the plug , a helper turning the crank is a good thing here just draining the pan is going to leave almost as much as you have removed kind of a waste if time and trans fluid if you ask me

[trucker677]

I installed the pan and put the fluid in, I should be able to drain the torque converter still without removing the pan. I am going to assume there is a line that runs from the tranny pan to the torque converter. my car is at level ground right now or do you think it would be easier to just drain the pan and then drain the torque converter.

[MPDano]

Well, to do it right. You really need to do everything at the same time. When you started your car up, you just contaminated the clean fluid with the dirty fluid in the TC. I'm not sure if draining the TC also will solve your problem, but it's a last ditch effort before looking for a good used one.

[Mrmerlin]

if you have already started the car after refilling the pan, then you have old and new fluid mixed.
I would drain the pan and the TC and refill it it takes about 8 to 9 QTS

[Maleficio]

Just think of the half-fill you did as a pseudo-flush.