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How to check transmission levels

desertrogue

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united_arab_emirates
Hey guys - very dumb question here but I can't find the information in my owners manual

I have the 4 speed auto transmission i believe and I need to know how to check the oil level as I suspect it is low .

when I check the dipstick after driving the car for 30 mins in 45 degree heat the oil is just above the lower " cool" notch


i mi do not understand how you know if you have enough oil . There is a hot area further up the cool notches but nothing to say low or high

can someone tell me when I check the oil , ie cold , after a drive , engine on/off and where the oil should be


noticed a slight very faint howl/whine coming from what sounds like tranny at certain speeds and stops when I pop it into neutral while driving which just started tonight , so am wondering if the oil is low


any help appreciated


cheers
 
ATF is checked with the engine running, i N or P. Best at operating temp - the hot area on the dipstick.
If you add or remove atf, run it through the gears before checking level.
 
Hi uHu,

Thank you very much. Can you tell me what you think o fthis then.? I ran the car for 25 KM approx. 20 minutes. I then pulled over and put the shifter into all gears then immediately went and checked the oil.

The oil is on the second notch of "cool" - but no where near the "hot" notches - does this mean I am really low on oil? or the gearbox just isn't that hot?

Its really hard to tell if it needs oil or not
 
Do you have the Owner's Manual?
 
Why not check it when cold?

start engine, cycle through the box, back into neutral(still running) and check the level on the dipstick if its under the min mark for cold put some in. Simples:icon-biggrin:
 
I ran the car for 25 KM approx. 20 minutes. I then pulled over and put the shifter into all gears then immediately went and checked the oil. The oil is on the second notch of "cool" - but no where near the "hot" notches

25K should be enough to warm it up, I'd say it was low on ATF.

I always check mine when hot and with the engine running - I keep it at the top of the 'hot' band.

Top it up with 'Dexron III' - via the dipstick tube :icon-wink:.

Bob.
 
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Thanks guys - took your advice,
1) - I have the owners manual however there is nothing about checking the tranny oil

So I tried to check the oil when cold as silvercruiser said . When cold, engine running in N - the oil it above the "hot markers" ........and when driven for 100KM where the engine bay is like a furnace the oil is on the lower "cool" marker. Argh so I really do not know how to know if the oil is low or not :(
 
Everything gone quiet?

Any ideas chaps?

Currently in London visiting, was cool to see a few 100 series driving around
 
If it was me i would take the hot reading as correct and try putting some more oil in.
 
Thanks guys - took your advice,
1) - I have the owners manual however there is nothing about checking the tranny oil

So I tried to check the oil when cold as silvercruiser said . When cold, engine running in N - the oil it above the "hot markers" ........and when driven for 100KM where the engine bay is like a furnace the oil is on the lower "cool" marker. Argh so I really do not know how to know if the oil is low or not :(
Iirc, the cool mark is below the hot mark, so that doesn't quite make sense. When you checked when hot, was the engine running?
I'll check the 2000 dipstick and manual on Monday. The manual you have, is it the Quick Reference Guide?
 
Thanks alot guys - sorry to bother again.

Yes the cool mark is below the hot - there is a rather large difference in the gap between. I agree it doesn't make sense. When it was hot the engine was running and in neutral and it was definatley hot! I had to use gloves to get the dip stick out otherwise it would have burnt my hand . - this oil was just below the cool

When cold the engine was started up, the shifter put into each gear then left in Neutral then checked and it was at the Hot marker :S

Hmm I think I have the full owners manual but some pages are missing so maybe that page is missing - as I checked the section under maintenance and its not there, every oil BUT the t-mission oil , even in the engine diagrams it shows the oil dipstick but not the tranny oil one

The reason I got to checking the oil - is my mechanic changed the oil with the toyota atf oil I provided. However I notice that when driving ( everything in the car is off i.e AC, radio etc) and I can hear a slight whine ( the same noise a radio would make when you have electrical interference that changes the more RPM you give) , its a faint whine that only happens at 100kmph-115kmph then it goes away, and if you are decelerating it the same whine between that range - and so this prompted me to check the oil , however as I cant tell if its the right level or not I don't want to put more oil in if its already full , and I would take it to the dealer but they wont just do what I ask the tell me " the car is due major service so cough up 700 GBP and we will do the tranny oil.
 
Just wanted to check - if I put more oil in and it is actually overfilling it - what kind of damage could it cause?

Generally just concerned I am driving it around and it may infact be low
 
Sorry guys - could someone with an auto box check their oil levels with their engine cold - i.e just started up and tell me what their dip stick reading it?

Checked again yesterday both with engine off - in N and the oil it in the lower HOT marker, then started engine and it was the same

Then drove it for 40 KM - checked again and the oil is in the lower COOL marker

I want to top it up , but would be good to know what your guys dipsticks are reading

cheers
 
Here:
ScreenHunter_06 Sep. 01 21.57.jpg
 
Thanks Alot uHu really appreciated!.

So it seems the temperature should be 70-80 C, I would guess that when driving here at night time the temperature outside is apprxo 45 degree's C and then after a 35 KM drive it would be a little hotter than that, so perhaps thats why I am not getting the reading I would expect.

I have decided I am just going to fill it up until it reads how it should at the hot marker, and ignore what the "cold" reading says.

I found some other articles that said the "cool" is just for my own reference but should not be used as an actual indicator..............followed by do not overfill as may cause damage argh. Why could they not have made this a little more definitive
 
Hi Guys

Just to update - finally got the toyota ATF oil - it took 2.5 litres to get it up to the "full " line once running at operating temperature, so I hate to think about the possible damage I have done to my gearbox

Does anyone have any idea what the slight howl/ whistle/ whine noise is at 100 kmph + , its very faint but I know its there - is this normal? or more issue to come?

Thanks
 
it took 2.5 litres to get it up to the "full " line once running at operating temperature, so I hate to think about the possible damage I have done to my gearbox

These boxes hold 13 litres of ATF - so I doubt you've done any damage :icon-wink:.

I'd be guessing about the 'whine' - I'm still at the "fixing major issues" part of the learning curve :icon-rolleyes:.

Bob.
 
Ah that is a good point Bob - thanks for the re-assurance !

Hah I am the same - although I see you are from Kirkliston - Scotland ( Glasgow myself , wifes from up north)
 
I see you are from Kirkliston - Scotland ( Glasgow myself , wifes from up north)

Well, I live here now - but I'm actually an Englishman (Army family, moved around a lot, grew up in Somerset mainly).

I moved to Scotland as a 25-year-old in 1972 (working in the IT Industry).

Now retired :icon-wink:.

Bob.
 
Ah I see - I work in IT myself

Just as a quick one - would anyone have an idea what the noise could be? or confirm if their Landy does it?
 
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