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Hi all I just was hired at a local automotive shop and something bad happened… it wasn’t completely my fault however. Anyways this is what happened. I was asked to do a pan and gasket -auto trans. the work order specified to refill it with 7 quarts of atf, so i put in 6 so that i could top up afterward.. long story short after i drive the car the owner tells me its way overfull and that it could have blown a seal. he then tells me that the information they get from Mitchell online is sometimes incorrect and not to trust it. So i feel amiss as to what i should do when faced with this type of job in the future – being without a specification that I can trust. what do i do ? google it every time?
A different technician told me later that day that its safe after doing a pan/gasket job to start with 3 quarts (no matter what type of vehicle) then start the vehicle – cycle through the gears and recheck…-with the vehicle in park or neutral whatever is specified.
If anyone can give me any input on this type of situation where specs could be wrong i would be very appreciative as i’m just trying to do the best job that i can.
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[quote=”fredellus” post=156666]Hi all I just was hired at a local automotive shop and something bad happened… it wasn’t completely my fault however. Anyways this is what happened. I was asked to do a pan and gasket -auto trans. the work order specified to refill it with 7 quarts of atf, so i put in 6 so that i could top up afterward.. long story short after i drive the car the owner tells me its way overfull and that it could have blown a seal. he then tells me that the information they get from Mitchell online is sometimes incorrect and not to trust it. So i feel amiss as to what i should do when faced with this type of job in the future – being without a specification that I can trust. what do i do ? google it every time?
A different technician told me later that day that its safe after doing a pan/gasket job to start with 3 quarts (no matter what type of vehicle) then start the vehicle – cycle through the gears and recheck…-with the vehicle in park or neutral whatever is specified.
If anyone can give me any input on this type of situation where specs could be wrong i would be very appreciative as i’m just trying to do the best job that i can.[/quote]I did the same thing with engine oil when I first started out the amount of oil it needed was booked out and we had automatic filling pumps (put the job details in hold the pump till it stops) checked the dipstick and there was over a litre of oil over.
Just learn from it’s much easier to add more than to remove So always under fill and top up it’s not going to cause any damage as long as there is oil in it .
do you think starting with 3 quarts with auto trans is the best way to go – for starts, if i don’t have a realiable specification?
There is a lot of missing information in the original post. With that being said did you check the fluid level after your test drive?
What specification did you use? Some specs list empty capacity some list for a drain and fill. Some vehicles require the engine to be running when you check it and some require them to be shut down. Was the transmission at operating temperature?
To answer your question I usually start with 2-3 quarts on fwd vehicles and 3-4 on light trucks unless it has a deep pan on them then I might go with 5 quarts on those. Bottom line is you let it go out without properly checking the level.I used the specification provided to me by the owner of the shop. I know i left some information out, this was on purpose because what I’m truly trying to ascertain is how to fill a cold transmission without having a trustworthy specification on capacity after a pan gasket drain or filter removal. If you could perhaps let me know how you would proceed in that situation, that would really be great. Something to the effect of ,
1. I always start with X – check stick – turn car on- recheck stick – ect.. then drive until transmission is warm and recheck.
thank youIf i can’t trust specs that are provided to me, then what I’m looking for is a quick and basic idea of how to fill it up without overfilling on really any type of vehicle that may roll into the shop.
Little jobs like that causing big headaches will bury you in this business. You’re new and inexperienced, didn’t have good information, you just gained experience. Look up the spec, then put in less than spec, about 25% less, then recheck, test drive to get fluid up to full temprature and recheck. Here is a tip: I have a fluid extractor, and makes life a lot easier espeically with this kind of thing. Yup, another tool to buy, but I really don’t see me in this business without it.
http://www.amazon.com/Mityvac-7300-PneumatiVac-Air-Operated-Evacuator/dp/B000JFN9WW
[quote=”Jasonw1178″ post=156933]Little jobs like that causing big headaches will bury you in this business. You’re new and inexperienced, didn’t have good information, you just gained experience. Look up the spec, then put in less than spec, about 25% less, then recheck, test drive to get fluid up to full temprature and recheck. Here is a tip: I have a fluid extractor, and makes life a lot easier espeically with this kind of thing. Yup, another tool to buy, but I really don’t see me in this business without it.
http://www.amazon.com/Mityvac-7300-PneumatiVac-Air-Operated-Evacuator/dp/B000JFN9WW%5B/quote%5D
Great tool to have I have 2 of the 7201 model one for coolant and one for oils.
The owner who told you that overfilling an automatic transmission will cause it to “blow a seal” is wrong. That will not happen.
What can happen is that the fluid can possibly become aerated; meaning that it will froth and become foamy. That in turn can lead to transmission shifting problems. If left that way for a while the transmission could be damaged.Another downside is that overfilled fluid can expand with heat and possibly cause a leak due to fluid being pushed out the dipstick tube or through a case vent.
Either scenario is pretty obvious of course.
If in doubt add 3 or 4 quarts, run it a little, let it sit stationary for a few minutes, and then recheck the fluid level. Unfortunately, there are errors in all publications and even in some factory service manuals. Chiltons and Haynes also have a lot of erroneous info.
I treat oil pan gasket replacement and transmission gasket replacement the same. Always put 3L of fluid in start the vehicle and go from there. Check the fluid when the vehicle is warm fill up to correct specs on the stick take it for a spin then recheck. When I do oil pan gaskets I start off with 3L of oil and go from there. I even do it that way when changing oil, unless you’re source is 100% accurate always follow you’re gut instinct. Never had one issue with the way I do it. Good for you for admitting you made a mistake though the most important thing is you learnt sometimes you’re source is not 100% correct.
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