My '02 T-Bird doesn't have a dipstick and it's never been a problem. I took it in for the 36,000 mile check-uo and did the tranny service as recommended by the owner's manual. Dipsticks really aren't necessary since the new fluids are designed to last a long time without breaking down. The sealed tranny gives the fluid nowhere to go, so it's unlikely to need topping off. Just follow the serevice instructions and everything should last a long time.

 

No offense, but the manual recommending the intervals of tranny fluid change is useless. Waiting so long to change the fluid is a big mistake. I bought a Kia Optima V-6, 8 months ago, I changed the tranny fluid at 2,000 miles and it was BLACK, with a lot of crap in it, and a lot of metal shavings on the magnetic drain plug, I then changed it again at 10,000 miles and it was decent with no shavings, so waiting 30,000 miles while running all this time with dirty fluids full of metal shavings is a big mistake. The break in of the car causes metal shavings to accumulate in the fluids (oil and tranny) so, changing the tranny fluid after 2,000 miles and changing the oil after 1,000 miles is the way to go to run your car with clean, metal shavings-free fluids right from the start. After that, I usually change my oil every 2,500 miles and my tranny fluid every 10,000. Don't forget the brake fluid and coolant flush every 2 years, and the axle fluid too.

 

[quote]Actually, this kinda sorts makes sense. We all know that on a "normal" transmission you have to be aware of whether you're checking the fluid when it's "hot" or "cold". But if you think about it, my "hot" may not be as "hot" as yours.

Regardless of what some tech wants to tell you this isn't rocket science - you don;t want to ever overfill the trans under any driving condition right? so drive it under the worst condition for temperature and check it! I don't tow anything and stuck in traffic is a problem in itself so I prefer to take it on a fast run on the highway with the A/C on and then pull into a rest stop. Then (amoung other things) I make sure it's not overfilled. Now if you want to get fancy you can READ the Mercedes dipstick and exclaim in a loud voice: Duh! it says (from memory) 100 Degrees C and there is a line next to that. You can use a digital gauge to MEASURE the fluid temp and if it's close and it's not overfilled we're good enough for a side of the road/driveway check.
The most ignorant/aggravating part is when you read a Mercedes owners manual - it goes something like this - if you see drops of fluid on the floor immediately take your car to a dealer to have it checked (!!?!) Yeah right, I'm supposed to a drive a car that MAY BE/IS critically low on transmission fluid 45 minutes across a major metropolitan area, across a major bridge? And what if it decides there's not enough left and I tie up the highway or better yet the whole bridge not to mention is this good for the trans? Oh right I'm supposed to flat trailer it to the dealer. Yeah right again. And let's not forget when these cars get old and the seals start to drip a bit. What's Mercedes advice? - why of course - replace the transmission!
Maybe I SHOULD tell you about their Foolish Service Program (FSS)

 

I didn't mean to sound like you all are idiots. The bottom line is this stuff is getting very complex, it is becoming very difficult for untrained backyard type folks to work on thier cars. Before you go placing blame anywhere, look in the mirror. You voted the tree huggers into office and told the manufacters you wanted 20+ MPG so DCX is just trying to do what you all want. If they left this stuff for anybody to be able to work on then it would be screwed up long before the warranty expired, there is a reason they make it tough to do it yourself-they don't want untrained persons messing with it.

BTW, we don't use any old cheap-*** fluid, only cheap-*** Mopar 7176+4.

Joesph, if you had black fluid with metallic peices in the pan you should be back at the dealer, something is wrong. It is never normal for there to metal on the magnet, clutch material is OK but never metal.

 

Breaking-in always causes metal shavings, that's nothing new, my tranny is clean and run great now.
P.S.: we don't need to be rocket scientists to change our own tranny fluid, If you're not sure how much you need to refill the tranny after draining it, do what I always do, use a bucket whith quantity marks so that that you know excatly how much to put back, that way it's never over or underfilled. Like my Kia, the retarded manual said it would take 2 quart to refill the tranny after draining it, I used my measuring bucket and 5 quarts came out, talk about underfilling and screwing up the tranny if you follow what the manual says.

 

You can do that or another method comes to mind (in this day and age of we being considerd mushrooms). If you don't have a graduated container look at the new quart of fluid and mark where the level is - they are not always the same! Then pour the new quart into the transmission (it will certainly take more than 1 quart on a drain) and refill the bottle up to the marked line with the old fluid. Do this for all the bottles. That should get you within a ounce or less.

 

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I think there are companies that make universal dipsticks, ones that have an adjustable stop on the dipstick. If you know that your tranny is full, you can pick up one of these adjustable dipsticks, insert it into fill tube - see where the oil level is - then put a mark on the new adjustable dipstick. Then you will be able to check fluid level later on.

I have seen these adj dipsticks (not sure who makes them) I think a lot of hot rods or custom car builers use them.

Or you can get a length of a flexible steel thin rod and make up your own.
By sure to not leave the new dipstick in fill up tube, put back the rubber plug after you check fluid level.

Bob

 

I don't have the manual in front of me however I can tell you the basic steps involved. The Starscan is only used to get an accurate reading of fluid temp. From there we use a chart that graphs fluid temp vs height on the graduated tool (dipstick). With all the heat problems DCX has had in the past they have gotten real good at keping the transmission cool. We see lots of trucks come in overfull with complaints of shifting concerns and noise. I have never seen a truck actualy get ther trans hot enough to measure at the hot mark on the stick (yes, we check all the cars/trucks with scan tools now). I have actualy tried to overheat a 45RFE just to see if it could get that hot-brake stand for a minute, beat the ^$% out of it on the road, etc.. still showed warm.

 

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