hey guys...first time asking question here...2002 ram 3500 van 5.2 with 46re tranny...i done simple filter and fluid change and the bands adjustment per book

with motor up to temp and in neutral the dipstick barely shows fluid on it.......with motor at temp and in park dipstick shows in the safe area....when motor is stone cold after sitting overnite the dipstick shows full

it drives and shifts perfect,i used atf plus 4 and wound up putting in 6 quarts,,,,no noise or vibrations or anything....why does it show low in neutral yet shows differently in warm park or stone cold??

 

You have to check fluid level in neutral, as the torque converter is not charged in park, checking fluid in park will give you an artificially high reading.

 

update....i drove it for 15 min then parked it with it at idle and went through gears and then back to neutral.....it showed low so after 2 more quarts it now reads full in neutral at idle....

shortly after i bought van i had to fix a leaking hose/clamp on the cooler line that was leaking....the shop manual says 4 quarts for a simple filter and fluid change and it took 8 quarts to get it at the full mark.....soooo,i guess ive been driving it for the last 3k miles 4 quarts low....is it possible that running it while 4 quarts low wasnt enough to hurt anything? like i said,it seems to shift through all gears with no problems or noises....i can see this is gonna be a great place to learn from...

 

If it still works good, run it. Being low on fluid will tend to make it run hotter, and shift erratic, but, if it still works the way you think it should, run it till there actually IS a problem.

 

think im good to go....just got back from 200 mile trip today.....ran and shifted great.....thanks for the help