North American Turbocoupe Organization



Auto trans. fluid check
t c mike Offline
Junior Member
#1
How do you check the tranny fluid level in an 88 Turbo Coupe with automatic ?
Thanks 4 your time.
mike
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Tedybear315 Offline
Junior Member
#2
Quick and painless, unless you slip...

Get transmission to operation temp if possible.    (running of course)

Move shifter SLOWLY through all gears going from Park, all the way to 1st manual gear..  Wait a few seconds between each 'engagement' to ensure all the servos are full.  Then move the shifter from 1st back to Park slowly following same procedure.

When finished, and I hope parked on a level surface:  Pull dipstick and wipe clean.  Engine MUST be running during this check.

Insert back into the tube (Nice spot for the damn thing...hard to stab it with the intercooler in the way.)
Do this slowly of course.  Remove and check the level.  You'll probably have to inspect both sides of the dipstick as the fluid loves to cling onto the sides of the tube and gives false readings.

If cool to the touch,  Lower part of the hatch pattern is okay.  There should also be a 'hole' just below the hatch.  That's a rough idea for a cold check, but I wouldn't bet to much on it.  If cold I normally aim for the lower part of the hatchmarks.  Now if the fluid is HOT to the touch?  Then the upper section of the marks will be okay.  Basically you're looking for the fluid to be in that area.  Overfilling can be just as bad as under-filling. 

Good time to check the fluid as well.  Wipe it down with a white towel and look at the fluids condition.  A bit "aromatic" is expected.  Should be bright pink/red and even light brown tint would be okay.  (light brown just means the fluid is getting old and might be considered to change the filter/fluid soon)  If it's starting to get really dark and smells like an ogres arsecrack?  (really burnt and smells rank)  Then that's a sign the fluid has been overheating and the transmission might need at the least a fluid/filter service-  But usually when it gets that stinky, then it's going to be rebuild time in the future.)

S-
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t c mike Offline
Junior Member
#3
(06-25-2020, 05:38 PM)Tedybear315 Wrote: Quick and painless, unless you slip...

Get transmission to operation temp if possible.    (running of course)

Move shifter SLOWLY through all gears going from Park, all the way to 1st manual gear..  Wait a few seconds between each 'engagement' to ensure all the servos are full.  Then move the shifter from 1st back to Park slowly following same procedure.

When finished, and I hope parked on a level surface:  Pull dipstick and wipe clean.  Engine MUST be running during this check.

Insert back into the tube (Nice spot for the damn thing...hard to stab it with the intercooler in the way.)
Do this slowly of course.  Remove and check the level.  You'll probably have to inspect both sides of the dipstick as the fluid loves to cling onto the sides of the tube and gives false readings.

If cool to the touch,  Lower part of the hatch pattern is okay.  There should also be a 'hole' just below the hatch.  That's a rough idea for a cold check, but I wouldn't bet to much on it.  If cold I normally aim for the lower part of the hatchmarks.  Now if the fluid is HOT to the touch?  Then the upper section of the marks will be okay.  Basically you're looking for the fluid to be in that area.  Overfilling can be just as bad as under-filling. 

Good time to check the fluid as well.  Wipe it down with a white towel and look at the fluids condition.  A bit "aromatic" is expected.  Should be bright pink/red and even light brown tint would be okay.  (light brown just means the fluid is getting old and might be considered to change the filter/fluid soon)  If it's starting to get really dark and smells like an ogres arsecrack?  (really burnt and smells rank)  Then that's a sign the fluid has been overheating and the transmission might need at the least a fluid/filter service-  But usually when it gets that stinky, then it's going to be rebuild time in the future.)

 Thanks Teadybear315. I figured that was the proper proceedure, but wanted to be sure. Leave it to Ford to locate the....hmmm wonder if some engineer graduated from dipstick university. Previous owner had fluid changed & only drove 1500 miles. I just want to make sure it isn't over full as it whines a little in reverse. Coolant was over full so...who knows. Thanks again, mike
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Tedybear315 Offline
Junior Member
#4
Dipstick university sounds about right. I've got my own headache/post over how Ford designed the auto transmission cooling lines on this A4LD unit. And we're still awaiting for word from the parts house..or just saying the hell with it and going with 5/16" line from the trans to the coolers.

I'd gladly pay extra if some of the engineers spent some time in the field working along side mechanics! Even a simple tune up on some cars can require the engine to be partly removed! Or in the case of a ford truck having head gaskets done- The shop had to jack the entire body off the frame just so the tech could remove the heads!

S-
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t c mike Offline
Junior Member
#5
(06-25-2020, 08:07 PM)Tedybear315 Wrote: Dipstick university sounds about right.  I've got my own headache/post over how Ford designed the auto transmission cooling lines on this A4LD unit.  And we're still awaiting for word from the parts house..or just saying the hell with it and going with 5/16" line from the trans to the coolers.

I'd gladly pay extra if some of the engineers spent some time in the field working along side mechanics!  Even a simple tune up on some cars can require the engine to be partly removed!  Or in the case of a ford truck having head gaskets done-  The shop had to jack the entire body off the frame just so the tech could remove the heads!

S-
I worked for Ford for 35 years in QC. Some engineers i knew couldn't run a Lionel train unless a computer told em how. Makes me wonder how our beloved Turbo Coupes survived at all lol.
Read your other post.....i feel your pain.....N A P A= never any parts available.....
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Tedybear315 Offline
Junior Member
#6
(06-24-2020, 05:57 PM)t c mike Wrote: How do you check the tranny fluid level in an 88 Turbo Coupe with automatic ?
Thanks 4 your time.
mike

(06-25-2020, 08:28 PM)t c mike Wrote:
(06-25-2020, 08:07 PM)Tedybear315 Wrote: Dipstick university sounds about right.  I've got my own headache/post over how Ford designed the auto transmission cooling lines on this A4LD unit.  And we're still awaiting for word from the parts house..or just saying the hell with it and going with 5/16" line from the trans to the coolers.

I'd gladly pay extra if some of the engineers spent some time in the field working along side mechanics!  Even a simple tune up on some cars can require the engine to be partly removed!  Or in the case of a ford truck having head gaskets done-  The shop had to jack the entire body off the frame just so the tech could remove the heads!

S-
I worked for Ford for 35 years in QC. Some engineers i knew couldn't run a Lionel train unless a computer told em how. Makes me wonder how our beloved Turbo Coupes survived at all lol.
Read your other post.....i feel your pain.....N A P A= never any parts available.....

We're lucky,  our local NAPA stores are fairly well stocked and we're about 20miles from a regional "hub" that has some of the weird stuff in stock.

We also have  "AutoGroan" and "Dis-advanced Auto Parts".    Lately all of 'em have become the "Dorman Junk" distributors.  Or BWD:  Broken When Delivered.  (Had 2 bad starter relays in a row...go figure?)

S-
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