Meaning of Lines on Transmission Fluid Dipstick

[lazabby]

My AT fluid dipstick has cold, warm hot on one side and several lines on the other side, about 4 if memory serves me. No writing just lines. What do each of those lines suppose to represent? I know the bottom line is going to be the low range and top line is the high range but what about all the intermediate ranges? The manual has a different description of the dipstick than what I have.

[WelmoedJ]

Checking transmission fluid level is about the same for all cars, regardless its make.
To check the level, the fluid must be at operational temperature.
The next thing to do is move the selector through all the gears, frm P to D1 and back.
Then pull the dip stick and check if the level is between the low and high mark.

On some sticks the low and high marks are represented by words.
In that case you will use "hot" as the check mark for high (which means "full" - no need to add).

From my previous D, an auto, I recall having both low and high marks as lines with the words cold and hot respectively, on the same side of the stick.
Do the low and high lines on your stick correspond to the the words on the other side?
I presume they do.

Overfilling is a sure path towards future problems, as is too low level.
Also be carefull with the fluid pan's gasket: don't overtighten the bolts as this causes deformation of the edge and will cause leaking.

Welmoed.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Don't forget you check the fluid level with the engine running and the car perfectly level. Most line marks on autos I've seen show to add one pint to get to the next line.

[Dangermouse]

I wonder why they have a line for "cold" if the level should be checked Hot?

[Ron]

That is rare on a transmission... But, I agree you should always check it hot, on level ground, and after putting it in and out of gear (Note: You should drive it and make it go into all gears if it's fresh, had a fluid change, major leak etc. to ensure ALL components have had a chance to fill).

[lazabby]

I'll try and get pictures tonight of what I'm talking about. My question was about the lines on the dipstick.

[lazabby]

Here are the pictures of my dipstick. You'll see on one side there are three lines at the lower portion then one line higher up. My transmission fluid level is at the third from the bottom which tells me I need more fluid.

[Nicholas R]

I dont remember my Auto Dipstick looking like that...

[Ron]

$.02

Second pic, from left to right: Full HOT, Full WARM, Full COLD, ADD

[lazabby]

$.02

Second pic, from left to right: Full HOT, Full WARM, Full COLD, ADD

My fluid was up to the third line. Since there is a larger gap between the third and fourth line is this about 1 quart?

[EdR5150]

My dipstick looks the same. I hate trying to read it. It's bad enough we have to fill the ATF through the dipstick tube, then wait till all the fluid drains out of the curved tube... which is impossible! The dipstick always comes back out with fluid all over it. It's a long process of check, add too little, wait, repeat, but don't overfill!

Seeing fluid on that dipstick isn't easy either. I've read painting the end of it white helps. I might try that. Sorry for the rant, and thread hijack.

[Ron]

My fluid was up to the third line. Since there is a larger gap between the third and fourth line is this about 1 quart?I don't know, but would guess it would be purely coincidental if it was. The distance between the two is just the difference in the warm and hot levels in the pan....

FWIW, I have noticed that whenever there only two marks on a stick (several different manufacturers), it usually says "check hot" right on it and often says "1 Qt" between the lines. But since the fluid's expansion rate is not linear over the temp ranges, it wouldn't be a good rule of thumb if there are more than two lines...
When in doubt, I just check them Hot and add ~1/4 quart at a time giving it plenty of time to drain off of the tube like Eddie. A little over will not hurt it and is MUCH better than too low. If you don't trust a stick, you can always drain it well and add the amount the manufacturer's specs call out for a filter change. If it's a 3rd party replacement stick, make a notch for 'Full Hot' with a triangle file.