Just went out to check the fluid level on the transmission in my '89 IROC after driving it for a few minutes. I noticed when I pulled the dipstick out that some somke was eminating from the tube. Not a lot of smoke, but enough that I noticed it.

Is that normal?


I also noticed that my fluid level seemed to be very high (above even that little S-shaped bend in the dipstick). Is there a better way of removing some fluid without removing the pan, draining all of the fluid, and replacing the gasket? Like can I just remove enough bolts so that the pan is loose enough to let some seep out, or will that ruin the gasket?

I think I ended up putting too much fluid in because the transmission was slipping a little bit when shifting; I thought that it was slipping because it didn't have enough fluid (had the transmission out of the car and completly drained it when I was replacing the front and rear main seals). I originally put in as much as my Haynes manual said to put in after a normal fluid/filter change, but I thought that I should put more because I completely drained it and the torque converter.

Thanks

 

Well, I can't make heads-or-tails out of that dipstick... I just let the car sit for a few minutes, started it up, checked the fluid level again, and now it seems low.

So, if the smoke is abnormal, would the smoke be more likely to indicate an overfilled or underfilled transmission?

I did put some transmission fluid in the torque converter before I put it on, but I doubt that I got as much in as I took out when I took it off. So, I don't know how much fluid that would account for, but that's why I put a little extra fluid.

 

GM transmissions by-and-large are checked for fluid level with the engine idling, fully warmed up, in park, vehicle resting on a level surface.

As for smoke........... no, that's not normal. Smell the fluid on the dipstick. Does it smell burnt? If so, you might have been running a coupla quarts low for a while or your tranny cooler/lines up to the rad might be partially clogged (or maybe jsut reversed so they are trying to shove the fuid through the cooler the wrong direction, which reduces it's effectiveness).

 

Damon,

I'll check the level again tomorrow and I'll pay attention to the smell.

For the record, I pretty much did what you said: I had it running in park after driving around for a couple of minutes to warm it up. My driveway isn't perfectly level, but it ought to be level enough so as to not make a dramatic difference.

Also, my first post was errorneous: it was actually low on fluid, if anything. I think that I was reading fluid that was left in the tube and came off on the dipstick's way out. I added a half-a-bottle of fluid and it seems to be shifting a little better.

Regarding the cooling lines: I will say that the upper one (the on the transmission) was bent a little too far at a time and is probably not as open as it should be. But, hopefully, it isn't so bad that it's really affecting cooling (it's definately not closed off all the way). Also, even if it were blocked off, I don't see how that would affect the fluid level. I would like to replace the lines at some point, but I don't really know how to do it (GM doesn't carry them anymore--they said that I would need to make them).

Ultimately, what I'm trying to fix here is the slipping that I'm experiencing between shifts (and, yes, I have adjusted the TV cable).

Thanks and I'll keep you posted.