If I overfill my tranny, will the excess ATF run out when doing a standard pan drop and filter change? Since I'm planning several oil & filter changes in the near future it would be nice to know I just have to put in the quantity of the normal amount, like 5 qts, and know I'm really close to the ballpark amount

So why not just check the stick with the tranny in park - well, clean fluid is really really hard to see and the stick also gets wet when going down the tube. I really have no clue of the level

What part of the tranny gets its oil last?

 

I don't understand this type of thinking at all. Just check it with the dipstick. Much easier than trying to guess at it. Look at both sides of the dipstick when you pull it out. The side showing the lowest level is probably correct, since sometimes one side catches some oil in the tube on the way out.

Choose the easy route. GM literally made it to be easy. In the time it took you to get on the internet and post a question you could have already gotten an accurate reading. Go get your hands dirty.

 

It's really easy to understand - I can't see the d*mn level on the dipstick!! Since the whole stick is wet due to the tube is wet on the inside after filling, and the new oil is basically transparent with a little tint of pink I can not for certain see the level. As you know the tube is s-shaped and both sides of the stick scrape against the tube. There is no dry side.
So, with the risk of overfilling (I know nothing about the level in my recently replaced tranny) I fear overfilling it and if that is the case - will the excess flow out or is it "trapped" in other parts of the tranny. Simple question, really.

 

it will get heated up, expand and come out the vent tube on the top of the trans and leak all down to the ground.
it is a simple question, it was just worded oddly by you, which made it hard for us to understand.

google over filled 700r4 for more info on what it might do for more clarification

 

DO NOT overfill a transmission!!

 

umm, dude, it's too late.

but thanks for giving him some good advice..

 

Haha, not at all. I have 6,5 quarts in it at the moment. Depending on old oil level I could be enough, if I could see it on the stick.

 

Add some dye to the oil to make it easier to see.

 

Oh, that would be a game changer! Do you know what to use?

 

Pull dipstick. Wipe. install.
Pull dipstick. Read. Install.

repeat until you CAN read it. If you can’t the level is too high or too low.

I have had your issue. Repeating fixes it. If not you’re doing it wrong.

 

yeah, he can remove it. I suppose I meant never run the car with too much tranny fluid if that makes y’all feel better.

 

If it's underfilled, you're not gonna see it on the dipstick. If you can see it on the dipstick, you're probably good. With my car, if it's low, you can see it's low on the stick. If you pull the stick out and you have fluid WAY past the fill line, you've overfilled it.

 

you really should stick to the red kind instead.

 

@GearheadSS I can't read because the oil is 1. almost completely see-through and 2. smeared all over the dipstick when pulling it in & out.

Yeah, I should probably move to a different oil. The stuff I used this time has very little color in it.

And no one needs to worry about driving around with an overfilled tranny. The car is on stands in my garage.

To make a short story long. For the past weekends I changed from a th700/4L60 to a 4L60E. I emptied the pan on the old tranny before removing it. So, after removing everything, cooler lines, tv-cable, sensors and having the tranny on the ground I lifted it aside, and lots of ATF splashed out from the tv-cable hole. I KNOW that's the case - that a pan drop get's under half of the amount of oil that resides inside the tranny.

Since I changed to a used 4L60E there's no tv-cable and I haven't got a clue of what amount of old oil could be trapped in there, if any oil at all? I filled 6.5 - 7 quarts of almost invisible ATF and started the engine and stood there trying to see anything on the stick. It could for sure be way to low, if the new used 4L60E was completely dry, and need another 5-7 quarts but I can't see anything on the stick because everything is smeared out. I can't see the level on the stick with the engine off, when at least some oil should rest in the pan. Same thing - no color and smeared out. I will do several oil & filter changes to flush the old stuff out (if there is any?) and here's where my initial question comes in - IF a th700/4L60/4L60E would be overfilled, because I WILL add more ATF in the thing - would the excess oil run out when doing a pan drop and filter change, or would the overfilled amount of oil be trapped in other parts of the tranny? It would just be interesting to know, because there is a risk of overfilling if I add ATF until I can clearly see it on the stick. By then it could be way overfilled.

 

If your dipsticks, oil & trans, ate marked by a very shallow line, then at that location, drill a small hole. Esier to read now. been there & done that several times.

 

A "dry" 4L60E or 4L60/700-R4 takes about 11 qts including the torque converter, plus whatever lives in the cooler and lines. By "dry" I mean, COMPLETELY "dry", as in, freshly built with ZERO fluid in ANYTHING.

Draining the pan of one that's recently been running usually lets out about 5-6 qts, maybe a bit more depending on how long the pan was left off (various internal things slowly leeeeeeek out their remaining contents). An extra qt isn't enough to really hurt anything. IMO you're good to go.

You DO need to get realistic about reading your fluid level though and quit making excuses for it. Your transmission isn't going to listen to abuncha excuses for that, over the long term. Make this an "excuse free zone".

 

Small hole in the dipstick did the trick. 9,5 quarts went in, which means a small amount of old stuff was splashing around.