Update:
I went to the local hardware store. They had two types of transmission fluid, and both claim to be compatible with vehicles specifying Dextron III. One was regular, the other was full synthetic. I almost bought the full synthetic, but the guy at the register advised me against mixing synthetic with regular fluid. I don't know which type my vehicle has in it now, so I didn't buy either.
He recommended a mechanic several miles away, but of course not open on Sunday. I should probably take the car there for a change of fluid. I know that I haven't had anything done to the tranny since 30K miles, and the vehicle has 63K now.
The power steering uses the same transmission fluid.

I can probably wait until I get home and take the vehicle to my regular mechanic; I just wanted to make sure that I'm not low on tranny fluid.

 

Update 2 - June 16 @ 15:12
I took a 5 minute ride to warm up the engine, then checked the ATF dipstick while the engine was running in Park.
The fluid is at the top mark, so it's full. The color is clear, which I understand indicates that it is a synthetic fluid.
I guess when I checked the fluid last evening, the lighting wasn't good, and because the fluid is clear, I didn't see it on the stick.
I could use a small amount of power steering fluid, but again I am unsure of whether it is a synthetic or conventional ATF.
It looks darker than the fluid in the transmission, but again it's difficult to tell. I'll have a better look at that sometime during the next few days.

 

@fw2016
ATF fluid clear? It should be a red/pink colour.....yes it is clear in the sense is NOT black like engine oil. But it still has colour. See here: Transmission Fluid Color Guide (with Chart) | UTI

 

@JRager
Yeah, you are only going to drain what is in the pan. The bulk of the fluid remains in the torque converter. It is important, however, to check the transmission level correctly after you do this job.

 

I have no idea why the fluid in my vehicle's tranny is clear. Maybe it's me, but I am definitely not colorblind.
I read that different types/brands have different dyes in them. Perhaps the one in my car is clear enough to identify it as synthetic.
I didn't change the fluid myself last time; it was done at a shop at about 30,000 miles.
This website describes a 'clean, clear fluid with virtually no odor as being new transmission fluid:

Analyzing Your Transmission Fluid | Should it Be Replaced? - Transmasters Auto Care

There's a lot you can learn about the condition of your transmission just by examining the fluid.

www.transmasters.com

They state that many manufacturers have strayed from the classic 'cherry red' color of ATF.

 

@donkpow
I didn't measure fluid, I simply drained and assumed because everyone said about 4 qts, that would be about ball park. After 2 QTs put it dipstick below the first cold fill hole mark. 3 Qts through it just above the top hole on Hot...so I'm leaving it there.

 

@JRager
Did you follow the normal procedure?
Did you measure the level with the car running after going through the gears?
With the auto, you can't just put in fluid and check the dipstick.... Well you can, it's just not a valid measurement.
You might want to check it again after driving the car, parking it on a level surface and checking the dipstick while the engine is running, or you just assume everything is fine..
You are very likely ~ 2 quarts low,
Your transmission - Until you need to replace it..

 

Am I correct in assuming that today's vehicles have better sensors to warn drivers when fluids get low?
I was told that in older models, if the oil light came on, you're already damaging the engine. I would hope that manufacturers have improved on those sensors by now.

 

@fw2016 There never was a light for the ATF level in the older models.

Note that this is a thread on ATF level and not engine oil level.

 

I checked my database. The last time I had the transmission serviced was at only 15,000 miles ago.
During my 150 mile trip home from Vermont, I observed nothing unusual about the tranny. Judging by the engine RPM gauge, there was nothing unusual going on. If there was a problem, I would expect to see sudden spikes in RPM while the tranny is shifting gears.

 

Yes, I always check the tranny fluid while the vehicle is warm and running. Last time I checked it, I shifted gears (including reverse) before checking.

 

1998 Forester Automatic

I follow all the proper procedures, but when I clean the dipstick, replace it, and pull it out again, there is fluid running up the sides of the dipstick (not completely covering the flat parts), rendering the reading pretty confusing. Am I doing something wrong?

 

@RamJacCorp Questions for you:
1. Driven at least 5 miles to get fluid up to temperature?
2. Engine running when checking fluid?
3. Shifted and stayed in each shifter position for a few seconds?
4. What color is the fluid?
Maybe post a picture?

 

1. Yep
2. Yep
3. Yep
4. Clearish pink

I should have shot a photo and shared. Will do, when I check it again.

 

@RamJacCorp I believe you are referring to the fact that pulling the dipstick then transfers some ATF to the insides of the dipstick tube and that ATF then gets on the dipstick when you reinsert it. If so, I generally look for where there is a “line” in the middle of the dipstick of “dryness”. In other words there should be a solid amount of ATF until the fluid level ends, and then some comes on the sides above that from the dipstick tube.

 

Exactly. It just seems tough to see the line of demarcation.

 

Yup - try to get it dry, dip it relatively quickly, and look for the lowest dry spot instead of the highest wet spot if needed
P.S. This is why most automatics no longer have dipsticks 🙃

 

Yeah, that seems to be the best we can do. I wonder if that's really the reason they did away with the dipstick. I'm thinking they want you to bring it in for service. $$$$

 

@RamJacCorp My guess they got rid of the dipstick is to reduce costs and no one in the general public even checks engine oil level let alone the transmission fluid level. And with the new transmission technology where fluid is filled and checked from the bottom at a certain temperature..it does away with the transmission dipstick.

 

@RamJacCorp My guess they got rid of the dipstick is to reduce costs and ….

Well, a transmission doesn’t burn oil like an engine, so unless it’s leaking, the level is ok.

So between people not checking it with the engine running, checking it cold, and not getting a good reading,
People were creating more problems for themselves and for warranty costs.

A precise level also helps with spin losses and aeration.

 

The CVT seems to want pristine conditions that don't bother the 4EAT...

 

@2004XT_Auto

No need to make this any more complicated than necessary.

Static height, cold, on level ground, is 3" of fluid on the dipstick for 4EAT.

You can check it any way you want, and compare the readings, and if you do it correctly, you will end up with 3" static height, cold.

I have a 3" paint mark on top of the fuse box, for easy comparison.

The 4EAT is the most robust component in your drivetrain.

Just drain out 5 quarts every 30,000 miles and refill with IDEMITSU ATF TYPE HP. Then drain another 5 quarts 5,000 miles after that, and refill with IDEMITSU ATF TYPE HP.

So it comes out to 5 quarts at 30,000, another 5 quarts at 35,000, then 5 quarts at 60,000, another 5 quarts at 65,000, and you can do that forever.

I downshift into 3rd and 2nd almost every time I slow down, because I'm too lazy to change out brake pads.

End of story,

 

I'm such a dipstick! I hope one day I don't struggle so badly with this but it really is maddening for me, draining fluid, adding fluid and never feeling like I got it right. You would think at this point I'd have a better skillset with this, but I'm not there yet.

Recently changed the oil and did a drain/refill on the transmission. Oil is fine, level looks good but the tranny I can never get right, thats why I always put the drain/refills off.

My issue is it looks low on one side of the dipstick, its looks really high on the back of it. I have already removed 3/4 of quart to get to this point. See pics. and yes, I am checking the tranny warm, engine running on a flat surface.

A YT video I found suggested wiping the dipstick on a piece of paper to tell exactly where it is. Well even so with that trick it still seems the front of the dipstick is reading low and the back is reading high.

So before I add or remove any more fluid please bless me with your insights! Thank you!!!

Front

Back

 

How much ATF did you put back in after you drained the pan?

 

@donkpow your question got my gears spinning!

If my math is right I’d say 4.5 quarts. I added roughly a quart from an existing jug of ATF to a fresh 1 gallon jug of ATF. So 1 gallon + 1 quart = 5 quarts. There is roughly 0.5 quart left in the jug. There for what I put in is 4.5 quartsbtw this is going of eyeball estimates off the level window side of the jug.

What I removed in my troubleshooting the dipstick was .75 quarts. So that would mean 3.75 has remains.

When I did the drain I did remove what felt like a full gallon based off where the level was when I put it in an old ATF jug, maybe even a tad more if I recall.

For all I know my levels were high before this cause I’ve always had a hard time with this part.

Any idea why the front of the dipstick seems low but the back of the dipstick seems high?

is it possible I’m supposed to be looking only at the front. Part of me feels like it’s low, but the oil sits so high on the back of the dipstick it trips me up and I cant determine an accurate reading.

 

Any idea why the front of the dipstick seems low but the back of the dipstick seems high?

I don't know, I don't have that problem. I always use the holes. I don't even know if I have looked at the back of the dipstick. I have polished my dipsticks with fine emery or crocus cloth.

 

@donkpow what does polishing with emery paper do? I also seen a guy cut notches in his dipstick with a Dremel and suggest scraping it in the pavement to edge it up. I guess that can possibly grab a better reading? Idunno…

I read through the first page of this thread and something that caught my eye was letting it idle for a few minutes after removing the dipstick to allow any fluid to fall back down the tube.

I have not been doing this. So I’m going to give this a try and see if that removes the high reading I’m getting on the back of the dipstick.
My gut is telling me the fluid is low and I need to go off the front with the holes. I’m gonna trouble shoot this some more today.

 

I polish the dipstick to remove the brown patina from the surface. When the dipstick is closer to white metal, it is easier to see the red fluid level.

 

@donkpow Good stuff! I put some 400 grit sand paper to it and it seems to be reading a little better. Perhaps I should go deeper on it to get it more white. it's atleast got vertical scratches on it that seem to be picking up the oil better.

I added another 1/4 quart after doing so cause it seemed below the L mark when checking hot on what I presume to be level surface. Now when I take the reading its above F and going even passed the twist on the dipstick.

The difference though is that it appears to be shifting much better, it was having difficult before, just taking a long time it felt. I assume better overfilled the under filled.

Next gas station I'm at I'll check it on their level surface. If it is still looking over filled, I will removed just 1/8 quart to gauge. I will get this right!

Thank you!

 

at first glance, do y’all think this is low? Is the reading potentially where you see the the oil pooled up. I see fluid up the dipstick but very thin amount.

 

If that is a COOL temperature reading I consider it LOW, if that is a hot/warm operating temperature reading, I consider that VERY LOW.

 

It’s a hot reading, and dang I’ve been driving a lot too. Gonna add what I have of ATF. It is easier to read with the sand paper applied to the dipstick. Why are these so hard to read!!?