tranny oil leak/smoking

[Chris84]

today i had the emission test and it passed with 0.0% co at idle and light throttle (better than my girlfriends golf) but after the acceleration the car began to smoke out of the engine bay, the smoke smells like burnt tranny oil.
i figured out, that there is to much oil in the tranny, so that it spills of the oil filler tube and comes all over the headers...

so my question is:

is it dangerous to have to much oil in the tranny ( i think there 2 quarts to much in it)
this weekend iŽll have a gasket swap, so then i can change the right amount of fluid. can i drive the car until saturday (approx. 20 miles)

[mrltd]

If it's got a trans cooler, you can disconnect one of the lines and drain the fluid from there while idling in park, helps to have a friend to start it and shut it off.

I don't think it'll hurt it too much, but it will smoke like crazy.

[91waggin]

could also buy a siphon pump (only a few dollars--it's a big plastic tube with a rubber bulb in the middle to start a siphon) and suck the extra out of the dipstick filler.

[import convert]

if youre gonna drain it by droping the pan you might as well change the tranny filter too. yea i cant think of anything bad that could happen either

[gadget73]

over-filling the trans can cause the fluid to get churned up and become foamy. Air froth in the fluid won't let it lubricate as well, and the air will compress where pure fluid will not. Its really not the best idea to have the trans over-filled. As long as its not shifting strangely you're probably OK but I'd suggest taking care of that as soon as you can.

If the fluid and filter are fairly recent, probably sucking some out of the dipstick tube would be a better option. If its not recent, then I'd suggest a new filter and a complete fluid change since you're already in there.

[P72Ford]

I wasn't aware that overfilling would cause the fluid to froth and foam. Make sense, I suppose. What I do know, is that aerating (frothing/ foaming) the fluid will cause cavitation, which can kill a pump.

[Pirate]

This might surprise you, but some transmissions actually have the fluid level go above the base of the dipstick tube when the motor is shut off. That is why you check it with the engine running, as it pulls the fluid down to the correct level when the engine is running.

HOWEVER, the problem here, concerning the leak, is NOT the fluid level (which needs to be correct, of course), but the rubber O-ring that is the seal on the bottom of the dipstick tube. I will almost guarantee that it is hard and flat, and is allowing fluid to seep out. You are going to have to get another O-ring from a tranny shop or auto parts store, get a 9/16th's wrench, and dive back behind the motor, to the rear of the passenger-side cylinder head, pull the bolt, and pull the tube up, remembering to put a drain pan down below to catch any excess fluid. Pull the tube up, replace the o-ring, rub some tranny fluid on the o-ring (you might tear the O-ring if you don't), and then slowly slide the dipstick tube back into place, bolting it down after you are done.
Start the car, check and correct the fluid level, and then check for leaks. That should fix it.

[mrltd]

Actually, it's a 5/8" wrench you would need, it's on a bellhousing bolt. I dunno why I didn't think about that before!

[Pirate]

Actually, it's a 5/8" wrench you would need, it's on a bellhousing bolt. I dunno why I didn't think about that before!

Whoops, the Chevy I just worked on hath tainted my knowledge.

You might be able to get at it from below then, as it's on bellhousing bolt #2 from the bottom, on the passenger side...