93 es300 transmission dipstick prob

Roba360 · October 3, 2016

Hey, I just bought a es300 and put transmission fluid into the resevoir earlier in the day, drove to the store, came home and parked it. I went in, ate and noticed out the window a puddle of fluid under the chassis. After investigating it i noticed it was trans fluid. I pulled the dipstick to check the level, it was dry and tried to put it back in but it wouldn't go all the way in. I had just had it in less than 10min earlier. Any ideas on why the trans fluid might have come up out of the tube and why it won't go back down would be very appreciated. Thank you.

gbhrps · October 4, 2016

Roba360,

Typically transmission fluid level checking is done at idle with the motor up to temperature.

I'm curious as to why you added fluid to a car you just purchased?

It is possible that you read the fluid level incorrectly and then over filled it, in which case it may well have burped the excess fluid out the dipstick tube.

As suggested, get the engine warmed up, put in park at idle, and take another reading.

As for the dipstick not going back in all of the way, try turning it 180 degrees before placing it in the tube.

Roba360 · October 4, 2016

Thank you for the reply. I checked the fluid level with the engine running after work today and it was okay. I was also able to figure out the twist maneuver to put the dipstick back into place (I actually felt like a dipstick after figuring it out). So to answer your question about why I added fluids after purchasing the vehicle, I bought it from a police auction and it had been sitting for a few months. I checked the trans fluid and it was really low so I put some in for a temp solution as I am going to replace all the filters, fluids and general maintenance this weekend. Once again, thank you for the response.

gbhrps · October 4, 2016

Roba360,

You are most welcome!

Power steering fluid tanks level readings can be taken when the fluid is either cold or hot, as there are markings for both. Simply put the fluids expand in volume when hot. That's why taking a tranny fluid reading when the engine has warmed up is the way to go. It gives a much more consistent/true measure of the level, and prevents overfilling.