ATF Levels Not the usual problem

Mitsubishi Delica L400 production commenced in 1994 -- After much anticipation, the L400 arrived on Canadian Soil in 2009!
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FernandoConejeros
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ATF Levels Not the usual problem

Post by FernandoConejeros »

So, first of all, I tried to find an answer to my problem using the search engine but nothing similar popped up.

Long history short. I was up in alaska during this 2019-2020 winter and I flipped my deli over onto its roof whe going down an icy snowy hill. It all happened in slow mo so believe it or not the damage wasnt at all major. New headlights, transmission radiator and Bob's your uncle. To my luck I didn't get any scratches because of the snow. Only dents.
The only problem was replacing that tranny radiator. I ordered it from canada and replaced the radiator and the atf.
Now heres the problem. Eventhough I filled it up with a cold engine til the cold line and then I double checked that the fluid was up to the hot line with the engine running and everything seems to be alright the gearbox wouldn't engage after I chuck it on Drive. It would rev up a fair bit before getting in motion so I figured I'd add some more fluid little by little until it finally engaged without hesitation. The thing is that the atf level is way passed the lines, whether in cold or hot. Which I don't really mind, I can live with it but I wont ever know if its enough ATF since I stopped pouring it as soon as the gears started engaging. Now every once in a while my deli feels a bit rough when shifting gears. It used to be very smooth, almost unnoticeable but now you can always feel it and sometimes its a bit rough.

Any ideas? Should I add more tranny fluid?
I know that you can damage the transmission box with too much fluid or too little.

Thanks everyone
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Growlerbearnz
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ATF Levels Not the usual problem

Post by Growlerbearnz »

You can absolutely damage the transmission with too much or too little fluid. If fluid level goes above the top "hot" mark it will foam up inside the transmission, and foam doesn't lubricate.

I would drain the fluid until it's at the correct level, and try again.

(You're checking the fluid level with the engine running and the transmission in N, right?)

After the rollover you probably had a big air bubble in the torque converter, that can take a while to fill back up. The usual way of bleeding an air bubble is to run the engine, put your foot on the brake, and shift to each gear in turn, pausing for 5 seconds in each gear. shift up and down all the way from P to 1 and back until you feel each gear engage normally.

Good luck!
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