Transmission Fluid Level doesn't fluctuate much!

[Tundra Thunder]

My transmission fluid level doesn't seem to fluctuate much between the hot and cold settings. When tranny is cold the fluid level is between the cold notches. After some highway driving the fluid is a slighty above the last nutch from cold section (between the hot and cold notch sets). It is very confusing. Isn't it suppose to fluctuate up and down? Am I to low?

Thanks

[akauth]

Originally posted by Tundra Thunder
My transmission fluid level doesn't seem to fluctuate much between the hot and cold settings. When tranny is cold the fluid level is between the cold notches. After some highway driving the fluid is a slighty above the last nutch from cold section (between the hot and cold notch sets). It is very confusing. Isn't it suppose to fluctuate up and down? Am I to low?

Thanks

After 20 minutes of driving (normal - not high speed or extensive city) it should be between the two marks when it's hot.

What matters is not that it's between the two cold marks, but that it is correctly between the two hot marks after 20 minutes of driving.

After some extended high speed driving you should let it settle some before measuring.

Be sure you are reading it correctly. But it should be at least to the lower hot mark after you've been driving for a half hour or so. Sometimes the trans can be very hard to read. Be sure you are looking on both sides of the stick to determine fluid level. Some times it looks right on one side, but not quite right on the other. It's especially hard when the fluid is clean.

If you've got an issue, you can always stop by a dealer after you've driven it for a while and I'm sure they'll take a free look.

Alan

[Tundra Thunder]

Originally posted by akauth
After 20 minutes of driving (normal - not high speed or extensive city) it should be between the two marks when it's hot.

What matters is not that it's between the two cold marks, but that it is correctly between the two hot marks after 20 minutes of driving.

After some extended high speed driving you should let it settle some before measuring.

Be sure you are reading it correctly. But it should be at least to the lower hot mark after you've been driving for a half hour or so. Sometimes the trans can be very hard to read. Be sure you are looking on both sides of the stick to determine fluid level. Some times it looks right on one side, but not quite right on the other. It's especially hard when the fluid is clean.

If you've got an issue, you can always stop by a dealer after you've driven it for a while and I'm sure they'll take a free look.

Alan

Thanks Alan, I will take a look again.

[sdmahr]

20 minutes may not be enough time to fully bring the auto-trans up to temperature. I had one truck where I installed a transmission temperature gage and under no "tow-load", it maintained a cool run temperature of 140-160 F. The only time I have ever been successful at really raising trans temperatures is an extended drive, (say 100 miles + at highway speeds), or towing a very heavy load in stop and go traffic or up hills. Perhaps the "hot" on the Tundra dipstick really means "hot", (which would make the fluid expand enough to reach the hot range on the stick).

My trans level in the Tundra behaves just as yours does Tundra Thunder. I gave up checking mine warm because I couldn't ever get it up to that level when warm. I start mine, go through the gears, and check it cool and make sure its on the higher side of the cool marks. I felt this was safe.