Did I over fill my Ford 6R80 transmission ?

MetalSlug

MetalSlug

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I ask a question on other thread but got no answer .

I did a pan drop and filter change on 2010 F150 5.4l platium 6R80 6 speed automatic .

I change while the truck was stone cold ( been park for 2 day ) . After drain out . I measure about 7.5 qt . Put back in 5 qt and it start to drip out the fill hole . I went and start the truck . Check the fluid and it was empty . So I add little by little and keep changing the gear from park to 1 and back to park .

keep adding the fluid . About 20 minute later it come up to hot mark . It’s like took 9 qt to get it there . Take out for 15-20 city and freeway mix drive . Shift better then before .
Anyway when I got home . When and check the fluid . It’s way way above the cross mark .

Did I over fill it ? Anyone know a easy way to check the fluid on these 6r80 . I did almost burn myself couple time . Even with mechanic glove on .

quick note : after take out for a 20 min drive . After come home I check right away .is that why it show my fluid is way too full . Should I wait few min for the fluid to settle down .
 
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Sounds like you did, It's not usually possible to get the ATF up to temp just idling. 176ºF-185ºF is the temperature spec for the fluid to be at the top of the crosshatched area.

You can wrap the exhaust with a welding blanket to avoid getting burned.
 
Yes, it's over filled. That's why you should add what the manual reads, and drive it to bring it up to temperature. Park on a level surface and run your gears Park to Low, then back to Park. Check the level in park with the engine running.
 
I did mine not too long ago, as stated earlier it needs to be at operating temp and you check it while idling in park. Its such a pain to pull that stupid 3 inch dip stick 2 inches from the 1000 degree Cat. I made a similar mistake and added a bit too much. I used one of those little hand pumps and sucked the excess out of the dip stick hole.

As a side note....I THINK if you try to check it when its hot with the engine off it will pour out of the dip stick hole when you remove it. So dont try that.
 
So just say it’s way over fill now . Should I still drive a bit and get it up to temp and check it while in park

or should I pump out a quart first thing in the morning and drive it up to temp and recheck .

is the fluid support to pour out when the engine is stone cold and not running .

cause other day I pull the dip stick and bunch of fluid was coming out . But I dint start the truck or drive it . I guess it been over fill for a long time now . No wonder I drain out 7.5 qt . Most video I seen is 5-6.5qt when doing pan drop and filter change .
 
MetalSlug said:
So just say it’s way over fill now . Should I still drive a bit and get it up to temp and check it while in park

or should I pump out a quart first thing in the morning and drive it up to temp and recheck .

is the fluid support to pour out when the engine is stone cold and not running .

cause other day I pull the dip stick and bunch of fluid was coming out . But I dint start the truck or drive it . I guess it been over fill for a long time now . No wonder I drain out 7.5 qt . Most video I seen is 5-6.5qt when doing pan drop and filter change .
Click to expand...
Check em Hot !
 
Nah. Im not a professional, but this is the way I understand things... Atf expands a decent amount when hot. On top of that when the engine is running lots of the fluid is in the torque converter. When the engine is shutoff, it all dumps back into the sump. On these transmissions the dump dip stick hole is right at the sump. I hope that makes sense and if Im all jacked up someone feel free to correct me.
 
MetalSlug said:
So just say it’s way over fill now . Should I still drive a bit and get it up to temp and check it while in park

or should I pump out a quart first thing in the morning and drive it up to temp and recheck .

is the fluid support to pour out when the engine is stone cold and not running .

cause other day I pull the dip stick and bunch of fluid was coming out . But I dint start the truck or drive it . I guess it been over fill for a long time now . No wonder I drain out 7.5 qt . Most video I seen is 5-6.5qt when doing pan drop and filter change .
Click to expand...
If it were mine (my pan has a drain) I would remove a qt. Then, drive it a few miles to get the fluid hot and then check it.
 
You kept adding and checking cold fluid, you overfilled it.. If it was full before you drained it, you should have put back 7.5 quarts back in and be done with it.
 
MetalSlug said:
I measure about 7.5 qt
Click to expand...
That's how much you should have put in before driving away.
Measuring transmission level is done with engine idling.

If the truck has an auxiliary transmission cooler, idling will just get you to the "cold" marks. If you used the "hot" marks it was probably 1-2 Qt too much. "Hot" refers to the transmission temperature, not necessarily the engine temperature.
I usually measure what I get out when draining (pour in an old empty 5 Qt oil jug, with viewing window), so I know how much to put back in. Especially when is the first drain on that vehicle, after that I make a note somewhere. Like I know now that my RAV4 drained 3.8 Qt when it was in OE condition and now is at 4 Qt because I added an aux cooler.
I fill based on amount that I removed, check "cold" lines before driving and adjust (if needed) after driving, based on "hot".

Also, I do 2-3 drain-refills, to remove as much as possible from the old oil. In your case I would suggest a new full drain anyway.
 
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Got level back to cross mark on hot . Next one I’m going to do just pan drop and fluid change at 15k miles .
Truck shift way much better then before . Valvoline max life Mercon LV is approve by ME . Always trust valvoline
337E39A0-C5D7-41EB-AB44-C70E862AEB9E.jpeg
 
well I am done here . All question and major maintain is done to this truck . Beside spark plug and coolant flush . I’m also done with the forum until next time . Back to hibernate . I don’t stick around forum when I don’t have nothing to do with my vehicles lol . Thanks for everything . See y’all later until next time I working on my vehicles . Stay safe
 
Do I have this right?
* Checking 6r80 trans with stubby dipstick stone cold, engine off, fluid level will read way high...like almost overflowing...or at least onto the “barrel” portion of the dipstick.
* checking fluid with engine running, but cold (start engine for 1st time, idle, checking immediately), level will barely show on dipstick (ie, reads low...very low)
* drive around, get everything good & warmed up, then check level with engine running (hot), trans in Park, only way to get a useful reading.

You would think the manufacturer could have calibrated the dipstick to be read engine off, cold and hot (2 different marks on the dipstick)...they should know how much level would rise or drop when trans is up to normal operating temp and idling.
 
Converter drainback is minimal. There is a check valve in cooler line coming out the hot converter port that runs to the cooler. Idea is start and go, no need to wait a few seconds for torque converter to refill itself from the oil pump. For some reason, lots of trans dont pump oil thru cooler lines in park, but do in neutral and in gear. Rebuilders will put in a new valve that allows oil cooler flow in park too.
 
So it appears as though, drain, measure the fluid volume and put the same amount back in will not work with the 6R80 like I can do with my '06 Honda Pilot, correct?
 
DIY_1425 said:
So it appears as though, drain, measure the fluid volume and put the same amount back in will not work with the 6R80 like I can do with my '06 Honda Pilot, correct?
Click to expand...
If it was initially overfilled, no. If it was never drained, then yes, it will work.
 
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