TH400 Tranny Overfilled Solution? TH400 capacity after filter change?

[zdubz]

Dropped the pan and changed the tranny filter lastnight. TM says capacity is between 4-9 quarts. Added 4 quarts off the get, shifted gears, let it sit a few minutes, and nothing registered on dipper. Repeated process with 5 qts and 6 qts and then finally it appeared to be about a quart low. Couldn't get a capacity answer online or in TM's because pans and trannies are different I suppose, but when I added a 7th qt suddenly the dipstick seemed to be like 2-4 qts overfilled. Let it run for a few minutes, drove it about 5 miles, and got the same reading. Shut her down and let her sit overnight and I'm about to go and check again.
If it does still appear overfilled, I'm wondering if I could just pump a qt or 2 out through the tranny dipper? One of my guys at work put gasoline into a 2016 cummins and i was able to drain the fuel tank with a fuel pump and some 5/16s hose. (there arent drain plugs on newer vehicles) I still have the pump and I'm hoping thats an option rather than redoing everything again. The only hesitancy I have is that all tranny dippers I've seen always have a few bends down toward the bottom and if the tube does that then i may not be able to weasel hose in there.

So, any input on capacity or the pump a quart out theory will be appreciated! Looking like a fun day already...

 

[Tinstar]

Just use drain plug to get rid of excess.
If you drain to much just add what's needed. No sweat.

 

[zdubz]

Just use drain plug to get rid of excess.
If you drain to much just add what's needed. No sweat.

No drain plug that I know of lol

 

[Tinstar]

No drain plug that I know of lol

Ah
That makes a difference

Both of mine have them.

You could always loosen the trans pan and let excess run out, but that's a huge mess.

Its that or the dipstick tube. Could also use trans cooler input line to rid the excess.

 

[Terracoma]

I believe the transmission dipstick hash marks are more aptly measuring "pints", rather than full quarts... Low to full is roughly one pint (half a quart), as I recall.

The bends in the dipstick tube itself are gradual, so you should be able to siphon with a small diameter hose.

 

[zdubz]

Alright, so hopefully no-one ever has the problem where they've overfilled their tranny and the pan don't have a drain bolt, but if that ever does happen, I was able to suck just 1 quart out of the pan through the dipstick tube. I explained in the beginning of this thread that I had overfilled my tranny. I didn't want to drop the pan and replace the gasket again after having been crushed, so I was looking for another option.

I took an extra fuel pump that I had lying around, along with some 3/8 (Outer Diameter) fuel hose and 1/8 inch OD fuel hose, and was able to go in through the dipstick tube and suck a quart out. I already had the 3/8ths hose lying around so naturally I tried that first, but that only went down the tube about 26 inches, which didn't quite reach into the pan. The dipper itself is about 32 inches in length, so in order to hit the sweet spot, I needed to come up with at least 32 inches. (Yeah I know... that's what she said)... So I went and picked up about 40 inches of 1/8ths hose and clamped it inside of the 3/8ths.

I still don't know why the 3/8ths only went down that far, but by clamping the 1/8ths in the 3/8ths I was able to go in even deeper than the dipstick goes by a little ways. Picture is kinda hard to see, but the total length of the hoses with pump/fittings is about 111 inches. (Don't need that much, just happened to use that much) The pump runs off of 12v (as its a fuel pump that would be used inside of a vehicles fuel tank), so that's why you're seeing my Subaru in the background with jumpers going to the pumps wires. Theoretically you could use any 12v energy source for the pump.

I didn't want to use the truck's battery cuz I just thought that might be too much **** going on for one place and one system at one time. Not to mention, because of the very small inner diameter of the 1/8ths inch hose that is going down into the pan, the flow rate was about a 1/2 gallon (2 quarts) per hour, and taking that long may have killed the battery. Maybe it would've been fine, but I'm not an electrical guy and static and stuff can be sketchy. Also, apparently it's ideal when transferring fluid with a hose or hardline to use a metal container rather than plastic container as a receptacle because plastic will build static inside of it. I didn't have one, and thought it'd be nice just to put it back into the container it came from. But thats a fun little OSHA regulation they enforce out here in the oilfield.

Price wise the pump was like $50 from napa, hoses with clamps were like $10, and that's it. The pump was lying around anyways so I pretty much spent $5 on the 1/8ths I didn't have and learned a valuable lesson. Fun stuff. Thanks Tinstar and Terracoma for your input!

 

[tourus]

just drive it... It will puck out what it needs to then find it's own level and be fine.... or pull out the shift modular drain some off.

 

[royalflush55]

400TH like to be a little overfull anyways.

 

[Tinstar]

View attachment 641937View attachment 641938View attachment 641939 View attachment 641947

Alright, so hopefully no-one ever has the problem where they've overfilled their tranny and the pan don't have a drain bolt, but if that ever does happen, I was able to suck just 1 quart out of the pan through the dipstick tube. I explained in the beginning of this thread that I had overfilled my tranny. I didn't want to drop the pan and replace the gasket again after having been crushed, so I was looking for another option.

I took an extra fuel pump that I had lying around, along with some 3/8 (Outer Diameter) fuel hose and 1/8 inch OD fuel hose, and was able to go in through the dipstick tube and suck a quart out. I already had the 3/8ths hose lying around so naturally I tried that first, but that only went down the tube about 26 inches, which didn't quite reach into the pan. The dipper itself is about 32 inches in length, so in order to hit the sweet spot, I needed to come up with at least 32 inches. (Yeah I know... that's what she said)... So I went and picked up about 40 inches of 1/8ths hose and clamped it inside of the 3/8ths.

I still don't know why the 3/8ths only went down that far, but by clamping the 1/8ths in the 3/8ths I was able to go in even deeper than the dipstick goes by a little ways. Picture is kinda hard to see, but the total length of the hoses with pump/fittings is about 111 inches. (Don't need that much, just happened to use that much) The pump runs off of 12v (as its a fuel pump that would be used inside of a vehicles fuel tank), so that's why you're seeing my Subaru in the background with jumpers going to the pumps wires. Theoretically you could use any 12v energy source for the pump.

I didn't want to use the truck's battery cuz I just thought that might be too much **** going on for one place and one system at one time. Not to mention, because of the very small inner diameter of the 1/8ths inch hose that is going down into the pan, the flow rate was about a 1/2 gallon (2 quarts) per hour, and taking that long may have killed the battery. Maybe it would've been fine, but I'm not an electrical guy and static and stuff can be sketchy. Also, apparently it's ideal when transferring fluid with a hose or hardline to use a metal container rather than plastic container as a receptacle because plastic will build static inside of it. I didn't have one, and thought it'd be nice just to put it back into the container it came from. But thats a fun little OSHA regulation they enforce out here in the oilfield.

Price wise the pump was like $50 from napa, hoses with clamps were like $10, and that's it. The pump was lying around anyways so I pretty much spent $5 on the 1/8ths I didn't have and learned a valuable lesson. Fun stuff. Thanks Tinstar and Terracoma for your input!

Hey, it worked and was cheaper than a new filter and gasket.
It looks like it's now time to give that engine a bath.

 

[Ultra Mag]

Loosen trans line on radiator.

 

[Jeeperjoe]

I believe the transmission dipstick hash marks are more aptly measuring "pints", rather than full quarts... Low to full is roughly one pint (half a quart), as I recall.

The bends in the dipstick tube itself are gradual, so you should be able to siphon with a small diameter hose.

yeah pints not quarts

 

[Mainsail]

On my Crown Vic I just disconnected at the trans and let it pump itself out. Now I have a vacuum pump and a two gallon glass medical bottle and pull it out through the dipstick tube. Makes filter changes a lost less messy.

 

[zdubz]

Watch for the installation of a drain plug next years mod!