[T3] My final question about the auto trans fluid level.

[Jim Adney]

On 22 Mar 2016 at 14:15, William J wrote:

>  I'm well aware the engine has to be running.and the fluid warm and realize 
> the fluid must circulate and fill every passage so I shift it from drive to 
> reverse.a few times .

Okay, I thought we'd been down this road before, and you'd made it 
clear that you were doing it right. So i'm stumped. If I had to 
guess, I'd say that letting the dipstick sit there awhile let it 
accumulate some splash from inside the AT, but I really have no idea 
how active things are in there with the engine idling.

What happens if you do this test:

Insert the stick and remove it quickly: get a low reading

Insert the stick and let it sit awhile: get a high reading

Now what happens if you repeat the quick insertions a few times? Do 
you again get all (or mostly) low readings? If so, I'm gonna guess 
that letting it sit accumulates splash. If they are all high after 
the first high reading, then it's just that the fluid has drained 
back to its normal level in the sump.

Once filled, the various passages in the AT don't drain back down as 
long as the engine is running, but I'd expect some dripping/draining 
from the walls, etc that would occur after a drive or possibly after 
reving the engine. Frankly, I wouldn't expect it to make this much 
difference, so this leaves me puzzled.

I CAN tell you what happens if the level gets too low. At some point 
there's not enough ATF to drive the hydraulics, so the AT will start 
to have trouble getting into gear and pulling the car. This marginal 
operation is clear enough that you'll know to add ATF well before any 
damage is actually done to the AT.

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Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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