Hi there car experts,
I recently bought an automatic 2000 Subaru Outback, and changed the transmission fluid and filter. After changing the fluid/filter I drove the car around for about 10 minutes to warm it up and checked the fluid level according to the user’s manual instructions. The level was between the low and high marks on the hot range of the dipstick, so I figured all was well.
This weekend I drove the car 300 miles to visit my mom, and checked the transmission fluid right after the long drive. This time, it was 1/4 inch above the full line on the hot end of the dipstick range. The next morning I drained a cup of fluid, drove the car for 10 minutes, and checked the transmission fluid level again. It was just below the low mark on the hot end of the range, so I added 1/2 cup of fluid to the transmission.
On the way home from my mom’s house, I stopped to get gas after driving for an hour and checked the fluid levels. Again, the transmission fluid was above the full mark on the hot range.
I’m pretty sure I followed the right procedure to check the level - I shifted through all the gears, then checked the fluid on the hot range on the dipstick while the car was running and on a flat surface.
So the question is, what I’m doing wrong? Is a 10 minute drive too little time to warm up the transmission? Or could the transmission be too hot to get an accurate reading after I’ve driven for over an hour?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated…Thanks!
Saskia