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I have a 2005 TL and today while driving the transmission started slipping out of no where. When the car would change gears it seemed to lag for a few seconds with no grab and then catch hard, other times there was a long delay in the shift time. It's being really finicky. My first thought was to check the fluid but due to the smear on the stick I could not tell whether it's low. Can someone with more experience look at my pics and give an opinion? I think it's low but I don't want to overfill. Thanks!
I dipped the stick multiple times and included photos of it being held in different positions, overall it seemed to be low with each pull but the smear / running made it difficult to tell for sure.
What's the likelihood of catastrophic damage at this point? I used the shiftronic to keep the car from making any extra shifts when this started happening and drove maybe 8 miles home. Could the sudden onset of the slipping and jumping be attributed to low fluid only or is it more likely the tranny is fried?
Fluid looks burnt for sure, but can you guys explain to me how it's low when I see a clear line and both dots are filled in? Now I'm afraid my transmission is under-filled.
Not testing anyone's knowledge, just need to learn
Also John Chase, are you wiping the dip stick VERY dry before you take subsequent readings? Also readings have to be taken within 15 mins of the car being off after a drive.
Last edited by guitarplayer16; May 7, 2018 at 08:52 PM.
So what you're asking about how to be certain if it is low is where I was getting hung up, instinct twlls me yes it is because it was mostly below the top line and usually closer to the bottom. Everytime I remove the stick it smears or runs a little bit so I wasn't certain if it was full but dripping down and appearing low.
Those pictures represent like 6 dips or so, I cleaned the stick 100% between dips and tried to dip the stick as carefully as possible.
Also yes the car had been just turned off after driving for about an hour, I was driving and then the problems occurred. Luckily I was close to home but the vehicle was still hot and on level ground. From what I understand even though the stick is smeared you go by the lowest reading on either side which can be judged by where the fluid seems thickest? Does that sound correct? Even though there is a smear the fluid is kind of thick and beaded on the stick below the bottom hole mostly.
