How much trans fluid does the tow-pack oil cooler and radiator hold??

Posted this in the thread with my deer-damage repairs, but thought it might be good to also post it here for others to find easily later if searching.

Question for you folks.   In my repairs from the deer-strike I’ve replaced the radiator and the tow-pack transmission oil cooler that mounts in front of the a/c condenser.   My question is, how much transmission fluid do those hold, combined?

When I first got the car back together and re-started it took 3 quarts of Dex fuid while idling before the fluid showed up on the trans dipstick again.   I had my son shift the car into drive and reverse a few times once the car warmed up that day while I re-checked the fluid, and then topped it off to the Full mark.   A day later I checked it in the garage while cold, and was worried that I’d overfilled it, as it was quite a bit above the Cold mark on the stick.   I left it alone as the car still did not have the front sheetmetal installed yet, but was thinking I might have to loosen the trans pan a bit to drain some off after final repairs.  

My car has the original trans (125K miles, serviced with new fluid/filter at 60K and 122K), and has always shifted great.  Don’t want to overfill it.

So since the car is finally basically back together, last night I backed the car out and took it on it’s first short actual DRIVE since the deer wreck in December.   I drove it slowly around the neighborhood first, watching the gauges and listening with the windows down, and then once the gauges stayed where they should, and after feeling no weird shifting or hearing any odd sounds, I drove it to the local gas station and back.   Car ran and drove perfectly, just like nothing had ever happened, but when I got home I left it idling in the driveway and re-checked all the fluids.   Now Hot, the trans fluid was only on the very tip of the dipstick now.  It looks like I need to add at least another pint of Dex, if not more.   No leaks at all under the car.

It just seems wild to me that it’s taking that much transmission fluid to re-fill the trans cooler and radiator.   It sure didn’t seem to spill that much when I removed the old parts…but I didn’t drain them more than want leaked during removal.

Thoughts??

-Mike

Mike

The transmission fluid should be checked when the engine is warm.


Tom

It was warm that first day, but I didn't drive it (front sheetmetal was still off, had just done the rad support and mechanical repairs), and I only let the car warm up and then had Eddie shift it from Park to Reverse and back a few times.   Checked in Park while idling and filled to the Full mark.

The next time I checked it, the car was off and cold, just checked all the fluids and the trans seemed overfilled, was well above the Cold mark on the stick.

Last night I checked it Hot, while idling, after driving to the gas station and back.  It's now just on the very tip of the stick, well below the Cold and Hot marks.   Again that was checking it in Park just after pulling back in the driveway after this first maiden voyage out of the driveway since getting the car all back together.