How does 6+ quarts of fluid come out of the 535iA transmission pan?

[DanH]

I changed the pan gasket too quickly on my 535iA transmission a last month and then it was leaking on the ground, so I left it sit in the garage with the front end up for a sometime until I had time to redo the trans pan gasket. After a few days there was a big puddle of trans fluid.

When I got around to dropping the pan again, I drained the pan through the plug. I assume a total of about 3.2 qt leaked and/or came out of the plug hole like it said in the Bentley book. However, when I put it back together it took 6 quarts of transmission fluid before the level would register on the stick. (Measured with trans hot, level ground, and idling in park.)

How can 3 extra quarts of fluid leak out of the trans? Can more than 3.2 qt come out if you let the car sit with the front end jacked up for a couple weeks?

Or could my leak be coming from somewhere else too? I see traces of leaking fluid only at the back side of the transmission, but I thought that the the trans output seal would not leak that much.

Thanks,

[SnakeyesTx]

Sounds like the Torque Converter drained out.

[632 Regal]

yep
Sounds like the Torque Converter drained out.

[RobPatt]

...lots of juice all up in the bowels and passages.... change when warm and you'll only get from the pan, but as cools and drains back down.... run out if no pan there.



I changed the pan gasket too quickly on my 535iA transmission a last month and then it was leaking on the ground, so I left it sit in the garage with the front end up for a sometime until I had time to redo the trans pan gasket. After a few days there was a big puddle of trans fluid.

When I got around to dropping the pan again, I drained the pan through the plug. I assume a total of about 3.2 qt leaked and/or came out of the plug hole like it said in the Bentley book. However, when I put it back together it took 6 quarts of transmission fluid before the level would register on the stick. (Measured with trans hot, level ground, and idling in park.)

How can 3 extra quarts of fluid leak out of the trans? Can more than 3.2 qt come out if you let the car sit with the front end jacked up for a couple weeks?

Or could my leak be coming from somewhere else too? I see traces of leaking fluid only at the back side of the transmission, but I thought that the the trans output seal would not leak that much.

Thanks,

[DanH]

Thanks for the info. I knew that there was more than 3 quarts total, just wondering why so much more had drained out than I expected.

I had to go to the store a few times to keep getting more and more trans fluid... At least 10 quarts so far due to filling once, then leaking, draining the pan, dropping pan and filling it again. The old fluid needed to be changed out anyway.

[Kulasstar]

what kind of fluid did you use?