I was underneath my 1999 Ranger yesterday getting rid of some surface rust and I noticed there was transmission fluid seeping from the pan bolts. Shouldn't be happening with a transmission that was "rebuilt" 18k mi ago. I drove the truck around approximately 4 or 5 miles until the thermostat got into the middle of the gauge and drove home. I parked on the relatively flat side street by my apartment, let it run another 4 or 5 minutes more to make sure it was hot, and pulled the dipstick, engine running. Is the fluid overfilled? This was tough to get a picture of, as the fluid looks like it comes up to where the dipstick twists and seems to go beyond it. Could this be why my transmission does that random thudding on the 2-1 downshift?
As for the incline on the street, the truck does not roll in neutral with no brakes on. There is a slight crown to the road for drainage, but it's not a steep incline.
Yes it is
How would you remove some fluid? Dropping the pan is the only way I know to do it, unless I can siphon it out from the dipstick hole with a pump.
It's hard to see but it appears to be right. I would suspect whoever installed the pan did a lousy job being careful with the gasket. I'd get a new one, drain the fluid, reinstall the pan properly and put the fluid back in as it was before.
I had a hard time judging in person. I may get a dipstick tube siphon and pull a little bit out to see if that will make the level more clear. I had bubbles appear about midway up the hashed out area a few times. I also suspect bad workmanship on the gasket. I noticed drips on the parking lot and that's what prompted me to check the tranny.