Checking oil on Allision MH Gear

[joesig]

When you change the oil on the Allision MH Gear do you check the level with the engine running or stopped? Thanks, joesig

[Walter P]

Running in neutral preferably warmed up.

Walt

[Sparky1]

Yep, and it will read high when it's cold.

[joesig]

Thanks, for the information.
joesig

[stewart]

When checked running and in neutral, I let it cool for a day then scribed a new full mark on the dip stick so cold checking was easy.
Cheers Stewart

[Sparky1]

When checked running and in neutral, I let it cool for a day then scribed a new full mark on the dip stick so cold checking was easy.
Cheers Stewart

That sounds like a good idea. Can anybody explain why they chose not to have such a mark from the factory which would allow for cold checking without running the engine?

[MikeP]

Because different arrangements re oil filters on different kinds of vehicles would make it inaccurate. For example, if you have tranny with an oil filter directly mounted a "full" tranny would be x quarts. If you have a tranny with remote mounted, large filters and 6-8 feet of hose each way, a full tranny is x+y quarts because of the lines/filter. When the tranny cools, depending on how everything is mounted (drainback), the level in the cold tranny will be dramatically different between the two installations. But the level in the two operating, warmed up trannys will be essentially the same.

So thats why every installation may be different and it is up to the operator to determine the cold level for that installation.

[Sparky1]

That certainly makes sense, but I assume that making a mark such as joesig did would give an accurate reading once a true full reading was obtained.

[MikeP]

Absolutely right - it would be accurate for that setup and is a good thing to do so you don't have to mess with starting/warming up just to check the fluid level.

[Walter P]

Sometimes such an obvious fix goes unnoticed...this makes a lot of sense, thanks guys.

Walt