I have a 1979 GMC K15 with 200,000+ miles that I drug out of the weeds and got running again. When I pulled the tranny dipstick it was "dry" and required 4 1/2 quarts to bring it up to full. The tranny runs good with smooth shifting but I'm curious what the total fluid capacity is on a TH350.
Sounds like the seals got dry on the transmission - I would suggest keeping an eye on the level for a while. Don't be surprised if you might wind up replacing some of those seals and gaskets.
Total fluid capacity on a th350 is 10-12 qts. depending upon the converter size that's used. Most trucks will use the 13" converter, so I think that you would be in the 11+ quart range. If you have an auxillary cooler, that usually adds 1/2 to 1 quart to the capacity.
Apologies if you already know this, but always check the fluid with the tranny in Park, at operating temp, and with the engine running. Reason for this is that the converter will drain back into the pan when shut down and give a false (higher) reading. When the car is started the front pump will draw fluid back into the converter and give a true operating pan level. Also, the transmission fluid expands slightly as it heats up, so taking the reading at operating temp is important.
Thanks Chevdog, yeah its a TH350. I didn't drive it while it was low, other than the dry seals should the low fluid be a concern?
I paid $900 for it over 5 years ago to haul shingles and construction debris when we built our house. It wasn't suppose to last for more than a year or so but it simply won't stop running! It needed a new flywheel last year but I couldn't find anyone interested in putting one in for less than the value of the vehicle so I parked it in the weeds.
About a month ago a buddy from church volunteered to replace it for 50 bucks and she's on the road again. With winter coming I went ahead and gave her new brakes and shocks and then had to rewire the bed due to mice chewing the wires If she's still with us next spring I think I might take a body class at the local collage and take up a new hobby. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
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