Wot they both said, with the engine running the oil is pumped around the gearbox filling things like the torque converter... with it off the torque converter half empties it's self... bearing in mind that the final level is to the filler plug with the engine on... when the engine / pump are turned off the level in the sump will go well over the filler plug

Also have you checked that you are on perfectly level ground... my drive has a very slight fall to one side, about 3" over 6 feet, so not much... but it can make a 1.5 litre difference on the dipstick I have to be very careful cos depending on which way I'm facing it is possible to overfill or under.... The Gearbox is desinged to be done on a ramp, which are level.. or they'd run the risk of pulling out the ground (2 poster). Now while it is more than possible to do the gearbox oil without the use of a ramp, it is very important to get the car as level as possible.. I used some scaffold boards as packers, had to run the car up and down them a few times adjusting it to level... and then I discovered that by placing my trolley jack under 1 corner and lifting the car 3" I could get every thing level in both planes without the faff

FYI I have a short (18") spirit level which I sat on the air box under the bonet and then on the side steps of the car.. you could also run a level across the tailgate  Yesterday I couldn't spell Engineer... Today I are one!
Inventor of the 'Guide-o-Matic automatic wheel alignment tool'
Former long term L322 owner, Up/Down graded to a Classic Tractor!

Good point Miggit, It looks level but never actually checked it with a level. Will run it for a few days then swap again but this time check for level before. So with everything drained out that will come out through the sump plug, What should my target of litres of fluid to get in be ? Its got to be 5 or 6 hasn't it not 3.5 ? 2006 3.0 TD6 Vogue Black - sold
2011 4.4 TDV8 Vogue SE Black - sold
2007 4.2 supercharged Vogue SE Grey - sold
2003 4.4 V8 Vogue green - sold
2009 3.6 TDV8 westminster mariana black 59 plate - current

Err it's a bit more than that Bud, the fill from dry is 9.9 litres and a refill is 6 litres.... so there's 3.9 litres trapped in the torque converter

The problem with dropping the oil and refilling is the 3.9 litres of old / contaminated / incorrect oil left in the system... the "power flush" method will get 99% of this oil out of the box.... where as dropping the oil and refilling will leave the 3.9 litres or 39% of the old stuff to contaminate the new... and this where you'd need a real maths genius to workout the dilution rate... but suffice it to say, no matter how many times you drop the oil you will still have an element of the old stuff present

Personally I'd be power flushing with 10 litres of the correct fluid, and then have an extra litre to top it up

As far as target amount of oil into the box... the same as what you took out (that's what the calibrated drum is for), and then check level on the level at the correct operating temp...... If you've ever owned an old style automatic you'll know just how much the oil expands in the box... "hot and cold" on the dip stick  Yesterday I couldn't spell Engineer... Today I are one!
Inventor of the 'Guide-o-Matic automatic wheel alignment tool'
Former long term L322 owner, Up/Down graded to a Classic Tractor!

IMHO, waste of time measuring what came out, you want the correct amount in there, not someone else's mistake, do it by the book and all will be well....  Pete

__________________________________________________
2014 L405 Autobiography SDV8 4.4 Loire Blue Ebony interior
2011 L322 Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8 Baltic Blue. Parchment over Navy Interior. Sold
2012 L322 Autobiography 5.0 Supercharged Ipanema Sand, Jet Interior. Sold
2002 L322 Vogue 4.4 V8 Epson Green, Ivory over Aspen Interior (Fatty Offroader) Sold
-Click for Project Fatty off roader-

Cheers Pete

Point taken 2006 3.0 TD6 Vogue Black - sold
2011 4.4 TDV8 Vogue SE Black - sold
2007 4.2 supercharged Vogue SE Grey - sold
2003 4.4 V8 Vogue green - sold
2009 3.6 TDV8 westminster mariana black 59 plate - current

Haylands wrote:

IMHO, waste of time measuring what came out, you want the correct amount in there, not someone else's mistake, do it by the book and all will be well....

I agree if your dropping it into a bucket and filling it up.... BUT when you power flush it is very important not to run the gearbox dry.... so you pump out 2 litres and fill 2 litres, and so on,. The transmission fluids' first task is to lubricate the pump, without this the pump will wear and not function properly and will have major knock on effects in the rest of the gearbox operation.

So the measuring of what came out is more to make sure that you don't run dry, more than monitoring what's going in.. you can't over fill the gearbox cos your filling it to a level plug / filler, but you can over do the flushing bit  Yesterday I couldn't spell Engineer... Today I are one!
Inventor of the 'Guide-o-Matic automatic wheel alignment tool'
Former long term L322 owner, Up/Down graded to a Classic Tractor!

Update

Drained it out again and put in 5.5 litres. It runs really smooth and changes nicely with not a judder in sight so going to leave it at that for the moment. So it must make a difference having the correct type of fluid. Will do full filter change etc next time

Thanks everyone for your contributions 2006 3.0 TD6 Vogue Black - sold
2011 4.4 TDV8 Vogue SE Black - sold
2007 4.2 supercharged Vogue SE Grey - sold
2003 4.4 V8 Vogue green - sold
2009 3.6 TDV8 westminster mariana black 59 plate - current

OT but i noticed in your signature that you started with a 2006 ff than a 2011, 2007 and now a 2003. How come? Usually its the other way around that you start with a older model working your way up.  L322 Vogue 2003

Ha Ha, yes I know. Because I was doing quite ok with my business until someone took me for a load of money and financial problems. I lost a lot but really missed my FFRR so scrapped together 5K to get an old one and it rides really nice. Doing ok now so maybe get a newer one soon but enjoying it at the moment. You know bong, ping, check side light bulbe, check side light, check coolant, air suspension inactive, thinking about just blocking out the display  2006 3.0 TD6 Vogue Black - sold
2011 4.4 TDV8 Vogue SE Black - sold
2007 4.2 supercharged Vogue SE Grey - sold
2003 4.4 V8 Vogue green - sold
2009 3.6 TDV8 westminster mariana black 59 plate - current

I thought it was because you had seen the light and realised how much better the earlier ones are....

Well that's what I keep telling myself....  Pete

__________________________________________________
2014 L405 Autobiography SDV8 4.4 Loire Blue Ebony interior
2011 L322 Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8 Baltic Blue. Parchment over Navy Interior. Sold
2012 L322 Autobiography 5.0 Supercharged Ipanema Sand, Jet Interior. Sold
2002 L322 Vogue 4.4 V8 Epson Green, Ivory over Aspen Interior (Fatty Offroader) Sold
-Click for Project Fatty off roader-

Was hoping for something like that to Hayland  L322 Vogue 2003

Well I'm sure that he isn't missing the rust  Yesterday I couldn't spell Engineer... Today I are one!
Inventor of the 'Guide-o-Matic automatic wheel alignment tool'
Former long term L322 owner, Up/Down graded to a Classic Tractor!

supercharged was the best, will get another of those I thinks 2006 3.0 TD6 Vogue Black - sold
2011 4.4 TDV8 Vogue SE Black - sold
2007 4.2 supercharged Vogue SE Grey - sold
2003 4.4 V8 Vogue green - sold
2009 3.6 TDV8 westminster mariana black 59 plate - current