Low Trans Fluid

[86SS86LS]

What kind of damage can be caused by an underfilled transmission? Soon after purchasing my 87 GN I noticed that the fluid was under the add mark on the dipstick by about 1/2". Even after filling it, I am still noticing a fairly soft 2-3 shift and the 3-4 shift usually does not happen unless I let up on the gas a little(The TV cable is adjusted correctly). Could this have been caused by a low fluid level?

Also, I did overfill the trans by about 1/2" on the dipstick from advice on this board. Typically, how much should a 200R4 be overfilled and at one point does it become detrimental to the functioning of the transmission?

 

[brian]

What kind of damage can be caused by an underfilled transmission? Soon after purchasing my 87 GN I noticed that the fluid was under the add mark on the dipstick by about 1/2". Even after filling it, I am still noticing a fairly soft 2-3 shift and the 3-4 shift usually does not happen unless I let up on the gas a little(The TV cable is adjusted correctly). Could this have been caused by a low fluid level?

Also, I did overfill the trans by about 1/2" on the dipstick from advice on this board. Typically, how much should a 200R4 be overfilled and at one point does it become detrimental to the functioning of the transmission?

Your problems certainly may have occured in relation to the low fluid. Burnt clutches and band, and decreased holding power at any more than low throttle.
It is not uncommon to overfill the trans by 1/2 a qt. Some need a little more depending on the application.
Much over 1/2 you start to see the fluid contain many air bubbles, that is when you are crossing the line.

 

[86SS86LS]

Roughly, what does 1/2 quart translate to on the dipstick? I am currently at around 1/2" above the full mark.