I bought this car 5 months ago. I checked the Tranny fluid and it reads way in excess. I am also starting to find some small spots on my driveway.
What should I do?
Assuming that you’re checking the fluid correctly, which is in neutral or park on a level surface when the vehicle is idling, a high reading indicates either overfill or an internal problem. That, together with driveway spots suggests a visit with your favorite transmission shop before matters worsen.
I assume it’s an automatic transmission. If the fluid level was not checked properly, it could give a false high reading. It needs to be on level ground with the engine running and tranny in park, having first been shifted into each gear position (engine running) for 3 seconds. The most accurate reading will be with it fully warmed up; it will read somewhat lower cold.
If the tranny is indeed significantly overfull, I would suggest having a shop extract the extra fluid to reach the proper level, provided they have a device that accesses through the dipstick/filler tube. This method is easy and quick. The alternative involves removing the transmission pan, which is a lot more work, a lot messier, and loses a lot more fluid than desired for this situation.
The spots may or may not have anything to do with the transmission. Usually a visual inspection from underneath will find their source. Not all leaks require immediate attention, but it’s wise to know what is leaking, to best decide how to deal with it.