Transmission burping fluid out of dipstick

[Poppy Sunshine]

Hi all,
I'm having a weird symptom that my shop has been stumped on and I am hoping someone may have had something similar and can give some advice.
So here it is- '85 Vanagon/Subaru conversion/Auto trans-
After a grade climb or long distance travel at a strong speed when I decelerate trans fluid is being forced out of the dipstick and then pours on the exhaust causing quite a smoke cloud. My vent is clear and the fluid is not too full...ok so any help would be much appreciated
Thanks!
Ken

[FarmerBill]

What condition is your trans cooler in? Never owned a Vanagon but I think the trans coolers are known for failure.

[modok]

Subarus transmission venting system is not probably not designed to work backwards.

This is a topic to take up with whoever designed the conversion
Maybe the dipstick just needs to be sealed better, or maybe the trans needs additional venting.

PROBABLY not any subaru auto trans experts around here.

I doubt anybody would even want to know, unless our left leg quit working, which could happen to anybody, so, let us know.

[Poppy Sunshine]

Not sure on the cooler condition. Thought it was new or rebuilt recently so I will check on that.
Thanks!

[evanfrucht]

I personally don't know, or have any desire to know such things

Perhaps a dweller in the Vanagon section might?
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[Lingwendil]

Is this a Subaru auto trans, or the original vanagon trans?
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[madmike]

Puking fluid out the dipstick tube is a sign of overheating,, add a trans Cooler
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[Poppy Sunshine]

[jlrftype7]

Make sure the simple vent on top of the Transmission is free to move up and down. It's basically a steel cap that is also able to rust in place.
You can generally pop them off, clean up the crud or rust, then pop them back onto the tube they sit on. You'll have one for the Final Drive/Diff in front of that Trans Vent, as it needs its own vent, so it's worth making sure both of them are free and move that slight amount up and down for internal pressure release of their assemblies.

GOWesty Trans Cooler, I have one too. It needs to be plumbed or installed correctly. The actual maker of the cooler valve that GoWesty uses has specific instructions on which way the valve needs to be getting the hot fluid out of the Trans. On your trans, that will be the lower port of the Transmission, the upper one is the return back into the Trans Oil Pump. I'll see if I can post the very nice picture from Derale, who I think is the maker of the valve GoWesty.
Well, tried to attach a picture of Derale's instructions on the Valve/Thermostat, but no such luck....
Anyway, Google Derale Fluid Control Thermostat Part # 13011 or look up the valve on their website, which provides the install instructions. Picture clearly shows how the valve needs to be routed/plumbed, with the larger diameter side of the valve[the one that has the hex screw cap on it] getting the hot fluid from your transmission in the direction of the arrows on the valve itself, then going to the cooler out of the valve.
From the cooler back to the valve on the smaller side of it, out of the valve and back to the trans cooler port, which is the upper one, basically middle of the trans case on its front end.

How heavy is your Vanagon when you're having the fluid issues?
Really loaded, or lightly loaded. Some people with heavily loaded Westy's are not sticking with the GoWesty Cooler and are trying other coolers that have a dedicated fan mounted to the cooler itself.
Search for Samba User Kourt's notes on his issues with the GoWesty Cooler.
I've got a lighter TinTop Vanagon, that's rarely loaded at all, so we might be lucky with our set-up as we've not experienced any Trans Cooling issues at all.
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[?Waldo?]

Are you checking the fluid level per the manual?

E.g. Drive a few miles to *warm it up to normal operating temperature*, stop and *leave the engine idling* to check the dipstick.

Not warming it up properly will make a big difference and will result in significantly overfilling the trans and could make it puke when the fluid warms up and expands.

[jlrftype7]

[Wildthings]

What is the level of the gear lube in the final drive? Depending on which of the seals that separate the two boxes are leaking the lubricants can move either way between the boxes causing one to over fill and the other one to run dry.