If the cooler has failed, you can couple the coolant hoses together, but
you also should connect the two pipes on the cooler together.  Else you may
have ATF coming out there.

If you loosen the filler tube to drain the fluid, you can put it in a glass
jar or something similar to inspect it.  A mixture of ATF and coolant
should separate somewhat, with the more dense coolant on the bottom.

Yes a number of cycles of fill and drain will be needed to remove
contaminated fluid from the trans.  Nearly half of it is in the torque
converter and does not drain out.  After each refill, run the trans for a
short time, using all the gears, to get the mixture to become uniform again.

It is also worth asking if the ATF has gotten into the cooling system.
 :-(

Larry A.

On Sun, Feb 22, 2015 at 10:59 AM, Rick Cooper <rickdcooper@gmail.com> wrote:

> After having the auto transmission in my '87 2WD overhauled last month, I
> noticed the ATF fluid level creeping up. I've only driven the vehicle three
> or four times, for a total of maybe 50 miles.  When I checked today the
> fluid level was way, way up -- maybe 4 inches up the dipstick!  I'm
> guessing the stock cooler has failed, and that I ought to have replaced it
> at the time of overhauling the transmission.
>
> What are the next steps now?  Can I resolve the problem (pending installing
> a new cooler) by simply taking the stock cooler out of the equation?  Is
> this as simple as connecting the coolant hoses together with a coupling or
> perhaps removing one and connecting the remaining hose to both connectors,
> thus creating a loop?
>
> What about the polluted ATF?  Will a drain and refill eliminate the problem
> or do I need a more rigorous flushing procedure?  Any and all advice much
> appreciated!
>
> Rick
>