Hello!

BLUF: Would extremely low transmission fluid level cause the dash to say the vehicle is in 1st when the gear selector is in park and prevent the vehicle from starting?

Vehicle: 2009 Econoline 350
Transmission: 5R110W

Story time: my dog ate one of the transmission lines going to the oil cooler in my E350. When I replaced the line, I decided to also change the filter that is in the pan. After closing the pan back up and adding 4 out of 9 quarts of fluid I went to check the dip stick and saw that it was about 1 cm below the hash line. Not wanting to overfill, I went to start the car to get the transmission fluid moving and take another dipstick reading. When I went to start the car, the dash says that the vehicle is in 1st but the selector is in park. So before I dump another 5 quarts I just wanted to check and see if there is something else I should check. Thanks.

 

Problem solved - turns out the dog knocked the selector switch into 1st gear when he was under the car. Got lucky that he did not get squished.

 

If the total fill is 9 quarts and you already filled 4 quarts as initial fill, don't go by the book and just add another 5 quarts or you will likely overfill it. After dropping the pan, and even if you wait 10 hours, your entire 9 quarts can't be fully drained out. You need to trust your dipstick and add accordingly.