Apparently transmission fluid is a popular topic today. I had the opportunity to change the transmission fluid for the first time after 2.5 years of ownership in my 96 5 speed. I put in fluid to get to just below the Full line so I buttoned everything up and took a test drive running through all the gears. I pulled the dipstick and found the level up at the F letter. I checked again several hours later and it is still at the elevated level. I searched the forum and found a discussion about overfilled auto transmissions and it was helpful, but since I have a manual, is the level as critical? I even thought about a syringe and some rubber tubing to pull some out through the fill tube rather than pulling the drain plug, but maybe it's not a big deal. Thanks for any input.

It's not a big deal. With older types of fluid overfilling could cause foaming because of cavitation. New additives in modern oils work very well at preventing foaming of the fluid. Being at or just slightly above the F mark on the dipstick will not have any ill effects on the fluid or the transmission. The difference between full and low is only something like 1/2 quart, might even be less than that. So if the level is a tenth of an inch over the mark, that's only a few ounces of fluid.

I used to overfill mine because it leaked. I figured it was better to have too much than not enough (because when it got low it whined...). Never had any problems. Never got bubbles on the stick either when it was a bit full.

Cool. I was reading the recent atf thread and the point about the fluid draining down the fill tube made by fairtax seems like what happened in my case. I will check the level periodically to make sure everything stays where it is. I guess with each dipstick pull, I'm bringing the fluid down just a little bit closer to the full line. The transmission feels much better shifting now with the fresh fluid though.