I am a little worried here.. I realized before driving 40 miles home that my Automatic transmission skipped as I got on the ramp. When I arrived back home my dipstick (engine running in Park) was BONE DRY. Except for a small skip at a stop sign, there was no indication that i ruined the trans.

1) what permanent damage did I do with the empty trans.?

2) should I show any kind of precaution when I am refilling it? I bought three quarts.

This forum is great. Thank you all in advance.

 

I'd add one quart at a time, you'll need a transmission funnel, then let the engine idle in park for a few minutes, check the dip stick, before adding another quart. Once the oil reaches the dip stick and is somewhere up in the reasonable range, drive it a day or so, then check it again, and if its really dark and/or smells burnt, I'd do a full transmission flush, which will use about 8 quarts.

re funnels, I like this style, https://www.amazon.com/Hopkins-10704.../dp/B000EH4V0Y I cut the hose down much shorter...

there's really no way to guess whether or not you did damage, and how much. with reasonable maintenance, these transmissions can last many 100s of 1000s of miles.