As I was driving yesterday, I realized that my shifts felt pretty slushy. This had been going on a for little while, and if I really floored it and took off, then a little later I got this kinda sweet, almost urine smell (it wasn't me I swear). Anyway, I checked the tranny dipstick, and the fluid level was way too high and there were bubbles on the stick, indicating an overflow. My question is, where could this extra stuff have come from? I know that the right amount of tranny fluid was in that tranny. Anybody think they might know what's up? I drive an 89 Formula 350 with the stock 700R4. Thanks a lot.

-DMatson

 

There's probably th eright amount of fluid still in the trans, it just occupies more volume (and reads higher on the stick) now that it's foam instead of fluid.

Your filter is leaking where it attaches. That allows the pump to suck in air, which creates the foam, and makes the trans internals act like brakes that need to be bled.

 

I hope it's not filling with antifreeze. Does your fluid look normal?

 

Thanks guys I appreciate the help. Yeah my fluid check is ok and I don't see any red stuff in my coolant, which is a relative plus. I think the tranny filter has a small leak but I'm redoing the filter and pan gasket so that should not be an issue. Thanks again.

DMatson

 

You can also add something like B&M trick shift. It has anti-foaming agents. Something to think about when you change the fluid and filter.

 

All trans fluid has anti-foaming agents. There's nothing special about the B&M product; it's just regular Type F fluid produced at their local refinery, with blue dye added to it instead of red. It won't do anything about that problem that any other fluid isn't already doing. And besides that, the anti-foaming agents won't keep air from being sucked into the pump, so it won't fix the problem. The trans will continue to burn up from having air behind the clutch pistons instead of fluid.

It has a problem, definitely track it down and fix it before the trans burns up, rather than trying to band-aid it.

 

i agree with RB83L69 said

 

Of course its not going to fix the problem. I didnt mean for it to be taken that it would. I just suggested that B&M trick shift would be a good Idea when he changed his fluid.

RB83L69, you said yourself that it was sucking air at the filter. So I figured the fiter was not seated or the 0-ring was missing, and if he changed it this should take care of the problem. Adding the trick shift would just be a good investment. It seems like a better product than the "off the shelf type-f"

 

It's not any better... just regular locally-produced Type F from whatever refinery they're close to, with blue dye; it's just like buying "Coastal" brand or other such, just colored differently and costs more. You can get exactly the same results, whatever they might be, with any Type F.

When my late little brother used to work at TCI, they only used Type F in their transmissions.... they bought it by the 55 gallon drum from the local refinery in the Memphis area (Delta Refinery)... same as B&M basically... something to think about.

 

I had tried trick shift before and thought it worked pretty good. Oh well, you never know what you get now a days. Do you think they put any of there own additives with the blue coloring? Kinda like this new LUCAS brand stuff on the market. no telling what they put in there product.

 

I would expect it to work well, as far as that goes. We all used to call Type F fluid "shift kit in a can" (the days before they invented plastic bottles...) because it will make any transmission shift firmer. It contains more of the friction modifier stuff to make clutches hook up. If you ever look inside an old F*rd trans, like a Cruise-O-Matic or a F*rd-O-matic 2-speed, you'd understand instantly why - they have about half as many clutches as a GM or Chrysler, and the clutches are about half as big. They need all the help they can get just to work at all, hence the special fluid. If you put Dexron fluid (or "Type A" as it was back then) in a F*rd slushbox the trans wouldn't even pull off without burning to a crisp.

I think the moral of the story is, always understand what it is you're really doing when you do something like that. The B&M product might seem like G°d's answer to a slushy 700 to someone who had never tried Type F, and they would likely be willing to go to a speed shop and pay $3.75 a bottle for the same identical thing they could get for $1.19 if they only knew the truth. On the other hand, some of the people here who know alot more about automatics than I do might say otherwise, I don't know.

 

Kinda like, I now a guy that runs trans fluid in the rear end of his race car. Everyone thinks he is crazy, but it works and seems to not cause any wear. I dont think I want to try it, but you never know what might work.

Oh yeah, the trans fluid in my 99 jeep grand cherokee is like ATF 4 and is or was only avaliable from dodge for like $6.75 a quart. Damn thats adds up quick, but they said that the ATF 3 would not work and damage the trans. Something about a change in year models from 98 to 99.