My neighbor has a 70 Lemans with a TH350, he recently put in new havoline Dexron 3, and has a small leak, which prompted my question.

His fluid isn't burnt, barely smells used, but it's a rusty (but not cloudy at all) orange/yellow color.

It came out of the bottle bright red, and my Caprice has bright red 2-year-old fluid.

I've never heard of fluid turning orange, any idea what the deal is?

 

That's an old tranny (70) Does it run OK?? what did he have in it before ?? there are parts of a tranny that can collect rust (on the inside) especially if he ever drove through "high water" (above the bottom of the tranny) when you mix ...water, with tranny fluid, with rust... you get orange-ish fluid. I've seen it before ... but usually when the car has been sittin' for years, or it went through high water and kept driving for a while afterwords (before changing tranny oil)

 

It's not actually rusty, it's just that color.

Car has been driven, never been underwater..

 

no... I know... but the only time I've seen tranny fluid that color was because there was rust in the tranny and It discolors the fluid, UNLESS he put the wrong stuff in last time...