Umm 700r-4 it got to about -5 at work and i didnt let the car warm up much i just kinda hopped in and left after its been sitting for a couple hours. Well revved it a little to warm it faster and while driving i noticed it wouldnt choose a gear and i smelled clutch-like burning. It also developed a small leak where the gasket is .. when warm. I had to drive it like 10 miles home from work, babying it. Should i change the fluid and gasket? Could the fluid have frozen?
Thanks

 

um the car shifts fine now, it just smelled like something burning that once. could it have done serious damage? Should i just change the fluid?

 

Yes.

While an overly cold condition could have prevented a valve from moving fully and maybe slipped a clutch or band, I doubt that you permanently harmed it. Cross fingers, do fluid / filter, and drive it.

 

Yeah, I agree witn jmd.

Funny related story. I have a CJ5 jeep that I park outside all the time. I went to move it one day so I could get into my other garage bay. It was just a bit below freezing. I got it started fine, but I couldn't move the shifter at all. I was like "what the hell?", so I pulled the top off the trans and to my suprise the entire trans was packed solid with ice! Turns out there wasn't a lick of gear oil in the thing, and I'd been driving it like this for two years! I melted all the ice with boiling water refilled the trans with gear oil. It shifts fine, all the noises are gone, and I've never had that problem again. I guess all those trips through the creek took their toll...