Hey guys, i checked my tranny fluid today. And well i always thought tranny fluid was redish color. this was a blackish color, like a realy thin black, maybe REALLY DARK purple. and it didn't really smell burnt, but it didn' smell like usualy tranny fluid, but then i also don't know wut burnt tranny fluid smells like. any clues? oh ya, also it was a little high it seemed.

------------------
88' GTA 350 MODS---> air foil, K&N, Shift Kit, 180* therm, TB bypass

 

You seem to be describing burnt tranny oil.

[This message has been edited by transfixleo (edited August 04, 2001).]

 

i'd drain it, change fluid and filter and hope notinhg else is broke. you might also want to t ake it to a shop to have the trans tested.

------------------
ICON Motorsports
1st & 3rd
MM Black Diamond 538 F&AM

 

OK to change the Fluid and filter... All I have to do is hold the tailshaft up with a jack and remove the crossmember then drop the pan right? no surprises in the pan? where is the filter located? easy to get to? where can i get one to install? Ive never seen the inside before and My tranny has brown black color fluid too. seems to be slipping while i drive. could this be the clutches or bands? how about if the torque converter was bad would the car kinda slip and the RPMS go up and down and up and down?
thanks for the help!!!!

 

Naw, man, you don't have to do anything except drive it up on ramps and loosen the front pan bolts first, put a drain pan under the front end of the pan and slowly work your way removing bolts to the rear. Once it's done making a mess, pull all remaining bolts, drop the pan, wipe it out and clean the magnet really well and pull the filter. The filter gasket may stick up in the bore so have a hook-shaped tool with a screwdriver handle ready to pull that out before you press in the new filter. Pick up a new filter and pan gasket at your favorite parts store. I prefer Napa or Delco parts. Put it back together and refill with about 4.5qt Dexron III fluid (someone correct me if I'm wrong, I can't remember the spec right off) and then you're ready to go. More tranny fluid can be replaced by siphoning about 3qt. out of the dipstick tube at a time every other time you run it or so. Bear in mind this has diminishing returns as you remove some good fluid each time with the old. I calculated it once, but I think after 8-9 times siphoning you have about 96% new fluid. Hope this helps.

------------------
1990 IROC 350
Mods: Too busy trying to make it run right to mod it.
Airfoil, Dynomax cat-back, MSD coil, 180 t-stat, Bald Eagle tires,
Hypertech fan switch, Accel 23# injectors, Holley AFPR, ported plenum,
Ported Daytona Yellow stock base, Moroso valve covers, other stuff,
Ruger P95DC, hot wife, new oil filter, thick rubber floormats, no cats.
18.0 @ 85MPH since I'm one big-a$$ MF
"It's better to have and not need than to need and not have."

 

If its slipping and the fluid is brown, my money is on that the fluid change won't cure anything.

I hate to sound grim, but I've never seen a tranny come back from the dead with a fluid change.

I hope it works for you though..

------------------
ASE Mechanic/Machinist/Smog Tech

1999 NBM Trans Am
1986 Chevy 3/4 ton pick up
1981 corvette
1995 Kawi ZX6R
and 2 POS commuters...

R.I.P. #3
"He can see air"

 

the trany isn't slipping any. it was rebuilt like a year ago, the torque convertor does try to lock up though when im coasting.

------------------
88' GTA 350 MODS---> air foil, K&N, Shift Kit, 180* therm, TB bypass

 

Did they put Royal purple or Trick shift fluid in? These are different in color. My dipstick looks scary when I check it, but I know it's just the fluids color (purple or a greenish... If they mix with red they look black.

 

ahh, good idea, i'll try to find out today

------------------
88' GTA 350 MODS---> air foil, K&N, Shift Kit, 180* therm, TB bypass

 

Well my problem is the crossmember covers the bolts on the pan. is the filter sitting IN the pan? how to get it out? anything else need to be removed? or is it just sitting there. Im talking about a V6 Automatic Tranny in a GMC truck, not a thirdgen camaro.

 

Just take the pan off (may have to support the tailshaft and loosen the x-member to get the bolts in the back (My v6 camaro is the same PIA way, but v8's arn't?)

Just grab the filter and pull it straight down. Make sure the o-ring (orange usually) comes out. Then just rub a little ATF on the ring and push the new filter up in there.

 

ok, it has regular dextron III? (or 2) tranny fluid. anyways the trany doesn't slip, but when i take it out and rub my finger over it, it leaves black residue. so im just wondering if somehow it could of gotten burnt, but its still ok,

------------------
88' GTA 350 MODS---> air foil, K&N, Shift Kit, 180* therm, TB bypass

 

You'll get a better idea if it's damaged after you change the fluid... That will bring out the gremlins

Hopefully everything is OK... You should consider running a trans cooler and make sure you're locking up in 4th.

 

King, sounds like my dad's 700r4 in his Blazer. I managed to get the pan down past the crossmember. We could get at the bolts okay, but the problem was that the pan would not pass the crossmember because the filter was holding it in place. The solution was to reach into the pan and pry the filter down out of the trans. This gave that extra 1/4 inch of "wiggle room" to get the pan down.

To get the pan back up, I did the same thing. I put the filter in the pan bottom. I put the neck of the filter into the trans, then slid the pan up. As I pushed the pan towards the trans, the pan pushed the filter into the 700r4. When the pan was up all the way, I got my fingers between the pan and trans, and pushed the filter the rest of the way.

Hope this helps.


------------------
-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l)