well, i took the day off from school today and i decided to finally change the tranny fluid in my 87 v6 camaro, auto. so i dropped the pan, replaced the filter, and drained the rest of the fluid out of the pan. but when i looked at the magnet in the bottom of the pan, it was coverd with 1/4 inch of grey sludge. is this normal, or does it mean that my tranny is going to die soon? i'm almost done collecting parts for my trans am's 350, so the camaro just has to last about 1-2 months. do you think she's gonna make it?

 

That's normal.

 

thanks, thats just what i wanted to hear

 

Is the old filter still in the garbage?

Cut it open. I use angle cutters to separate the metal body from the plastic bottom plate. When you get the filter open, remove the filter media, and unfold it. This is where the "big metal" collects. If you have a couple small piles of small pieces, no big deal.

If you have large chunks of aluminum inside...