black transmission fluid is better left alone?

[Guest]

I've had this car a few months and it was nice for a few days so I decided to change the charcoal colored tranny fluid. No, I didn't get it flushed or pumped or anything like that, just dropped the pan, the filter, left it about an hour and then replaced with new filter and bolted pan back on then topped up the fluid.......................................................................................................................................Why the hell is my tranny in eternal neutral (N) now? I've heard of a "phenomenon" where a tranny should have died but for some reason or another did not; sometimes this happens and changing the fluid cause more harm than good no matter how badly it may need to be changed. Well, it's an '89 Gran Marquis and it's been at least 1.5-2 years since the tranny was drained and topped with fresh fluids.

FUCK!

J.

 

[JJScorpio]

If your fluid was black, chances are the bands were burned. Did it have a burned smell? Did you put the filter back on right? Was the tranny slipping at all before you changed the fluid? Transmissions are funky things. They are one of those things that if they are old, but working, leave them be.

I need to ask you something else. Was it tranny fluid or motor oil? I have been told that to get a little more use, sometimes people exchange the tranny fluid with straight 40 weight motor oil.

 

[mtnjohn]

the motha is slippin bro..that trans was prolly well worn and when you put in the new"clean " trans fluid it broke up some of the deposits that were basically
"holding your trans together"...........good luck

i have seen this before...also with engines when peeps would get an older car and then "flush " the motor with gunk or something similar
......then the motor throws a rod...same deal with your tranny
good luck bro
mj

 

[JJScorpio]

I am betting they pulled the motor oil trick and then sold the car. Its very common for some assholes to do. Another trick was to remove the filter and mix a handfull of sawdust with the motoroil so the bands will grab. Before you buy a vehicle you should always smell and touch both the motor oil and the tranny fluid.

I think that year had a vacuum modulater for shifting. Did you unhook any vaccum lines from the tranny?

 

[Guest]

where in the wide world are you located? US?

you are correct when you said that often times flushing the tranny fluid will do more harm then good, esp on an automatic with 17 years of life and abuse. I'm deathly afraid of automatic trannys because they have a much sorter life then a standard

sorry dude

 

[Guest]

thanks guys,
It did have a burned popcorn kinda smell and the fluid in the old filter was a charcoal gray color but it doesn't have a gritty feel to it. Yeah, I'm sure the filter is on right. It wasn't slipping exactly but shifts were a little late, seemed to have a preference for 2nd. I can't say for sure but I'm pretty sure it's MerconIII/Dexron. That year of Gran Marquis came with 2 different trans and the fluids used are not compatible at all. The fluid for mine is supposed to be Mercon and I know the previous owner and he is very diligent in the maintenance of his vehicles - I assume thats what was in there. The car ran just fine before but I noticed the color of the fluid and thought I'd just change it out.
It was very simple; no lines of any kind. 10 bolts came off, then 3 for the filter, waited hour to finish dripping, then 3 bolts into new filter, then 10 bolts back into pan.

Yes, I am in the Midwest, U.S.
J.

 

[NserUame]

Aside from your tranny fluid being black were there any metal pieces in the liquid? I'm not talking nuts and bolts, but rather slivers of metal. This is a better sign of how close you are to losing your tranny. However a burnt popcorn smell can't be good either.

 

[Pops]

JJS is correct that some people add sawdust if the tranny is slipping. Many also use motor honey or STP to help it grab. If you can't get it running, call a u-pull-it place and look for a used one. Sorry about your luck. I never fuck with trannies, as they never seem to work right afterwards.

I recently ran over a black cat in my pick-up late at night. It knocked the alternator belt off and I had to make a quick run to Pep Boys to get a new belt. They found an incredible amount of fur on the bottom of the truck. Two days later and 120 miles from home, my tranny fluid all drained out, as the cat had knocked the dipstick stem loose. Fortunately, a new part and 7 qts. of fluid was all it took to fix it.

I always heard it was bad luck for a black cat to cross your path. This one didn't even get all the way across my path before I nailed the bastard, but still brought bad luck.