gottarollwithit Posted August 15, 2011 Report Share Posted August 15, 2011 It's time to make a new thread for this (old one is a bit off topic) So my Mom's car is currently having tranny issues. It sometimes slips out of gear, revs, then abruptly clunks back into gear. This happens more in reverse than in drive. The trans fluid wasn't changed for 90k mi and we've been trying change (drain/refill) the fluid a few times to gently get all of the gunk out. Here's what i'm thinking in chronological order: 1.) The tranny fluid was burned 30k mi ago due to lack of maintenance. Probably 90k on the trans fluid and never changed. This caused gunk to build up inside of the trans and excessive clutch pack wear. 2.) Trans fluid was changed and drained some of the gunk out. 3.) Trans fluid changed again to drain more gunk out 4.) Trans fluid was changed again a few weeks ago. This might have dislodged a clump of gunk that's currently starving areas of the transmission of oil. 5.) Immediately afterwards, the transmission started behaving unusually with slipping and clunking in/out of gear. This is probably b/c of a clump of gunk clogging a passageway. 6.) My mechanic added about 1/2 of a quart of fluid thinking that the fluid level was slightly low 7.) I just checked the fluid and we are now about 2k mi into the latest fluid change with dark fluid. The dipstick showed low fluid, so I added about 3/4 quart of ATF to try to get it up to the cold half full line. I even drove it around to try to get the fluid circulating and up a bit. The fluid looked icky and smelled burnt. I'm thinking that there is a bit of a blockage somewhere in the trans. This would explain why the ATF reservoir pan that the dipstick sticks into is giving unusual readings when using the dipstick. Fluid should be constantly flowing in/out of the reservoir pan, right? I know we're not leaking trans fluid and i'm pretty sure that the correct amount was put in the when changing the fluid, so it's probable that fluid is getting pumped and stuck somewhere. Thoughts? Is there any other reason why it'd be difficult to get a good read on the trans fluid? I'm thinkin that a tranny fluid flush is in order. What do you guys think?? Is there much difference between an a flush done at Aamco and a flush done with an iPd flush kit? At this point, i don't think the trans is going to last long in it's current state, so i think the risk of doing the flush is worth the potential gain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedishiron Posted August 15, 2011 Report Share Posted August 15, 2011 You may want to try Sea Foam Trans Tune ...just a pitch in the dark though; you may also want to use an inline filter to capture any debris that will be dislodged to keep from recirculating it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keaton85 Posted August 15, 2011 Report Share Posted August 15, 2011 Is there a flashing arrow? ATF doesnt sludge up, it will get particle build up but very fine from the clutch packs. 90k is not bad per say it will distroy the tranny. If you are changing out the fluid and it never gets clean then you have a mechanical failure internally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gottarollwithit Posted August 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2011 Yea, i was thinking about getting a bottle of Seafoam for the trans. If there is a blockage, it'd hopefully dissolve it and keep it in circulation. No flashing arrow or any dummy lights lit on the dash. I just find it very, very coincidental that this unusual behavior started to occur immediately after a fluid change. Usually fluid changes don't cause internal mechanical failure... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gottarollwithit Posted August 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 Any suggestions on what transmission additive/detergent to use to help dissolve gunk? Better yet, what's everybody else's consensus on whether this trans has internal mechanical damage or simply a blocked passageway? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedishiron Posted August 16, 2011 Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 Seafoam is easier/faster to get but do some reading on Bobistheoilguy.com, they will recommend Auto-RX. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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