I may have DESTROYED my TRANSMISSION, atf change.

[supton]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: supton
I think all Aisin trans fluid looks like that, or something. Or worse, gauging by various threads on the internet. Mine was about that color too when I drained it after 80k--which was 40k ago. Today, any gripes I have is from trans programming, not slippage.

Yep - all of the WS that I have drained from various Toyota transmissions look like the OP's pictures....even at very low mileage (
I usually do a cooler line flush with 12 quarts of WS and tell the owner to come back in 60k.


Dawned on me this morning, at least for my trans it has a screen, not a true proper filter. I wonder if Aisin just allows clutch material to accumulate in the fluid, which can then be removed via... a drain. Unlike a traditional filter which then requires a pan drop to be got at. Maybe Aisin doesn't see a correlation to clutch material in the fluid and transmission life. Dunno.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: Ducked
Originally Posted By: Miller88
If anything - you extended the life of it.

A friend of mine had a 1996 Cherokee with 250K miles on it. The fluid was darker than used diesel engine oil; it was never changed. He did a few drain and fills and the transmission did not die.

It didn't stop the Jeep from rusting in half, though.


It might've if he'd sprayed it on the chassis.


From new, yes. But he bought it in 2011 when it already had 250,000 miles of neglect.

 

[SumpChump]

Originally Posted By: supton

Dawned on me this morning, at least for my trans it has a screen, not a true proper filter. I wonder if Aisin just allows clutch material to accumulate in the fluid, which can then be removed via... a drain. Unlike a traditional filter which then requires a pan drop to be got at. Maybe Aisin doesn't see a correlation to clutch material in the fluid and transmission life. Dunno.


I think you are onto something. It appears that may are just screens which to my knowledge I have only seen as very clean when removed in video or photos. Yet clutch material is clearly present in the fluid and pan bottom. Interesting.

 

[fdcg27]

The bronze screen is literally a rock catcher.
It stays clean due to the passage of what's actually fairly clean ATF all of the time.
The grey stuff is probably wear metals, since they have nowhere else to go.
The drain plug is probably magnetic which would explain the grey stuff sticking to it.
Were you to drop the pan, you'd discover a large grey blob.
Upon cleaning the grey paste away, you'd find that this is a magnet.
The clutch wear material is brown or tan and you'd find a quantity of that laying in the bottom of the pan as well.
The installed transmission screen or filter is intended to keep debris from being circulated back into the transmission.
It isn't really intended nor does it function to trap and hold debris as an engine oil filter would.
With the rather dramatic title of your post, I thought that you'd done something potentially truly bad, like allowing the tranny to pump itself dry while doing a cooler line flush.
A drain and fill can cause no harm and there isn't enough detergency in ATF for fresh ATF to dislodge any debris, not that there would be much to dislodge, since the transmission isn't subject to any combustion products to begin with.

 

[Robenstein]

I have the same engine and transmission in my 06 Scion TC. I have 135k on my car. I got the car with 13k miles on it. I have done ATF swaps every 30k with a filter swap every other time. Fluid is still bright red and clean and shifts like a champ. My transmission was speced for Type IV, but I have used Max life or Castrol Import ATF.

I also have NO oil consumption. But I have used only synthetic and change it every 4 to 5k miles and changed the PCV valve every 60k.

Only problem I have had with the car is calipers like to stick with it.

 

[Ducked]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
Originally Posted By: Ducked
Originally Posted By: Miller88
If anything - you extended the life of it.

A friend of mine had a 1996 Cherokee with 250K miles on it. The fluid was darker than used diesel engine oil; it was never changed. He did a few drain and fills and the transmission did not die.

It didn't stop the Jeep from rusting in half, though.


It might've if he'd sprayed it on the chassis.


From new, yes. But he bought it in 2011 when it already had 250,000 miles of neglect.


Few people will be comfortable spraying old ATF on a new car, but such (easy, cheap) treatment anytime before death is likely to buy some time on an old car.

My current car was owned by a surfer, and is very rusty by Taiwan standards, but I THINK I
got to it just in time.

Looks awful, of course, but I seem to have slowed the decay down a lot.

 

[dishdude]

Originally Posted By: Rand

This OCD, attention loving SPAZ topics.. I'd call it trollish ,but he seems concerned.

EVERY TOPIC IS END OF THE WORLD SERIOUS GO IN AND READ IT NOW type.

Still not as bad as GHT or he would be on his 15th bitog name too. (Hi spillips and your backup name as well)


With such fine topics as:

Cell bill arrived late
Kids waxed bugs into my bumper
Itchy chest hair

I'm not sure how you arrived at this conclusion?

I knew the oil burning xB would be a source of much entertaining drama from OP!

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: Ducked
Few people will be comfortable spraying old ATF on a new car, but such (easy, cheap) treatment anytime before death is likely to buy some time on an old car.


I'd be curious how used ATF holds up for you. I realize it's dirt cheap. Friend of mine had his truck sprayed with used ATF, and I recall him complaining that it didn't last the winter. And that is in cold New England, although I suppose ATF is thin under all conditions.

Maybe with frequent applications it'll work fine.