ATF Fluid pale pink?!?

fiddler2068 · Sep 4, 2011

my 2000 CR-V was shifting harshly. You can feel the car stutter as it shifts from 1st to 2nd gear. It was last serviced at 120k miles at a stealer. It is now at 168k. I did a drain and fill with 3 quarts of dw-1.

What I thought was odd was that the old Z-1 came out pale pale pink. I thought transmission fluid was supposed to get darker not lighter? One thing though, I really couldn't tell the color since I didn't have a light under the car. The color came from the dip stick which was a pale pale pink.

I couldn't tell after the drain because I also did the rear differential too and the fluids mixed.

fiddler

Donald · Sep 4, 2011

You need to put some on a unused white coffee filter along side some new.

Often motor oil does not look too dark on the dipstick, but is pretty dark in the drain bucket.

Get a cordless work light.

fiddler2068 · Sep 4, 2011

I see. well that explains why the fluid looks so light.

fiddler

eljefino · Sep 4, 2011

I think the grey of clutch material makes nice deep cranberry red ATF look more like pepto bismol.

You did well to change it.

The motor guy · Sep 4, 2011

Originally Posted By: Donald
You need to put some on a unused white coffee filter along side some new.

Often motor oil does not look too dark on the dipstick, but is pretty dark in the drain bucket.

Get a cordless work light.

Yes, that's because on the dipstick it is a very thin layer of oil.

Whitewolf · Sep 5, 2011

Pink often indicates that there may be some contamination.

Trav · Sep 5, 2011

I hate to be an alarmist or the bearer of bad news but you need to get this looked at right away.

The only time i ever saw "pink" ATF was one that the cooler in the radiator had let go and coolant got into the ATF.
If that's the case the transmission is junk, the clutch glue is soluble in water, it wont take long a few months maybe.
All the flushing and chemicals in the world wont fix it.

You will need a new or used unit, ditto the radiator and total flush of the transmission lines to fix it if this is really the case.
You may see some transmission fluid in the coolant.

onion · Sep 5, 2011

+1 on what trav said. If it came out looking like Pepto, then you've got water contamination. The transmission cooler is the most likely culprit, but driving through deep water, lots of rain and a bad vent cap... things like that are always a possibility too.

If that's the case, you'll want to have it thoroughly flushed ASAP as water contamination will destroy a transmission in a hurry.

fiddler2068 · Sep 5, 2011

It was a pale clear pink. the reason I said pink was because it was so light in color not that it was like pepto. sorry about that. didn't even know you can get coolant in the transmission!

I did a drain and fill with 3 quarts, which is about 1/2 the capacity of the transmission. Checked the dipstick and it is a nice red color. weird.

wonder if the [censored] stealership put in some cheap stuff. well, that won't be a problem anymore. DIY!

fiddler

Donald · Sep 5, 2011

Originally Posted By: fiddler2068
It was a pale clear pink. the reason I said pink was because it was so light in color not that it was like pepto. sorry about that. didn't even know you can get coolant in the transmission!

I did a drain and fill with 3 quarts, which is about 1/2 the capacity of the transmission. Checked the dipstick and it is a nice red color. weird.

wonder if the [censored] stealership put in some cheap stuff. well, that won't be a problem anymore. DIY!

fiddler

Even the stuff at the dollar store is reddish. Anyway keep your eye on it. Get a UOA if it starts to change color.

Trav · Sep 5, 2011

Quote:
Anyway keep your eye on it. Get a UOA if it starts to change color.

+1 It doesn't take a lot of water or coolant to turn it pink.

These two statements are not a good sign.
Quote:
my 2000 CR-V was shifting harshly. You can feel the car stutter as it shifts from 1st to 2nd gear.

Quote:
What I thought was odd was that the old Z-1 came out pale pale pink

I hope the lighting was bad and you misjudged the color. I would do a UOA now, you have enough old fluid still in the unit to produce results good or bad.
Please keep us posted.

ltslimjim · Sep 5, 2011

I too would get a UOA. Any coolant would be know right away and you could work on plans if it was indeed the worst case scenario.

Side thought, would a mix of the Z-1 to DW-1 have caused a strange combination resulting in color appearance being neither of the two definitively?

kasedian · Sep 5, 2011

Doesn't Redline have an ATF that is the pepto color?

onion · Sep 5, 2011

Originally Posted By: fiddler2068
It was a pale clear pink. the reason I said pink was because it was so light in color not that it was like pepto. sorry about that. didn't even know you can get coolant in the transmission!

I did a drain and fill with 3 quarts, which is about 1/2 the capacity of the transmission. Checked the dipstick and it is a nice red color. weird.

wonder if the [censored] stealership put in some cheap stuff. well, that won't be a problem anymore. DIY!

fiddler

Well as long as the ATF is transluscent, then it's probably ok with regards to water contamination. But if it looks 'milky' at all, then you'd better get it checked out.

NYSteve · Sep 5, 2011

Originally Posted By: kasedian
Doesn't Redline have an ATF that is the pepto color?

Red Line D4 is as red as any other ATF I've ever seen

fiddler2068 · Sep 6, 2011

Originally Posted By: Trav
Quote:
Anyway keep your eye on it. Get a UOA if it starts to change color.

+1 It doesn't take a lot of water or coolant to turn it pink.

These two statements are not a good sign.
Quote:
my 2000 CR-V was shifting harshly. You can feel the car stutter as it shifts from 1st to 2nd gear.

Quote:
What I thought was odd was that the old Z-1 came out pale pale pink

I hope the lighting was bad and you misjudged the color. I would do a UOA now, you have enough old fluid still in the unit to produce results good or bad.
Please keep us posted.

Sorry can't do a UOA, the oil is gone! I have been having it serviced at the proper intervals but sometimes i used to go to the quik lube places for oil changes. After watching a investigative report on jiffy lube where they didn't do any of the things the reporter asked them to do, I am very skeptical that they even put in the proper fluids.

The ATF came out clear, just barely any color, which I thought was weird, because usually it gets darker not clearer but someone else pointed out that you need to look at it on a piece of white coffee filter and not just on the stick.

The DW-1 looks nice and red on the stick though. Thank god, no contamination in either ATF or OIL by coolant. and it shifts much smoother now. Come spring, i am gonna do another drain and fill and that will replace 75% of the ATF with new fluid. Probably do another on in the fall next year and that will essentially be 3 drain and fills. After that, every 30k or 2-3 years.

I am late to the DIY but am happy to be here. Now i know things get done right and not halfass. Disturbingly, even dealers can do stuff half assed.

fiddler

fiddler2068 · Sep 6, 2011

Originally Posted By: onion
Originally Posted By: fiddler2068
It was a pale clear pink. the reason I said pink was because it was so light in color not that it was like pepto. sorry about that. didn't even know you can get coolant in the transmission!

I did a drain and fill with 3 quarts, which is about 1/2 the capacity of the transmission. Checked the dipstick and it is a nice red color. weird.

wonder if the [censored] stealership put in some cheap stuff. well, that won't be a problem anymore. DIY!

fiddler

Well as long as the ATF is transluscent, then it's probably ok with regards to water contamination. But if it looks 'milky' at all, then you'd better get it checked out.

Nope, no milky look, thank god for small favors. I would not have been happy with that, considering a dealer serviced it last.

fiddler

ATF Fluid pale pink?!?

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