Coolant In Transmission Fluid 07' CTS

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Hello yall,

I found myself in a predicament today unfortunately, when going to exchange all the ATF in my transmission.
I went to remove a return line out of the radiator, where the return atf comes out......
And COOLANT came out, yup Coolant. (Yes it was the right hose, without a doubt)

Any ideas on best case scenario/action to take???

Was going to exchange about 8 quarts, but now I might even do 10+ as I need that coolant out of the system.
Also going to just run the ATF through an External Oil Cooler and bypass the [censored] stock one. (Looked into it and is quite a common problems on CTS's

Thanks for reading, feedback ,thoughts, or random comments
smile.gif
 
Did you unscrew the trans fitting or just the smaller line? Can you post some pictures?
 
Originally Posted By: Jimzz
Did you unscrew the trans fitting or just the smaller line? Can you post some pictures?


It was the actual fitting (one that needed a quick disconnect tool to pull off)
Sorry no pictures, was doing it in a hurry/started to pour!!

Also random picture of how my cooler lines look (Google pic)
-It's the one on the lower far right
 
well, um, it must have been the wrong line, no? Maybe there is another heat exchanger where the small coolant lines go and there are two other ATF lines there.
 
That can't be good for the trans, hopefully you caught it real early before much coolant made its way into the trans... you would see trans fluid in your rad then as well?
 
It sounds like you're already on top of it with the external cooler. You're gonna want to flush both systems thoroughly. It's always a good idea to plumb a filter in when you install a cooler, but you should definitely do one since the coolant in your trans has probably been causing extra wear.
 
barkingspider,
Nice suggestion!!!
Will do.
Hope I won't find any coming out, I'll be praying
frown.gif


Leo99,
No it's definitely transmission, Both bottoms are, just that one is the return. (Ask me how I know, ha!)
Way it's setup is that coolant is on top portion of radiator and atf on bottom, however supposed to be separated.
Mine's probably leaking through though... (Obvious poor design/ maybe more quality on GM part)

carviewsonic,
I know, probably worst case scenario.
As long as it's not in the pan (To be done tomorrow) I won't be too scared...
Don't know to be honest, probably drain it and check it out though. Already there messing with it.

Ethan1,
Were going to find out, lol. Hopefully wasn't too long.
"Plumb a filter" , you mean like add one in, like a magnefine or something???


Also was able to get a trans filter, found a returned new one $12 Wix at local autozone!!!
Man these things are literally a pan with a sponge like media filter on them...
Bet a ton of stuff goes through them.
 
UPDATE:

-Finally got to installing the external transmission oil cooler with a magnefine and transmission fluid exchange.
[censored] is this car quick & wayyyy smoother.
Fortunately radiator had only little trans fluid. Drained all I could, little more than 2 gallons.

Transmission oil was completely black and quite watery from the trans lines, where there was some anti freeze.
None in pan however, it was thicker and darker! (if there was any coolant I couldn't tell visually)
Had to go through about 8 quarts of cheap atf fluid to even get a hint of red. Kept on coming out black.
Used valvoline maxlife atf.
Feels like a new car now!!
 
Coolant, even a small amount in an automatic transmission can wreck havoc, especially to the clutches. The problem might not show up immediately, but soon after. I hope you caught it early enough. It doesn't have to be in the system very long to cause damage. Good luck.
 
Interesting. So the radiator internal trans cooler area developed a leak or leaks allowing coolant into the trans lines. wow. Don't think I've ever heard of this one before.

Seems like external cooler a good call in this case. Hopefully trans didn't sustain significant damage. Good luck.
 
Originally Posted By: Sayjac
Interesting. So the radiator internal trans cooler area developed a leak or leaks allowing coolant into the trans lines. wow. Don't think I've ever heard of this one before.

Seems like external cooler a good call in this case. Hopefully trans didn't sustain significant damage. Good luck.



I see it weekly here at Acura.
 
Originally Posted By: mightymousetech
Originally Posted By: Sayjac
Interesting. So the radiator internal trans cooler area developed a leak or leaks allowing coolant into the trans lines. wow. Don't think I've ever heard of this one before.

Seems like external cooler a good call in this case. Hopefully trans didn't sustain significant damage. Good luck.



I see it weekly here at Acura.


Sadly, seems to be common on many makes. Perhaps a full bypass with a B&M TruCool plate type ATF cooler is a alternative.
 
Deleting the radiator circuit is one of the first things I always do. I don't feel that risk of transmission death is worth it in exchange for packaging efficiency.
 
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