very little fluid in transmission

[AlphaAssault]

i changed out my transmission fluid fluid today because i noticed it was taking more and more time between shifts. NO GRINDS though. grinding has never been an issue with this transmission. anyways, we drain the trans fluid and to my dismay, we discover there was only a cup of fluid in the transmission! i dont know how long its been like that, but ive only owned the car for 6k miles, and have babied it for every single one of those miles, and i have had no reason to think the trans was almost empty of fluid. up until a few weeks ago, shifts were a little notchy, but otherwise smooth. also, i check under my car religiously for leaks, and i have never noticed anything leaking from the transmission. heres something else we noticed: there were NO metal specks or shavings in the fluid. im not sure what is going on. does it sound like the trans has been damaged any? if so, how could the damage have been done if there were no metal shavings to show for it? and if there was so little fluid in there, why was there no sign that something was wrong until the old fluid was actually drained?

afterwards, we filled it up to spec with penzoil syncromesh, and noticed that notchyness was reduced. still no grinds. thoughts?

 

[Backinajiffy12]

It sounds like you are in the clear lucky you! In a couple hundred more miles or so i would change it again just to make sure that there werent any shavings stuck anywhere.

 

[TRYMY4]

Check if the bottom of the tranny is wet also. I am sure you have a leak somewhere. Look at the axle seals too. There is no point filling it if its just going to drain out.

 

[DSM1G90]

If you're gonna drain it again for another check, try Redline MT-90 .. definitely gets rid of the notchiness for sure.

 

[AlphaAssault]

If you're gonna drain it again for another check, try Redline MT-90 .. definitely gets rid of the knotchiness for sure.

doesnt redline sacrifice syncro longevity though?

 

[AlphaAssault]

ok, heres an update: i drove it for about half an hour today, and i did notice improved shifting and reduced notchyness. 2nd still isnt completley smooth, but its probably 65-75% better than it was (go figure with no fluid), though all the other gears shift like they are new. i was reading in another thread that it takes time to notice a big difference when changing trans fluid? is this true, or am i feeling about all the improvement im going to get?

also, i am told that, even though there was no metal in the old fluid, that i still could have caused a lot of damage to the syncros. does this sound right?

 

[DSM1G90]

sacrifice syncro longevity though

...actually lengthens it. Redline, being a GL-4 compatible synthetic fluid-one of the more better tranny fluids used.


It's when you drop any GL-5 stuff that'll eat up the syncros due to the high sulfer content that'll eat up the brass. GL-5 is good for the RWD rear ends.

Wth me, once I put in that Redline, I immediately notice the difference in shifting .. smooth as butter.

I would say: as long as you didn't see any brass flaking come out on that one drain, you're okey with no harm to the syncros.

 

[kris_stewart10]

well to tell you the truth i think the 2nd gear grind thing is just DSM because MY car does it MY freinds car does it and every other 4G63 DSM does it so i think its just a DSM thing

 

[AlphaAssault]

...actually lengthens it. Redline, being a GL-4 compatible synthetic fluid-one of the more better tranny fluids used.

i see. i guess i was thinking of something else. where did you get that Redline stuff from?