water in trans fluid

[davidaham]

ok so i have water in my trans fluid. come to find out it was comeing from a pin hole in the trans cooler that is in the radiator. so got a new radiator. i draned the pan removed the pan cleaned it put it back on but i am not sure what is the best way to get the water out of the torque converter. with out removeing it. any ideas.

 

[Grimis]

simular problem on my fathers 94 LHS, to bad it was too late as when we found the rad/cooler leaking fluid in, it already killed reverse and forward movement.

Its hard to say really, if you cought it, have a shop flush it, if no prep for a pull and start hunting down a replacement trans. but you never know. Good luck.

 

[davidaham]

the trans is fine luckly i check all my fluids every friday when i fill up. so i can drive it. trust me i am not going to. so it is still in good working shape.

 

[Grimey]

Having a shop flush the transmission is a great cost effective way to try preventing any more damage. If you have the time and can afford it I would suggest replacing the torque converter and having the transmission serviced however. It will cost you more money than a flush, but it give you a better chance at avoiding future problems with the torque converter. When I ran a Cottman Transmission if we came across a TC with any problems we always suggested replacing it. It's just safer that way. Good luck.

 

[dannyd97gst]

You can remove both cooler lines on your trans cooler and extend the cooler lines so you can place them all of the way to the bottom of 2 seperate 5 gallon buckets. Put the sending line in an empty bucket and the return line in a bucket full of fresh atf. Start the vehicle and let the trans pump do the flush for you, it helps to have an extra hand and lots of trans fluid standing by. However after you spend $ on enough atf you may be able to have a shop flush the trans for you for less.

 

[VelocitàPaola]

You can remove both cooler lines on your trans cooler and extend the cooler lines so you can place them all of the way to the bottom of 2 seperate 5 gallon buckets. Put the sending line in an empty bucket and the return line in a bucket full of fresh atf. Start the vehicle and let the trans pump do the flush for you, it helps to have an extra hand and lots of trans fluid standing by. However after you spend $ on enough atf you may be able to have a shop flush the trans for you for less.

This is a good method...

The last time I flushed an ATX I bought a case of fluid (16 bottles) and a 5 gallon bucket. I removed the return line from the transmission cooler and had a friend hold it in the bucket. I then placed a funnel in the dipstick tube, started the car and began emptying bottles of ATX fluid in the funnel.

We cycled through all the gears while the car was on jackstands and the parking brake was engaged, just to make sure the new fluid flushed out all of the old fluid. The difference between the new and old fluid is very distinct, so once you see new fluid begin to come out of the line from the cooler, stop the car. Reconnect the line to the cooler, then check the fluid level and you should be good to go if the transmission didn't sustain any damage.

You might also consider dropping the pan and replacing the filter before you flush the system.

 

[Grimey]

I agree that both Danny and Velocita have good methods for flushing a transmission. My question is did either of you have an issue to begin with or were you performing preventative maintenance? Considering the fact that there was water in the torque converter we know that there is the possibility that it has been damaged. To what extent we do not know because it hasn't been inspected. Flushing the transmission to remove all the water from the system is a great idea, but what if the water has already damaged the entire system? At this point in time the damage is most likely minimal and a minor rebuild of the transmission and replacing the TC should lengthen the lifespan of the entire system. It won't hurt anything and can only help, but it will cost more money of course compared to just flushing the system yourself.
I'm not saying anyone is wrong but in my opinion I think it is best to spend some money now and at least have the transmission inspected and change the TC to eliminate any lingering damage rather than hoping that a flush will fix it and having to rebuild the entire transmission or buy a used one later.

 

[Grimis]

see thats what happend to my fathers car, the TQ destroyed it self as well as the pump, and the only way to have known that is to pull the trans. Good methods of flushing, i may do that before i swap my car to a 5spd.

 

[white92talontsi]

From my experience once water gets in a trans no matter how clean you get it eventually the trans will fail. Water soaks into the clutch material and soon the clutch packs will start too flake apart.

 

[VelocitàPaola]

I agree that both Danny and Velocita have good methods for flushing a transmission. My question is did either of you have an issue to begin with or were you performing preventative maintenance?

Every time I've done it, it was for preventative maintenance. As you and white92talontsi suggested, the damage may already be done. In any case, flushing the system is a lot easier than replacing the transmission... so it would be still worth it to me, even if it meant the transmission were operating on borrowed time.

 

[white92talontsi]

I agree, Atleast get it flushed ASAP. It may last a while its one of those things that you will never know but be warned that water has hit the clutch packs, It really does not take much. So just a heads up.

 

[Grimey]

Good point Velocita. Even if you are running on borrowed time flushing the system is less expensive. In the event that David does eventually need another transmission, if he wants a used one I may be able to find him one cheap through some contacts of mine with various repair shops.

Although I would prefer you have the transmission inspected, in the interest of monetary investment I will agree that you can flush the system and see how everything goes. If you feel any problems such as slipping gears, please don't drive the car. Have the transmission checked. You may just need some new clutch packs.

How does your transmission fluid look by the way?

 

[davidaham]

well the fluid looked like pink milk so i changed the filter and fluid 2 times. a new radiator. after all that i drove it for about 1000 miles and it started making a really loud roaring sound on my way home from work. and then it just quit shifting. so i just parked it. i thought i had caught it in time but i guess not and i am just going to drive my 97 eclipse for now

 

[dannyd97gst]

I agree that both Danny and Velocita have good methods for flushing a transmission. My question is did either of you have an issue to begin with or were you performing preventative maintenance? .

Purpose fo me flushing transmissions like this was to remove water. My Ford Ranger went for a bath in a lake.