Lumpy

I got a problem...

Alright, as some of you may know I picked up a 95 4Runner about a month ago or so. Now I'm in the process of getting her cleaned up and getting caught up on maintenance. I checked the trans fluid the other day and it was not the pretty red that it should be, it was kinda dark and seemed to be burnt. It's showing about 103K and I have no idea if it was ever changed.

I need some thoughts on this...I know if the fluid is bad and you change it you can blow the transmission but if I don't and run bad fluid it's going to blow anyway.

I think I'm going to drain the pan, change the filter, replace what came out and go from there. Watcha all think???

Help me!!!!

turborich

I would say that you got the right idea! That's what I would do. If all goes well then maybe do the same thing again in four to six months. Whatever you do, don't flush it! Oh yeah, you might want to add an additional trans cooler as well to prolong it's life.

DJ99

I hope it's not too late due to the burnt fluid. The least you should do is to do the drain/refill two or three times with a trip in between to replace most of the old fluid. Then keep your fingers crossed.

Lumpy

No one has any more thought on this???

space-junk

iTrader: (1)

hmm... kinda sounds like either your clutch packs are goin, or the torque converter is goin...

idk, man, if you have the time, id completely drop the tranny and see what the hell the deal is... burnt tranny oil is not somethin to mess around with, ya know??

btw, i waw your pic in another thread of your runner, and i officially hate you...
your sunroof still works...

DupermanDave

Why would he want to avoid flushing the transmission?

Lumpy

IDK what to do with her...Eventually I wanna do the 5spd swap but I don't have the cash for it now. The lil lady want's stuff to the house done. I don't want to drop it, i don't want to rebuild it. I have never had a transmission apart let alone an auto.

I'm really stuck on what to do. I'm wondering if I can milk it for a year or so. But I do want to wheel it, that's why I have it. "Sigh..."

How bad it is to pull a trans apart? I have no idea what's inside of one of those. Is there a rebuild kit I can get from Advanced Auto???

Lumpy

Transmission fluid has a lot of detergents in it and has the ability to break down buildup and that can clog the little passages in the trans and also cause the clutches to slip. it's what I have been told anyway...

DupermanDave

Isnt that why you'd want to flush it? to get all those clogs out?

Lumpy

I think it also has something to do with the clutches in there...This is why I'm asking for help. I know of people, my uncle being one, he had his trans flushed and 2 weeks later it blew. Now this was on an Explorer but still I worry.
Has anyone drained the trans, changed the filter, and had good luck, it has 106K on her and I don't know if it has ever been changed.

space-junk

iTrader: (1)

well, on all of our trucks (chevrolets and GMCs mind you) we have NEVER changed the tranny fluid... and we have one truck (our 1500) that has close to 300K on it... original tranny... original fluid...

i say fill it up and drive it till it breaks...
also, keep checking craigslist... i know that there are some killer deals that come up around here, like a W series tranny for 100 bucks...

and there have been a couple people on here recently who have at least torn apart their autos, and while it may be a daunting task to put it all back together, at least you know whats going on in there...

but like i said, id drive it till it wont drive no more...

Lumpy

Space you have 300k on an auto??? never seen that before, not that I doubt ya. Alright I suppose that's what I'll do. Start getting parts for the 5spd swap and runer. I just hope she holds for the next year or so.

Marc

Just because it's dark doesn't mean it's burned.

Wipe some on your hand and smell it.

Change it a couple of times and see what happens.

Lumpy

Well it smells burnt...and it's not that pretty red anymore.
Truth is I'm skered of the auto transmission, I do not know much about them and I really do not want to take it apart. I have heard horror stories about rebuilding them. This is why I'm trying to get all the info I can from here. You people are like all smart and nat!!!

space-junk

iTrader: (1)

trust me, we've been pleasently surprised since 1994 when my dad bought it...
we were surprised when the motor made it to 100K, and extatic when it rolled 250K...

only thing wrong is that back in '02 (260K miles) it lost the water pump (the first thing to go wrong with it mechanically besides the A/C going out) and when he let it sit for a couple months, ok, 9 months, somehow the antifreeze ate thru a cylinder wall...

crate motor later, but the trans is still kickin like its brand new...

and for the pics or it didnt happen crew...
we used this...



to pull this...

until we could afford a 97 454 dually (original trans too) with this many miles...

and finally upgraded to this...

and IT has over 150K on it with no problems...

sorry... back on topic... just wanted to show lumpy some proof...

Lumpy

Space, I never doubted you word...That is very impressive, especially on a GMC.

Well I it's kinda dark here and I checked it again...not running. It does seem to smell burnt a bit. I wiped it on a white paper towel and it was looking more brown than red...I had a flash light and brought it in to look at it. IDK maybe I"m being paranoid, I think I might see if I can have someone look at it real quick...

It's not low, about the only thing that does not seem to be leaking.

DudeBud

when i got mine the atf was dark red, but it shifts fine. swapped it out for new stuff and haven't had a problem with it rig has 184k on it now. if it shift ok just drain and refill it

turborich

It's just a good prctice not to flush a trans with high mileage, even more so if the fluid is dark & burnt. All you will do is stir things up & possibly wash away additional clutch material. I personally don't think that a trans should ever be flushed. I see nothing wrong with a complete drain & fill of a trans in good condition that has been maintained properly. Just not on one in this condition as it may end up costing him the price for a rebuild. He is much better off changing out the filter & what comes out of the pan & then do it again in several months. The trans may still have a lot of life left on it, who knows? No sense in killing it early.

Flushing it will not get all of the stuff out & some of it may end up jamming up a valve or check valve. I would NEVER have my trans flushed as I think it is a money making scam more than anything. Call around to some real tranny shops & ask their advice. Not some janky quick lube place though as they will try to sell you a trans flush, engine flush, power steering flush, etc. All nonsense.

Lumpy

Ok so according to Dude and Turbo, drain the pan change filter, replace what fell out and no more.

Ok how about if I drain and fill and it goes boom??? Does anyone know if there is a rebuild kit? Has anyone rebuilt one?

But Space is really convincing in just leave it alone...I'm so confused...

turborich

Oh, you can leave it alone too. You don't have to drop the pan or change the oil if you don't want to. I'm just saying don't flush it! It's a 50/50 deal with an old tranny with dirty fluid. Either leave it alone, drop the pan & refill, just don't try to drain the whole thing or do a flush. How much money do have saved up for a tranny rebuild? let this be your ultimate decision maker. If it's shifting fine & there are no problems now then maybe leaving things be is best?

I have bought 2 vehicles with dirty fluid & on both I dropped the pan, changed the filter, filled her back up & let it be. All was good & didn't have any problems. I once paid $1,200 bucks to get a tranny rebuilt & 6 months later it was shot!!! The entire pan was full of clutch material. I blame this on a HORRIBLE rebuild form a crappy trans shop here in Vegas!