atf fluid smells burnt
- Thread starter justinschmidt1
- Start date
streethorse
15 Year Member
I changed out mine when I had a 99 gt at around that milage.
Just drop the pan and clean it out, let it drain, install a new motorcraft trans filter,
and you can actually reuse the gasket if it is the stock rubber style or buy
a new one from ford. That will get most of the burnt fluid out even though
some is still held in. Otherwise you would have someone totally flush
the system.
Just drop the pan and clean it out, let it drain, install a new motorcraft trans filter,
and you can actually reuse the gasket if it is the stock rubber style or buy
a new one from ford. That will get most of the burnt fluid out even though
some is still held in. Otherwise you would have someone totally flush
the system.
Most people say change it regularly or don't change it at all.
But usually if you change it when you have problems, then if will fully go bad on you.
But you said you don't have problems, you just want to change the dark stuff out. You should be OK.
This is a really touchy subject where I work and with the customers I deal with. One customer of mine is a shop owner, and he said he makes people sign waivers saying they are not responsible for failures after trans fluid change.
But usually if you change it when you have problems, then if will fully go bad on you.
But you said you don't have problems, you just want to change the dark stuff out. You should be OK.
This is a really touchy subject where I work and with the customers I deal with. One customer of mine is a shop owner, and he said he makes people sign waivers saying they are not responsible for failures after trans fluid change.
Yea..well never really had a problem..temperatures seem fine...but sometimes when I get on it at about 70-75 it will try to downshift into second gear but will like rev to 6k then quickly shift into 3rd...I noticed this after I got my sct and atune..maybe he made the car want to shift into 2nd gear at too high of a speed..I hope its not slippage
gip99drop
Founding Member
the98stang
Active Member
WTF are you serious? If the oil is black and smells burnt you NEED to change it or you'll slowly kill the tranny, if it isn't already ruined. How could changing the oil ruin it? I guess if some one is an idiot and they don't know what they are doing. But tranny flush is cheap and easy to do
That's like saying "don't change your engine oil because you might do it wrong and ruin the engine".
WTF are you serious? If the oil is black and smells burnt you NEED to change it or you'll slowly kill the tranny, if it isn't already ruined. How could changing the oil ruin it? I guess if some one is an idiot and they don't know what they are doing. But tranny flush is cheap and easy to do
Actually you are wrong. When transmissions get old, their parts wear out. Worn clutch material is pretty much what is keeping the transmission together. It is like a band aid on a bullet wound. When you change it, your flush all the crap out that is keeping the parts working together. The new fluid goes in and conditions everything, eating at seals and clutches and then boom, it's done. What I said was this happens when there is already a problem. If there is no slippage problem, then changing the fluid shouldn't gernade it.
Correct..
I have had a few where I kept my figures crossed for the guy after flushing.
Worse one i ever seen was a old taurus with 220k on it and the guy wanted a tranny flush... he told us the last time the fluid was changed was at 90k and it was the original tranny..
You should have seen how black and nasty this stuff was, we made him sign a waiver on that one.. BTW two weeks latter the guy came in and then wanted the filter changed ( it is not changed with a flush) this other tech pulled the pan down and there was a CONE that looked almost like a beehive made out of metal shavings.. I could not believe this tranny was still going
Funny thing is this was a AX4S one of the worst trannies ford ever made.
Correct..
I have had a few where I kept my figures crossed for the guy after flushing.
Worse one i ever seen was a old taurus with 220k on it and the guy wanted a tranny flush... he told us the last time the fluid was changed was at 90k and it was the original tranny..
You should have seen how black and nasty this stuff was, we made him sign a waiver on that one.. BTW two weeks latter the guy came in and then wanted the filter changed ( it is not changed with a flush) this other tech pulled the pan down and there was a CONE that looked almost like a beehive made out of metal shavings.. I could not believe this tranny was still going
Funny thing is this was a AX4S one of the worst trannies ford ever made.
Exactly, thank you! I agree..It's funny because you can't kill a 3.0L motor. But the AX4S dies every time you turn around. The 3.8L engine you can't keep head gaskets under it, but the AXODE transmissions we literally throw away for scrap because they never die, we don't even get calls on them.
If Ford put the 3.0L with the AXODE back in the early 90's they would have never sold mechanical stuff!!
If it is downshifting into 2nd gea rat 70MPH...something is wrong in the tune. You said you had a chip, the tuner must have the shiftpoins way off. Downshifting is much different than slipping, so I wouldn't worry about it.
the98stang
Active Member
Obviously if the tranny is slipping the damage is already done and nothing you do will cure the problem besides a rebuild. But changing the oil in a perfectly good working tranny (even if the oil is black/smells burnt) is going to help it stay lubricated and clean. As long as it's not slipping, you are OK.
the98stang
Active Member
thats the problem..Im not really sure if its actually slipping...
http://www.1aauto.com/garage/information/transmissiontips.php
I sort of agree.
If the fluid has NOT been changed and the tranny shifts fine and the fluid smells and looks fine LEAVE IT ALONE...
If the fluid has NOT been changed, but looks brown and smells bad, change it because the fluid has had it's additive package burned away and is contaminated which WILL lead to failure.
Clutches, bushings, bearings, gaskets etc all wear and while much of this *Stuff* ends up in the filter, a lot of it finds it's way into various knooks and crannies of the valve body where it very well may sit there for years without causing harm.
What happens when you introduce new fluid into a tranny in that condition is that the fluid acts like an enema for your tranny and now that *stuff* that was lodged in places where no harm was done can potentially be released and find a new home lodged in a place where it CAN do some harm.
This is because the fresh fluid has a new load of detergent additives in it.
This is why trannys sometimes go up in smoke after a fresh fluid change.
Bottom line, if fluid smells good, looks good and you have not changed it in say 100k miles, leave it alone.
If fluid looks bad, smells bad or you are having problems, change it because the old fluid is not protecting your tranny.
For the record, I have a 92 Caprice with almost 500,000 miles on it and have never changed the tranny fluid or filter.
Fluid is still pink, smells fresh and the tranny shifts fine.
Of course the best thing you can do is change it every 25k miles from day one which is what I do with my Mustang
I sort of agree.
If the fluid has NOT been changed and the tranny shifts fine and the fluid smells and looks fine LEAVE IT ALONE...
If the fluid has NOT been changed, but looks brown and smells bad, change it because the fluid has had it's additive package burned away and is contaminated which WILL lead to failure.
Clutches, bushings, bearings, gaskets etc all wear and while much of this *Stuff* ends up in the filter, a lot of it finds it's way into various knooks and crannies of the valve body where it very well may sit there for years without causing harm.
What happens when you introduce new fluid into a tranny in that condition is that the fluid acts like an enema for your tranny and now that *stuff* that was lodged in places where no harm was done can potentially be released and find a new home lodged in a place where it CAN do some harm.
This is because the fresh fluid has a new load of detergent additives in it.
This is why trannys sometimes go up in smoke after a fresh fluid change.
Bottom line, if fluid smells good, looks good and you have not changed it in say 100k miles, leave it alone.
If fluid looks bad, smells bad or you are having problems, change it because the old fluid is not protecting your tranny.
For the record, I have a 92 Caprice with almost 500,000 miles on it and have never changed the tranny fluid or filter.
Fluid is still pink, smells fresh and the tranny shifts fine.
Of course the best thing you can do is change it every 25k miles from day one which is what I do with my Mustang
well...the problem is I bought the car with 88k on the clock...im gonna assume the fluid hasnt been changed by the smell and look of it...
Similar threads
