I'm in the process of flushing my 2002 7.3 tranny as many of you will recall had a bad radiator and antifreeze in the Tranny. I put water in the radiator after replacing it and proceeded to flush the tranny. I'm 18 quarts into the flush and the attached is what it looks like. I'm worried that it has water in it because it looks like it to me. I have the return line into a bucket which the picts are of. I had to stop for the night because my antifreeze overflow has a pinhole in it. Should I keep going? Drain the pan and look. Or some other suggestion? To see if I'm getting anywhere with the flush. I am pouring liquid gold in there so I don't want to be at 48 quarts and find out that I've still got a leak somewhere. Since I replaced the radiator and the tranny lines go through there, is there anywhere else water could be getting into the tranny?

 

Yup still looks like your getting coolant into the tranny fluid. The radiator is the only way they both can mix, unless you drove thru a pond and the vent hole sucked in some water?

 

No water other than the fact that there was water going through the system with the broken radiator.

What should I do next? New radiator, still water?!?

 

is the water level dropping in the cooling system with the engine running? Might want to clean the drain pan and run a little more just to make sure your not looking at water/fluid mix that has already been pumped out

 

Actually it doesnt look like its dropping at all. Could it be that old stuff is just mixing in the pan? From everyone's description I thought that if I pumpped 18 to 36 quarts through it that it would eventually run clean. Maybe it's remixing junk in the pan (I did clean the pan originally so the stuff that might be in the pan now would be from the torque converter.

 

When water or coolant gets inside the transmission, the friction lining of the clutches absorbs it and dissolves the glue that attaches the material to the clutch plates. I have read on FTE there is no shortcut that will repair the situation! It’s only a matter of time before the unit will exhibit abnormal operating characteristics and fail completely.

 

That, of course is not good news. I'll restate my question; if I've ran 18 quarts through the tranny and what is coming out looks like this, should it still look like this or is water getting in to it still and where would it come from. Naturally I need to resolve this even if I need a new tranny.

 

You did replace the radiator right? Remember that the tc holds like 5qts iirc do another flush, it will ne easier if you remove the returning trans cooler line start the truck up let it drain and pour new oil till it comes out clean.

 

Correct, new radiator from Oreily. That's the way I'm doing it by routing the return line into a bucket. How many quarts should I expect for it to come out clear?

 

Delends on how much coolant made it to the tranny.

 

Determined tonight that I am loosing antifreeze/water from the radiator so there is still a leak into the tranny. I retraced lines and it is much easier with a flash light at night to see than in the day. I determined that there is an additional radiator/cooling device in line with the lines that go to the radiator. What I couldn't tell is if antifreeze goes throught it. The only way I can see water getting into the tranny now is through this additional radiator since I changed the large radiator already. Do these typically have antifreeze running through them? (I plan on ripping it apart in the next few days).

 

Are you talking about the smaller cooler in front of the radiator? If so there is no coolant running through it, it is a air cooled unit.

 

That's the one. So how is it that I'm still getting water in the tranny if I have a new radiator? Could it be coming through the torque converter?

 

You have 2 "coolers" in your transmission system... the trans oil to coolant ( inside radiator, more of a warm up aid then a cooling aid) and a smaller looking trans oil to air cooler. the only place coolant can enter the transmission oil system in through the internal "cooler inside the radiator" all this is assuming you don't sink the truck in a lake often...then at which point water is entering via the transmission vent hose.

now you said you replaced the radiator? your most likely dealing with a boat load of residual contaminated oil in the system. to my understanding it don't take much water to get oil all jacked up.

your best bet now is to make sure your not still losing coolant (keeping an eye on the degaus bottle)

maybe let the truck sit for some time and hope the coolant and oil separate? might have to do this a few times if it even works.

or do a full power flush the transmission oil system again?....and again....

or just do drain and fills on just the pan? and drive it eventually the water will get worked out?

or say huckbolt it and just run it and start putting money aside for a trans rebuild because of possible looming internal failure? because doing full system flushes at 18ish quarts a time gets expensive fast.

i think that this is the road your at my friend... lotta good advice in here sofar.

 

As mentioned earlier, water in oil can go a long way. Have you let the old oil sit, so the tranny fluid and the coolant can separate, and then seen how much coolant is actually in it?