ATF light brown--problem?
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 5,860
Likes: 4
From: Metro Detroit (Redford)
Originally Posted by 96_4wdr
Pan change flush method is a lesson in oily frustration.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 5,860
Likes: 4
From: Metro Detroit (Redford)
Before ATF Change:
After ATF Change:
Not sure it did much good. Note I had several blotters from before and all but the one displayed did have a dark ring. Anyway, they changed the filter then ran the engine with the cooler line in a bucket while pouring new fluid in. The system holds 9.7 qts and they only used 10.3 qts in the process. I think they could have gone farther. I had available 15 qts. I wonder what partial change this represents? Should have had them flush with cheapo ATF, then added the Redlne in several pan drains (I have a drain plug).
With the torque converter surely mixing the incoming oil with the old, maybe this is as good as it gets, even with a 15 qt run. Surely they saw the fluid looking better out the drain line, so it must have acheived a fair amount of turnover, maybe 80% but who knows.
In the future I will be sure to do partial changes frequently enough that I should never have more than about 2% older than the drain interval. With this Aerostar, that means about a 3 qt change every 6000 miles.
I think I will do a couple partial changes with the left over ATF this week.
After ATF Change:
Not sure it did much good. Note I had several blotters from before and all but the one displayed did have a dark ring. Anyway, they changed the filter then ran the engine with the cooler line in a bucket while pouring new fluid in. The system holds 9.7 qts and they only used 10.3 qts in the process. I think they could have gone farther. I had available 15 qts. I wonder what partial change this represents? Should have had them flush with cheapo ATF, then added the Redlne in several pan drains (I have a drain plug).
With the torque converter surely mixing the incoming oil with the old, maybe this is as good as it gets, even with a 15 qt run. Surely they saw the fluid looking better out the drain line, so it must have acheived a fair amount of turnover, maybe 80% but who knows.
In the future I will be sure to do partial changes frequently enough that I should never have more than about 2% older than the drain interval. With this Aerostar, that means about a 3 qt change every 6000 miles.
I think I will do a couple partial changes with the left over ATF this week.
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 5,720
Likes: 5
From: Washington state
my Mobil 1 ATF after 20k miles is the color of the new D4 blot.
hydralic fluid ATF is not compressible therefore as fluid is pumped around the tranny there is very little mixing occuring...as ATF is pumped in, old ATF is forced out of each unit, pump, valve body, TC....there is some mixing in the pan as drain down from clutch packs and actuators
send in a sample to a test lab....get TAN done also for acid buildup....you may have clutch or band slippage from leaking seals causing excessive heat and ATF damage....Lockup clutch in TC may not be working which causes extra heat and atf damage.
may also be antifreeze in ATF. radiator leaks into the atf on Fords is too common
look for high levels of iron in test results from slippage wear
high alum. is the TC going south
antifreeze needs to be zero
hydralic fluid ATF is not compressible therefore as fluid is pumped around the tranny there is very little mixing occuring...as ATF is pumped in, old ATF is forced out of each unit, pump, valve body, TC....there is some mixing in the pan as drain down from clutch packs and actuators
send in a sample to a test lab....get TAN done also for acid buildup....you may have clutch or band slippage from leaking seals causing excessive heat and ATF damage....Lockup clutch in TC may not be working which causes extra heat and atf damage.
may also be antifreeze in ATF. radiator leaks into the atf on Fords is too common
look for high levels of iron in test results from slippage wear
high alum. is the TC going south
antifreeze needs to be zero
Last edited by 96_4wdr; Jul 24, 2007 at 01:33 PM.
Thread Starter
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 5,860
Likes: 4
From: Metro Detroit (Redford)
I fixed it. Drained and refilled pan (about 3.5 qts) twice last night with miles driven between each. Now is nice pink color off the dipstick. All Redline D4 but for 2 qts Redline High Temp, bot Mercon spec.
