stixboy Posted October 20, 2009 Report Share Posted October 20, 2009 alright. let me wipe my eyes. the other day i noticed a very small, almost unnoticeable hesitation with my car. threw it aside. couple days ago i checked my transmission fluid and noticed it was a little off color. it's a very light brown color. i thought, maybe a little old and no major disturbances so i left it alone. but the last two days i've been noticing right before i hit third gear, around 40-45, she slows down, and then catches. plus a little jerk. i'm praying it's not the transmission, but know that it is more than likely. so is there anything i can do to prolong the last little life of the transmission? i've heard it's not a good idea to change transmission fluid in an old car with lots of miles, and mine has 162k on it. it's a 4.9L V8. PLUS i also noticed while checking the transmission fluid it was bubbly, not a lot of bubbles but noticeable. any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adallak Posted October 20, 2009 Report Share Posted October 20, 2009 Brownish ATF should be changed. You cannot get all the fluid by dropping the pan. I would disconnect the transmission cooling line on the radiator side tank and run the engine in Park for a minute or so to let the transmission pump push ALL the ATF out. The saddest thing in life is wasted talent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmk9561 Posted October 20, 2009 Report Share Posted October 20, 2009 I absolutely would change the fluid in something with brown fluid, no matter how used to that fluid you think it is. The Olds 98 (440T4) that I used to have had a problem a couple of years ago where it would start in second gear, but otherwise operate normally. I didn't want to have it torn down and be without the car, so I changed the fluid on a whim. There were some odd-looking pieces of brittle plastic in the pan, shaped like circle fragments. I was thinking the worst. I cleaned the magnet, changed the filter & gasket, and put the back on. I refilled with fresh fluid. About two days later, it actually started off in first once! About 20 minutes later, it did it again, and has been fine ever since! That's probably 40,000 miles ago. My brother has the car now, and the transmission still works properly. I was shocked, but I now believe in the healing power of fresh Dexron! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Jim Posted October 20, 2009 Report Share Posted October 20, 2009 Change the fluid. Be very careful to not have it over full when at normal operation temperature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted October 21, 2009 Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 Color of the fluid should not be an indicator to when it needs to be changed. The red color is a dye that is added to the trans fluid so it can be distinguished from motor oil in the assembly plants. The red dye fill fade over time. That said, at 162,000 miles, if the fluid has not been changed, it is probably due. The trans on a 1991 Deville is a 4T60E - change the fluid when it is cold in order to get the most fluid out. There is a thermatic valve that will keep most of the fluid in the side pan of the trans when it is warm vs. the lower pan. You will be dropping the lower pan when changing the fluid so make sure it is cold so the bulk of the fluid is in the lower pan. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stixboy Posted October 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 alright fellas, thanks for the advice. i'll change the fluid within the next couple days, i know i should do it immediately but i truly can't. i'll let you guys know soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted October 23, 2009 Report Share Posted October 23, 2009 i've heard it's not a good idea to change transmission fluid in an old car with lots of miles That's a myth. Change it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hjb981 Posted October 23, 2009 Report Share Posted October 23, 2009 I once had an '88 DeVille with similar symptoms. In my case, giving it some gas when going maybe 25 mph would make it slip slightly and then grip again. It could be felt and heard. What I did was to put in something called GM seal conditioner. As I was informed at the Cadillac dealership where I bought it, it was basically the same stuff as the conditioning additives in the Dexron fluid, but in higher concentration. It softens up old seals in the transmission. I put it in, and then drove very carfully (so as not to make it slip - that also wears on the bands and clutches) for maybe 1000 miles. Somewhere along the way, it stopped slipping. A word of caution: do not use more than one bottle in an attempt to speed it up. That could make the seals too soft after awhile. And, just to be clear, this should be done after you change the transmission fluid. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adallak Posted October 23, 2009 Report Share Posted October 23, 2009 hjb981, I like your avatar. The saddest thing in life is wasted talent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hjb981 Posted October 26, 2009 Report Share Posted October 26, 2009 hjb981, I like your avatar. Thanks! The picture was taken at my work parking lot in June, 2008, and the car is my '97 DeVille. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stixboy Posted October 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 alright, so yesterday i got my cooler lines and transmission fluid replaced finally. today i drive around for about 50 miles running some errands. i do a check on the fluid and i don't think he changed it completely. the fluid is still a brown color and still has a funny smell. darn mechanic didn't do the job i payed him for. so i'm avoiding dropping the pan until i can afford a new one. i hear you can pop the cooler lines off and drain that way. i read some other posts on here about this, but i'm hoping someone can give me a straightforward answer on this one. everyone seems to have a different answer for this. so i'm going to pop the lines, top line, start the car, and let the fluid drain until it starts to spit. as soon as it spits, turn the car off. then how should i replace the fluid. running in park with no trans fluid won't burn her up will it? someone give me a straight answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adallak Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 Check out one of my older posts: http://caddyinfo.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=10488 The saddest thing in life is wasted talent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adallak Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 Check out one of my older posts: http://caddyinfo.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=10488 I would ask someone to add a qtr as soon as it spits. Turn off the engine, add ATF. Turn on the engine, move the gear selector through all the gears slowly (your foot on the brake pedal firmly). And recheck the level when the car is at operational temperature. The saddest thing in life is wasted talent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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