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| Manual trans fluid change; what is grey material in fluid? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Aug 29 2012, 10:18 AM (581 Views) | |
| 75monzatc | Aug 29 2012, 10:18 AM Post #1 |
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just jeremy
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Last night thought I would change the fluid in my recently purchased metro w/5 speed. Driving it, sometimes is hard to get into 3rd on upshift, but seemed like that was a common problem between 2nd and 3rd syncros and my first metro I was sucessful at changing to syncromesh to fix my hard downshift to 2nd. Anyway, drained the fluid and looks and smells like a lighter weight gear oil (75wt guessing). But the color was a dark grey/silver, with a little metal dust on the drain plug. As bad as it looked, decided to flush with atf, drove around then drained, still pretty nasty so flushed again. Last time draining, atf was dark red mixed with some grey...sort of like a burnt up auto tranny after the clutches smoke. Should be clear in another flush, but I am wondering...what the heck is all the grey material??? Without doing an oil analysis, my nearest guess would be aluminum dust. With that much though, is something wiped out in my tranny but still able to drive without knowing? Any ideas would be appreciated! Unfortunately, only real way to find out is tear it down. Wasn't planning on that yet.
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| Jittney | Aug 29 2012, 10:56 AM Post #2 |
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Anchorage 92 XFi
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Aluminum dust is non magnetic and will nicely suspend in the oil. Magnetic chunks will stick to the drain plug. Neither are good. Been there. Had to put in a replacement transmission. |
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| Murf 59 | Aug 29 2012, 01:39 PM Post #3 |
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As our friend Jittney pointed out. If its steel/iron a magnet will stick to it. Alum not so. Normally there is always just a little steel dust setteling out in trans. It settles into corners and such. Its a bye product of running steel on steel gears and bearings. When you took the thicker fluid out, and rinsed with ATF. Its a 10w oil with detergent. Its washing all that metal back into the bearings. It setteling out is a good thing. Rinsing it back into the bearings not so good. You could have used cheapo motor oil too. Now the ATF will be in all the little speed rollers under the gears and the little hidey holes. It will take a good flushing to get it out. If the metal particals are gold color, thats your syncos. I glue a magnet into my drain plug to catch the steel particals. Been know to glue a mag in the case when I do builds also. It won't catch the alum, or brass though.
Edited by Murf 59, Aug 29 2012, 01:42 PM.
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| 75monzatc | Aug 29 2012, 02:05 PM Post #4 |
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just jeremy
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Mr Murf, should i try another flush or two with motor oil to get the atf out now? I didn't realize about the detergent in atf causing that issue. I used a paint filter on the old fluid and all I can really see is aluminum dust, nothing from the syncros...could easily be blended in though. My stock drain plug has a built in magnet by the way . I had a small pinch of actual metal dust on the magnet when I originally drained it.
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| Murf 59 | Aug 29 2012, 02:57 PM Post #5 |
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Okay. But you do realize aluminum is metal too? LOL |
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| 75monzatc | Aug 29 2012, 05:28 PM Post #6 |
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just jeremy
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oops...definetly been one of those days, been working on a plc program since dark thirty this morning and believe my brain has finally left the building!
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Welcome to the all new Geo Metro Forum. We hope you enjoy your visit.

Without doing an oil analysis, my nearest guess would be aluminum dust. With that much though, is something wiped out in my tranny but still able to drive without knowing? Any ideas would be appreciated! Unfortunately, only real way to find out is tear it down. Wasn't planning on that yet.




. I had a small pinch of actual metal dust on the magnet when I originally drained it.
3:34 AM Jul 11