Trans Fluid Sampling Without Changing the Fluid

[2006_Charger_R/T]

Hello,

I have a question. What's the best method to sample the fluid for analysis without changing the fluid?

Do I sample while the car is running and in drive?
What kind of pump, tubing?

Thanks for reading.

EH

 

[milehighassassin]

I would do it while it is running and warmed up.

You can use any oil sample pump. Amsoil and Blackstone each have one that are pretty much exactly the same other than a sticker.

 

[Donald]

The sampling pump is about $20 and the sample container screws to the pump. The pump comes with some tubing. When gone, purchase 1/4" tubing at Home Depot for $0.12/ft and you need about 3 feet per sample.

 

[Gary Allan]

An alternative to buying a sample pump (I recommend it) is to disconnect one of the cooler lines (rig hose to the cooler side nipple - just in case you blow it) and have both in a clean quart container (a new plastic something or other from $1 General

). You can then decanter it into the sample bottle and return any excess to the trans.

That's pretty much a two person operation. You would have someone at the key to shut it down before you overflowed the container. If this is your MOPAR, then I think that the vehicle will be in neutral to allow the cooler line flow. It all depends on what the dipstick says. The level is checked with the cooler circuit engaged ..and they sometimes are not in PARK.

 

[milehighassassin]

Why do you recommend that method over a sampling pump? Seems like a lot of work just to pull a sample. With a pump you can do it in a business suite in about 3 minutes.

 

[Donald]

I took a sample via a pump and sent to OAI. The results were not good with a Magnefine filter, and they commented that a sampling pump can sometimes grab stuff that is in a low flow area of the trans and produce inaccurate results. I would certainly purge the sample of a table spoon or two before I took the real sample. Best way is what Gary mentions.