Will the wrong ATF kill a transmission?

[Dave33x1]

Hello,
Maybe someone has a idea, i had a used transmission put into my car
(2007 chevy impala)

after about 3k miles, the transmission fluid is black, and it doesnt move foward (reverse only)

Not sure exactly how it happened, (son was driving it)

But it got me wondering, if the person that put the transmission in put the wrong fluid, would it cause it to kill the transmission?

would blackstone labs beable to tell what fluid it is, if i sent them a sample?

The fluid smells burnt and is black, so i assume changing the fluid is like throwing money down the drain?

Any ideas welcome,
thanks,
Dave

 

[Wampahoofus]

Sounds like a case of 'it was dying anyway' or that it was rebuilt incorrectly. Something like a 4T60 wouldn't give two shakes about what kind of fluid was in it as long as it was mainstream (Dexron, Mercon, ATF+, F) and the trans was in good working order.

Transmissions that have been taken apart seem to have 3 outcomes: immediately dead, dead in 3000-5000 miles, or it'll keep running.

 

[i_hate_autofraud]

shift problems for 4T60 and 4T65 very similar:


GM 4T65-E COMMON TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS
https://app.box.com/s/n3eaao2pzopusd3bx8qrd7xmgaibj3n1

 

[BironDanmum]

My 4T60E was highly particular about transmission fluid. I had to drain Maxlife DexIII out within 500 miles due to the rough shifting and shudder. Drained that out and went back to Castrol and the problem went away. Shifted fine, with 432k miles on it before the second 3.1 blew up.

Sounds to me like you got a junkyard tranny. Many shops back in the day would charge you to swap in a "rebuilt" motor or tranny that they went down to the junkyard and picked up. May or may not operate correctly.

Best practice to getting a rebuilt motor or tranny is to get the warranty in your name. The above mentioned two-motor Buick were rebuilt Jasper motors picked up at Autozone on the shop's commercial account. I went down to AZ with the shop foreman and purchased the motor on my credit card, and all the warranty paperwork was in my name. The warranty was for 100k miles, and they both puked out at about 240k miles due to the inherent defective intake manifolds that quietly seeped coolant into the block for years. If the shop or mechanic that's putting the rebuilt unit into your vehicle won't give you anything less than a 100k warranty, it's a pretty safe bet that he's not buying the unit from a legitimate source of professionally rebuilt motors or transmissions and he's pulling it off a wrecked vehicle. They will also probably balk at the idea of buying the unit yourself so that the warranty is in your name.

More to the point- take it back to whoever rebuilt the tranny and tell them to rebuild it correctly. If they aren't willing to accommodate you, do a chargeback on your credit card. At this point swapping the fluid will be useless and a Blackstone lab sample will probably confirm that the fluid is years old- ie, it was 100k miles old before it went into the junkyard.

 

[Donald]

The OP said "used" not "rebuilt" or "remanufactured". Used might be OK if doing the install yourself. But if paying for it get a remanufactured.

However junkyards typically give to a warranty of some type. Bring back the broken one and they will give you another.

 

[CT8]

No it will not kill the trans it just may not be ideal.

 

[bdcardinal]

Depending on the application it sure can. Have replaced a few Five Hundred / Freestyle CVTs from having 3309 put in them, 2 options that year. Also have replaced a few Mazda SkyActiv transmissions that had fluid other than FZ put in them.

 

[Lolvoguy]

Originally Posted By: Dave33x1


Not sure exactly how it happened, (son was driving it)



How old is your son?

If you abuse anything hard enough that isn't new, it will fail.
Regardless of the fluid used.

 

[user52165]

Originally Posted By: Lolvoguy
Originally Posted By: Dave33x1


Not sure exactly how it happened, (son was driving it)



How old is your son?

If you abuse anything hard enough that isn't new, it will fail.
Regardless of the fluid used.


So his son made the atf turn black in 3K miles??

Lousy rebuild or JY replacement much more likely.

 

[demarpaint]

It depends on the unit, some are more forgiving than others when it comes to the wrong fluid.

 

[SirTanon]

Can the wrong fluid cause trans failure? Yes, but it would take some time.

Can the wrong fluid cause trans failure in a mechanically-sound trans in 3000 miles? Not unless it was completely abused, or abnormally flawed.

Can the wrong trans fluid turn black after only 3000 miles? Extremely unlikely.

Can a poorly-maintained (read "severely neglected") junkyard transmission fail only 3000 miles after it was transplanted? You bet it can!

 

[Kira]

Could the OP paint a more compete picture of the garage, parts source and price paid.

If he sought the "cheapest fix in the land" the mechanic could have been accommodating him precisely or gambling recklessly with the OP's money or a combination of the two.

 

[Trav]

It could be anything from the kid power braking it and beating the Hades out of it to a bad unit right from the yard. Don't get lathered up wondering why it blew you will never know so forget it and replace the transmission again, don't throw a dime at this one.
If the fluid was replaced when installed and it was working okay chances are its abuse that killed it not the wrong fluid or the guy who installed it.

 

[mightymousetech]

Sounds like a bad tranny was installed, nothing more.

 

[69GTX]

I can't imagine any ATF trans fluid going black in 3K miles. It would have to have been severely over-heating the entire time. Even with a trans cooler not working (or the cooling fans) I'm not sure it could get there. That would be like turning your fresh engine oil black in 300-750 miles. It takes some real abuse.

I'd vote for wrong fluid. There's not a lot of money required to change the fluid again ($50-$75)...especially a totally bogus fluid was used. I'd probably send off a sample of the old fluid. At least you'll know if they put in trans fluid....or used motor oil. They could have put in old-worn out trans fluid too.

 

[901Memphis]

Originally Posted By: mightymousetech
Sounds like a bad tranny was installed, nothing more.


Bingo, you replaced a bad transmission with a known problematic transmission.

My Indy mechanic told me I was crazy for putting a new rebuild transmission into my Buick, he said that he could get a used one from the junkyard for a few hundred bucks, I told him I didn't want someone else's problems, and it's been two plus years still shifts like new and I'm due for a fluid change now.

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted By: 901Memphis

I told him I didn't want someone else's problems, and it's been two plus years still shifts like new and I'm due for a fluid change now.

Reality is, a junkyard part is hit or miss. The car it came out of could have been wrecked with a few thousand miles or it could have 250k miles.