Testiment of Engineering, Mobile 1 ATF or something........

[redmanfx]

I’m very blessed to writing this right now at this time with a working, running Q45. Let me explain. Yesterday, while leaving Burger King I had to merge into traffic rather quickly and when I did so I felt a sluggish response and something else that I couldn’t quite place. I was able to get up to speed and all “strange” sluggishness and odd sounds were gone and did not come back. During the mile or so ride home I was testing the Q and trying to see if I could somehow identify what it was that I ever so briefly felt and heard, but all seemed fine. When I did arrive home I immediately checked under the hood for obvious problems, smells etc… but again found nothing. So under the car I went and with the plastic shield in place I couldn’t see the belts or pulleys, but everything else was fine. No smell, leaks (that I could see) or anything else. After starting the car again and rechecking everything I felt like it must have been a momentary injector clog or something.

Later last night I drove to a friends and we took his car to the minor league Kinston Indian game in his (new to him) 2002 Buick Park Avenue Ultra, which is about 55 miles away, so my car sat at his house. The game was over late and we got back to his house around 1145p.m. so I jumped in my car and drove right home. Again I felt nothing wrong, until I pulled into the parking lot where the steering seemed hard when in a tight turn at the end. Hmmm… So again, I checked what I could at midnight and found nothing.

Today I was heading to another friends where my O.Z. rims where going to finally be painted. Woo Hoo; I was a happy man to finally get this done. My friend and his wife live about 28 miles away if that. It’s really closer, but because of the waterways and rivers here it’s a round about way to get there that is the quickest. I felt nothing wrong, nothing slipping, no weird sounds, no smell and nothing would have alerted me to what was really happening to my Q. Little did I know I was loosing Quarts of transmission fluid by this time! Leaving it all over the rode as I went and didn’t even know it. The only clue I had that something was even remotely strange was a tiny bit of smoke at a stop sign, but I couldn’t tell if that was me or the car that left in front of me.

Upon arriving at my friends I pull into his driveway in a billowing cloud of white smoke and I immediately start freaking out thinking I’m on fire! I ran to his porch after turning the car off, which of course made things worse, grabbing the fire extinguisher and ran to lift the hood. Cough, Cough, Cough,…. what the hey…smells like transmission fluid….then I realize one of the transmission lines to the external transmission cooler ruptured, turning my engine compartment into a oozing nasty, oily, utter mess! I found the hose leaning against the nut the holds the Active power steering pump pulley in place had melted the outer plastic mold and the inner transmission hose itself until it ruptured.

I repaired everything and it took 4 ½ Quarts of Mobile 1 ATF to refill the lost fluid. Now I ran over what I think was about 45 miles actually loosing fluid, with the last 28 being the worst, with absolutely no way of knowing what was going on. The car ran that good, with no noise, or smell (until it got really, really bad) or slipping of gears that I am astonished I didn’t blow my transmission. Either that JDM transmission is the Schnitz, the Mobile 1 ATF is really “that good” or my car absolutely LOVES me!!

Think about it. It got me from the middle of nowhere to a place I could repair it and had taken me that distance before serious signs could be seen. Amazing! We checked the car out real well before I actually left with a test drive and a hook up to the consult and all was fine. Made it home just fine with no more leaks. I don’t like that guard on the bottom because you can’t see anything!! I’m leaving it off a few days so I can make sure my rerouted hoses are ok.

Needless to say I never got to my rims. Next week. Plus my back is so sore from degreasing under the car all the way back to the mufflers where the ATF had soaked everything and the top portion of the engine where the pulleys and belts sprayed it. The drive way had to be cleaned too, so I hope all of you had a wonderfull Saturday and it was just super spiffy for you!!

red

[elwesso]

I would definitely keep an eye out of it. Remember out of the 12 quarts or so, only about 4 are in the pan at any given time!

[maxnix]

Might be a good time to do a flush and check pressures as your planetary gears may have been starved.

Read Q45tech's posts on fluid exchange timing as an indicator of transmission health.

Were they the stock Summit lines? Not that much pressure on the return from the cooler.

[Jesda]

Holy crap!!

[CrimsonQ]

LOL!! Reminds me of when I sprung an oil leak on my 71 slant six Dart! Damn bastard ran all the way home somehow, and its still running :P

[redmanfx]

Everything was stock. The thing that really made me shake my head was that the hoses melted from contact to the Nut that held the pulley on. Melted through the protective outer hose and the actual hose itself. I'll check everything because I don't want to have problems with the transmission.

red

[maxnix]

Everything was stock. The thing that really made me shake my head was that the hoses melted from contact to the Nut that held the pulley on. Melted through the protective outer hose and the actual hose itself. I'll check everything because I don't want to have problems with the transmission.

red

Well, the hoses weren't stock, nor was the external ATF cooler.

Presume you bypassed the stock heat exchanger? If it was a B&M unit, presume the hoses were from the kit? In any case, hose routing is critical when it comes to interference, sharp edges to wear through the hoses, and of course heat sources.

Good idea to check the AT.

[redmanfx]

Over the counter 5/16 transmission oil cooler lines. "Stock" meaning in stock at the autostore. I covered the lines in hard plastic wire mesh guard and now nothing touches anything.

Are you some kind of teacher??? You catch the slightest mis-writen statements. Can't you read my mind by now???

red