Would I be wasting my time after the transmission cooler failed in the radiator in trying to flush transmission before replacing it? Car is a 59 Ford with a cruise o matic Sent from my SM-G900V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
If you're rebuilding or replacing the trans, I don't see where flushing the old trans will help. Flushing the radiator and lines should be in the plan. Can't tell from your post, did the trans fluid and cooling system mix?
If the fluid is contaminated with coolant the clutch fibers will d-laminate from their steel backing plates. ***uming there is no other fault...Sounds like a 'soft part o/haul' to me. Seals, gaskets, clutch fibers.
Guess it would depend on the failure mode, oil in radiator or coolant in trans. I have fixed a couple cooler failures over the years; but they both resulted in trans oil in the radiator. I flushed the cooling system and fitted an external cooler in both cases. I also changed the trans oil to be on the safe side; but found no evidence of coolant in my cases. Both the car and truck went on with no further problems.
I didn't make it very clear. Coffee hadn't kicked in yet. Transmission is full of coolant. New radiator is already on the way. I was just trying to keep from having to rebuild the transmission. I was pretty sure that I new the answer. I'll just pull it and off to the transmission shop it goes. Sent from my SM-G900V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Is there transmission fluid in the coolant in the engine? If there is .........ALL of the rubber components and those containing rubber will have to be replaced, ie: water pump, thermostat seal, all hoses.
Oil did not look milky, but the transmission fluid definitely looks like pepto bismol. Sent from my SM-G900V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I wonder if it would make any difference if your coolant was water only or a water and antifreeze mix. If water only it might be worth trying a couple of thorough "flush and fills" and see what happens. It would probably be helpful to do this after getting the trans up to full operating temperature. If it's an antifreeze/water mix I don't know if you'd ever be able to sufficiently flush the contamination from the disc and clutch material, as mentioned above.
The transmission pump puts out a hell of a lot more pressure than the radiator, because of that I've never heard of a trans cooler failure that did not result in a "radiator milkshake". Pressure test the trans cooler to make sure it has failed, if it has then drain the trans fluid, put it in a freezer to separate the water from the oil to see if you have antifreeze or simply moisture that has ac***ulated inside the trans case. Best of luck to you.
I agree with you. Until now. I am positive radiator was full. Now it's empty. Oil looks fine on the dipstick. I am going to change it anyway. Transmission fluid is definitely looking pink and milky now. Sent from my SM-G900V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
My cousin used to service taxi cabs buy putting a empty 5 gallon bucket on the pressure side and a full 5 gallon on the return and do that till the fluid looked clean , that probably be best way for a complete flush
If water has touched the clutches of the transmission, it will fail soon. Reason is the clutches are usually made of a fiber that delaminates in water. A flush won't reverse this, so base your decision on this. Cosmo
Last one I had fail on me I ended up with coolant in the transmission and a rebuild on the transmission was what it took aside from the radiator repair. The radiator repair consisted in replacing the salamander and flushing the radiator while it was apart. I salvaged the cooling lines.
When I worked at a Ford dealership we had a brand new van that the transmission cooler failed. The customer had it one day and the transmission started shifting funny. When he brought it back we found the transmission overfull. It had transmission fluid in the radiator and antifreeze in the transmission. The service manager wanted a new transmission and radiator but the Ford rep told him no. The engine and transmission were flushed and an external cooler installed but the transmission still wasn't shifting properly. The transmission was removed and rebuilt but there was evidence of rusting in the valve body and it still wouldn't shift correctly. The Ford rep wanted to install a rebuilt transmission. The service manager got the man who bought it to call Ford and tell them he bought a new van and expected a new transmission and radiator or his money back. He got a new transmission and radiator.
That is a cl*** service manager. I had a 3/4 ton Suburban in Mexico that shook the salamander loose in the radiator. It seems to shift alright but on a long grade ( I had lots of those) it would spew transmission fluid out on the headers and catch fire. We figured out that the water would boil and push the fluid out the dipstick tube. It was fun for a day or two though. Nothing funnier than a Mexican Indian trying to get out of a car when its burning.
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