Transmission Fluid down 1 qt and smells burnt. Kicks hard into drive.

I recently purchased an Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale and it has a tow hitch on it. I am assuming that this is an after market part since I have yet to see another with a tow hitch on it. Since I purchased the vehicle it has been kicking into drive very hard. So I checked the transmission fluid and it was down a quart and was brown and smelled burnt. The person who sold me the car says he serviced the transmission five times. There is 115,989 miles on the car, and somehow it does not seem feasable that he serviced the transmission five times because he purchased the car with 98,900 miles on it. Unless he does not know what servicing is, I am not sure. Anyway, does anyone what could be wrong with this transmission, or what the extent of damage could be? I am assuming he added the tow hitch to tow a camper most likely. Any help would be appreciated.
Dave

Welcome to AF, Remember to post the year of the car, it makes a difference in the diagnostic recommendations.

Ouch. I say he dumped the car knowing the tranny is going south. If he towed anything heavy with it, that trans is toast.

Hello,
Sorry about that. It is a 1993. I changed the filter and fluid and now it seems to be better. The plastic ring was still inside the pan, and the bolts were so rusted that I had to force the socket onto them. I don't believe that he ever did the transmission. It still kicks into drive hard when the car is cold, but I can say there were absolutley no metal particals to speak of in the pan when I cleaned it. Ther was also no grey sludge to speak of. What does this mean? Is it good or bad? I also needed some help with another problem if someone could be so kind. The same car. The high brake light has not worked since I bought the car.... which made the cruise control not work, and made the ABS warning light come on. I changed the bulb, checked the fuses, and it still nothing. I am afraid that this is going to make me fail inspection in Mass. and was hoping that someone could help me out with some ideas of what I could do next. The car has the trailer harness connected in the trunk, and it looks cleanly installed, and the connections seem alright to me. Anyone know where I could look for a short maybe?
Any help is extremely appreciated!
Dave

Check for 12v to the bulb socket and ground in the socket first.

Maxwedge,
Please don't think me to be dumb by asking this, but could you explain a little about checking the ground and how to set the multimeter? I am new to these, and don't want to post wrong information.
By the way, thank you very much for taking time to help me. I truly appreciate this.
Dave

Basic circuit testing , due respect, for me to type this out is time consuming. Pick up a book or guide at a parts store or library, for a tutorial, difficult not being able to age your level of understanding.

I found out that changing the fluid should be done profesionally because all I suceeded in doing was mixing 7 quarts of new fluid with 13 quarts of the old burnt fluid. I guess I need to have a garage flush the transmission and completely change all 20 quarts that the tranny calls for. I will be doing this right after christmas (Since it will cost me $190.00), and I will post to let you all know how it works out.

Well, Sorry it took so long to respond again. I had to find out how to use the multimeter. Well, there is nothing. No volts going to the bulb outlet. I ordered a switch for the brake pedal, although if that was not working right, I imagine that none of the brake lights would be working. Any other ideas?

I found out that changing the fluid should be done profesionally because all I suceeded in doing was mixing 7 quarts of new fluid with 13 quarts of the old burnt fluid. I guess I need to have a garage flush the transmission and completely change all 20 quarts that the tranny calls for. I will be doing this right after christmas (Since it will cost me $190.00), and I will post to let you all know how it works out.


<B>DO NOT FLUSH THIS TRANN!!Y IT WILL ONLY DO MORE DAMAGE!!!!</B>

just change the fluid out about two more times you should be fine! and change the filter on the last refill :)

Acidcrashdburnd,
I totally agree with not having the tranny flushed, but what will happen from changing the fluid two more times? Also when I change the fluid next time do I need to buy a new gasket? Also how long do I wait inbetween changes? Will this fix the problem of my car slipping out of drive into neutral? This is something that just happened yesterday. I was slowing to stop at a red light, and when I got down to 5mph the transmission did nothing as if it was in neutral. I shifted it into reverse, and back to drive and it was fine. Then it did the same thing again at the next red light, and then it has not done it again since then. You sound like you know a lot about this stuff, so please, anything you can gove me for help is extremely appreciated.

Acidcrashdburnd,
I totally agree with not having the tranny flushed, but what will happen from changing the fluid two more times? Also when I change the fluid next time do I need to buy a new gasket? Also how long do I wait inbetween changes? Will this fix the problem of my car slipping out of drive into neutral? This is something that just happened yesterday. I was slowing to stop at a red light, and when I got down to 5mph the transmission did nothing as if it was in neutral. I shifted it into reverse, and back to drive and it was fine. Then it did the same thing again at the next red light, and then it has not done it again since then. You sound like you know a lot about this stuff, so please, anything you can gove me for help is extremely appreciated.


its what i was told to do (change fluid) i have no idea but i just did it anyway

if you want you should PM gtp dad or Alibi about this those guys are the car gurus around hurrrrr'

but yeah i doubt that will fix your problem i just had my trans rebuilt it was bad shifting at high rpms was like being rear ended at 15 mph :( JERKING MOTION

oh and on my way to nucar to get my rear wheel hub changed out the tire locked up 1/9 mile from the dealership :( :( :(
lol bald spot in tire lol

Why thank you for the Guru reference :) I feel all warm and gooey on the inside... but I'm just a young'in who spends too much time reading the forums....and who's had too many wrecks that have forced me to become H/C-body savvy.

The point of changing the transmission fluid several times is to get all the old fluid out. With each fluid change, you only get whats in the pan and in the cooler (assuming you disconnect the cooler lines). Soo....the theory is that you eventually get the burnt fluid out after a few changes as the new fluid mixes with the old. As for the gasket, you wouldn't really need to change it either as you wouldn't need to drop the entire pan to let the fluid out until the last time (and when you do it the last time, replace the filter and get a multi-use rubber gasket, the cork ones that come with the filter are crap). Also, generously use Lucas Trans-Slip....its fairly pricey at about $10 a large bottle, but it actually works. Anything made by Lucas and Seafoam do as they say on the bottle, just FYI.

Between changes, I'd wait at least a few days to a couple weeks. As for a flush, don't. For some odd reason, flushing an older transmission (at least the 4t60 and 4t65) seems to be too hard on the internals...once you flush it, you'll have to keep flushing it on a regular basis.

However, I still think that the transmission may be beyond help... but I'm not a transmission expert. But lets assume that the previous owner did tow with the car and he never changed the fluid (its probably on its second batch of fluid from the factory, possibly the original though). This would definitely wear out the already old fluid anyway. However, the burnt smell means that internals aren't being properly lubricated so hope that it inst too burnt up. Soo...by replacing the worn out fluid and dumping in luscious quantities of Lucas Trans-Slip to revitalize the internals, you *might* be alright. But eitherway, the trans life has been shortened.

I'd like to throw my :2cents: in!! As far as the additives I'm not a big believer in them but in a case like this it might help.

As far as the condition of the trans, it sounds like you might be in for some $$$$$ repairs. I had a 95 Regal with a 4T60E trans and here is what happend to mine. On a routine oil change I had spilled some on the manifold. I started it and from under the hood was reving the engine up a bit and all of the sudden I heard a snap and the car lunged forward toward me. Not only did it scare the crap out of me it also turned on the light that something was wrong in the trans. Try this with yours and see what happens, either neutral or park AND DON'T STAND IN FRONT OF THE CAR WHEN YOU DO THIS!!!!

If it makes a noise you have major issues, most likely a bad one way clutch, hub, pump support, etc etc etc.........hard part failure. My Regal trashed about $500 bucks in hard parts, my cost, yet all of the clutches and bands were fine.

As far as it going into neutral, this was explained to me as another symptom of the one way clutch going south then other parts grenading after. Although you don't have any metal yet it might not be soon to follow. The guy that gave me all my info, and hook up for cheap parts, has been building transmissions for over 20 years. Super guy and he builds dozens of these trannys a year.

Let us know what you find!!!

NJJ

You say no gray sludge? That's unusual as automatics normally produce this over time, especially this particular one (I'm on my second trans in this car and last time I changed the filter I found not only sludge but a half circle of plastic like substance from a clutch pack. Looks like I'll be on number three in a few months but it sill shown no symptoms of failure.) Most likely, the PO had this thing flushed recently, if so it'll be dead soon.

Hello,
I am very greatful to you for all of your help, and I'll tell you, kid or not, you are extremely intelligent. You know more than most adults I have met. You are a wonderful person for taking time to help me, and I was hoping that I was not becoming a pain, because for a while I was not hearing from anyone on the post. I just have one more question. When I changed the fluid, I could not get the old O-Ring out of the tranny. So I left it in there and just put the new filter in, and threw away the new O-Ring. I did not mention this before becauseI did not find out that it was important to change this, until last night. Do you think I hurt anything by leaving the old O-Ring in there? I promise that this will be my last question about this, and I thank you in advance. Also thank you to all who have taken time to post here for me.

Hello,
When I changed the fluid, I could not get the old O-Ring out of the tranny. So I left it in there and just put the new filter in, and threw away the new O-Ring. I did not mention this before becauseI did not find out that it was important to change this, until last night. Do you think I hurt anything by leaving the old O-Ring in there? I promise that this will be my last question about this, and I thank you in advance.

Ask away whenever, that's what forums are for.

(I'll assume you're talking about the little pipe like seal for the trans filter)
I've done this too, it's difficult to remove it without causing a bit of damage to the soft aluminum it's stuck into. Best way I've found is using a chisel to deform the little pipe from the flared edge until I can get a hold of it with some large pliers and twist till it pops out.

You say no gray sludge? That's unusual as automatics normally produce this over time, especially this particular one (I'm on my second trans in this car and last time I changed the filter I found not only sludge but a half circle of plastic like substance from a clutch pack. Looks like I'll be on number three in a few months but it sill shown no symptoms of failure.) Most likely, the PO had this thing flushed recently, if so it'll be dead soon.

I am amazed you mentioned this cause I found the same exact thing! It was like a pinkish, or tan color I can't remember, but it was around 4 inches in diameter, and I assumed it was just the plastic thing left in trannies to tell if the fluid and filter had ever been changed. Is this something that can be done by me, or do I need a tranny overhaul, or new tranny? I am anxiously awaiting your response because I have another week to return this car to him for a refund if I find major defects. Could you also tell me maybe under normal driving conditions how long can this last in this condition? I am still changing gears perfectly, and the tranny shifts into gears beautifully when it is warmed up. I know it is hard to say, but you have had this problem, so I was hoping maybe you could give me just an idea.

Ask away whenever, that's what forums are for.

(I'll assume you're talking about the little pipe like seal for the trans filter)
I've done this too, it's difficult to remove it without causing a bit of damage to the soft aluminum it's stuck into. Best way I've found is using a chisel to deform the little pipe from the flared edge until I can get a hold of it with some large pliers and twist till it pops out.

Thank you for the update. At least this makes me feel a little better about that part of the problem anyway. I don' know if you read the other replies yet, but it looks like I may need to get this car back to the guy. He really tried to make me beleive that he did not know why it was acting the way it is, but I know he must have had this checked out by a tranny specialist at some point. I truly hate people that dump off they're major repairs on other people in a dishonest way like this. He knew that I am a father of 5 small children, and I am on disability. He really is a shameful person. :nono:

A quick Update,
I looked up what a clutch pack looks like, and what fell from the tranny was different looking than that. I took the car for a ride about 27 miles and it was all stop and go, and it happened again twice. When I came to a stop I had to race the engine for the torque converter to grab and go. Then the next day I took it for a ride all at 45 - 55 MPH with no stopping, and about 40 miles, until I got there and turned around. The tranny did not do it at all. It performed beautifully. I added half quart of fliud btw, which put it to all the way full line on the dip stick. This was for the second trip. After the second trip was done and nothing happened, I drove around town for a while with srop and go, and it still did not do it. I was wondering if it makes sense that the old fluid mixed with the new fluid has made the viscosity change to the point of not having enough pressure biult up to stay in gear at a stop. Cause with stop and go the tranny would heat up more than it would with staying at 45-55. Does this make sense to anyone?

For those who don't know,
Tranny gets stuck between 1st and neutral when I come to a stop.
Only does it after tranny is warmed up.
Only does it when car is operated in slower speeds for a while.
Car sat for 1 year through pretty cold winter.
Car never had a tranny fluid/filter change until I did it at 115,000 mi.
Car has a tow hitch on it, non stock.
ABS warning light is always on.
Cruise does not work.
Third high brake light does not work.
Tried changing the bulb
Tried changing the brake switch.
Car now has 115,280 mi.

just out of curosity, did you give the car back?

i live in northern mass and they will fail the car for any non functioning lights, if they notice them. if your interested i might be able to help you out with that.

hows the tranny doing? (if you still have it)