Brown Coolant/ Brown ATF

[wofat]

I'm in the beginning stage of changing the tb/wp/cam and crank seals and external oil cooler (ATF) on a '98 R50 (4wd). I was hoping to use the old coolant (last time I checked it about 4 months ago it was bright green) but when I drained it it was mud brown. The ATF looked nice and bright red on the dipstick, smelled good (not burnt, the reason I wanted to get this done) but when I drained that it was also mud brown. It DIDN'T smell burnt and the tranny works fine so I'm going ahead with the work.

Seems to me the radiator ATF cooler is wetting the bed, I've been losing a small amount of coolant but none is dripping.

2 questions:

 

1: If I cap the old connectors to the ATF cooler into the radiator will I still need to replace the radiator? Like I stated before it isn't dripping out any coolant. Anybody have any success with a radiator after the fluids converged?

 

2: I drained the tranny and pumped as much fluid out as I could (turning the engine over). My plan (after the tb/external cooler, etc) was to top it off with ATF, drain and pump it out again in a month, drop the pan and swap the filter and drive it to death. Any other suggestions?

 

Thanks in advance. I'm doing this on a shoestring budget but need this car to last as long as it can. If I need to flush/fill/flush/fill ATF and antifreeze then suggestions for cheap options are appreciated, a new radiator is out of the question at this point.

It runs and shifts fine, power is good and it's not smoking. I never suspected any issues until I drained the radiator.

Thanks!

 

[MY1PATH]

change your rad and flush your tranny.

Capping the rad is a band aid, making sure your tranny fluid is free of water is priority.

[wofat]

I think we're on the same page and I appreciate the advice. Only thing, I can't do the radiator now, I need some time. If I run water only (I'm in Gig Harbor, it aint gonna freeze any time soon) will it rust out the system? I'm just out of guesses. Anything else I can put in there (with water) that will lube and protect for a short time that can drip and not poison all the wildlife in the neighborhood?

Thx MY1PATH, you helped me out with some stuff years ago. This forum has great people. I read a lot but don't post much, I get most of what I need from reading. You guys rock.

I can do pics of this crap if it helps the forum, it seems like tb changes have been covered (very well, btw).

Thanks much!

[Rebelord]

You can cap the tranny cooler on the radiator. However I wouldn't just rubber cap it. Remove the hard tubes and metal plug cap it. If you have the factory tranny cooler you can use that solo temporary but I would add a larger one to supplement that ASAP. Dont tow with that small one. You can find em at pepboys for like 40-50 at most.

If you want to replace the radiator call Sunbelt Radiators in Miami, Fl. Check in my build thread about em. But

 

More later work

 

Sent from smert fone

 

 

[wofat]

Thanks Rebelord, that's a great price for that radiator. I'm just gonna try to get by with what I have for a while and assume that it'll have to be replaced in the near future (if the tranny holds up). I've got a Hayden cooler for the ATF.

I don't get why the fluids would mix like that, my '88 did the same thing and it killed two trannys before I could get a cooler on it.

[Rebelord]

Most likely the factory cooler in the bottom of the radiator has a pinhole leak. So bypassing it is priority. You should also flush your coolant in the engine. If your in a hot climate you can do a 2 gal jug of the coolant and the rest water you'll be fine.

 

Sent from smert fone

 

 

[wofat]

New oil cooler for tranny is hooked up (in front of a/c rad), everything under the coverplates was a goopy mess of oil, grime and antifreeze (weep hole). First thing in the a.m. I'm going to pressure wash the front to get the worst out (already gunked it, still lots of crud in there). I've got a lot of cleaning to do!

I'm planning to run straight water in the coolant system for a month and then flush it out hard. If it's leaking much it should show, I'd have money for a new radiator by then, I'll probly just replace this one. Any additives I should put in to help break down the ATF oil?

The tranny is my biggest concern. It shows no weakness, shifts spot on and smooth but it was running on that mix of glycol and ATF for who knows how long? How could I get all that crap mix out of there without dropping the pan ten times? I can hook the hoses up to anything at this point.......maybe drop them in a two gallon jug of ATF and run it (shift it) for awhile?

Read your build thread Rebelord, awesome write up and nice rig! You got a screaming deal on those tires.

[rgallant]

My understanding of the new automatic transmissions is any significant water entry is the end of the transmission it is a matter of how long before failure. You may want to do some research and ask some professionals, I will check with my guy in the morning. I drive a manual so no bad cooler design, not bashing Nissan here it is a pretty common setup.

 

You might get lucky with a flush, you might not it depends on how long and how much water got in.

 

Wee update most of the info I can find suggests running cheap ATF, and keep changing until it is perfect, at least one person used 10 quarts.

 

Hopefully you will get lucky

Edited June 24, 2013 by rgallant

[wofat]

Thanks for checking and let me know what your guy says. The tranny is probably nearing it's end of life anyway but it still works really well, I really need to keep it going a bit longer. The fluid in the radiator and the crap in the tranny were one in the same, I think there was plenty of water in there.

I'm thinking about using two five gallon pails to flush the tranny, run the intake into one full of new ATF and outflow into an empty one (run it until it sputters). 16 quarts (4 gallons) of the cheapest ATF I can get. Then I'll fill it with new, run on it for a month and change everything out if it still looks good. Still thinking on that, I'm pretty broke and it might be a waste.......I'd really like to get all that crap out though.

I'm going to run antifreeze in the radiator to try and keep the system from rusting, I know the radiator is history but I can't afford to get a new one right now.

I'm going to have a lot of stuff for hazmat! I have septic so I can't just pour the antifreeze/water down, plus it'll be oily.

=[

I've ripped it down as far as I need to go, new wp, seals and tb go in tomorrow. I had to put in new valve cover gaskets and drilled pass throughs for the ATF cooler lines, I had the right size grommets and it looks factory, one thing went right.

The timing belt was hosed, sloppy loose and full of oil. It was just a matter of time, anything I get out of this rig from here out is a gift.

Thanks for all the help!

[Towncivilian]

The trans won't suck up fluid through the cooler input line. Just disconnect the passenger side cooler line to drain the trans.

[Rebelord]

Best you can do is turn the engine over to pump fluid out then replace with fresh from the fill tube.

Might as well call a few places and see what they charge to flush the tranny. If its $80-100 then I'd scrape together the money and go for it. Just make sure its a reputable place that has the proper equipment to do it right; ans they dont just do what you ultimately want to do.

 

Sent from smert fone

 

 

[Towncivilian]

It is very easy to do a fluid exchange in your driveway, paying anything to have it done is a waste of money in my opinion. Disconnect the return line and start the engine, when the fluid starts sputtering out of the return line the trans is more or less empty.

[wofat]

Thanks guys, good info. I'm still in reassembly, I'll most likely have it going again this afternoon (if everything works out). I think I'll fill it with new ATF, run it hard for a bit, drain it til it sputters, drop the pan and clean it out, then a new filter & new ATF. I don't know that there's much else I can do at this point.

[Towncivilian]

A Magnefine inline filter is inexpensive and would be a good idea. Place it on the cooler return line. You'll need a 3/8" one.

[wofat]

I might get one if this thing flushes ok. I only managed to get 6 quarts in but I only drained it this time, hopefully running it dry will get all that crud out. I ran it in the driveway while I cleaned out the garage, seems to shift just fine, the ATF on the dipstick is bright red and smells ok (maybe it's not all mixed through).

Thanks!

[Rebelord]

Keep checking it and run some out into a jug as you pick up more ATF fluid.

By chance you may have caught it just as the issue was starting to where you could save it for some time. But just remember to keep a good eye on things.

[wofat]

The car has 195k on it, if I can get another 20k I'll be in hog heaven. This thing has electric issues, rust, smells like rat piss when you run the heat and is generally just a p.o.s. I think it was a Katrina car, this isn't anything I want to throw a lot of money at. There's a lot of older QX4's and pathy's in great shape with lower miles around here, you just have to catch the right deal.

I just got a new job (finally) and know I have to save for something better, for now I just need to make sure I get to work.

Thanks for the advice and encouragement, it's really appreciated!

[wofat]

One question.....is there a good way to tighten up the ps tensioner? I bet I spent a half hour on the ground flipping a combo wrench back and forth 1/4 turn at a time for a half hour. I was dreading it so bad I saved it for last.