It's not uncommon for those magnets to pick up a fairly significant amount of debris with 170k on the drivetrain but I have a feeling that unit is going through a pretty quick death cycle and you should start making arrangements for the funeral. The fluid being in that bad of condition means it was probably never maintained and it's a technological miracle that it's survived that long on the original fluid

 

Yup, I change it often too. I guess there's a significant issue that'll always be there despite changing it every now and then. Looks like its eol for her.

 

You change the fluid regularly and it's still smells/looks burned up? That pretty much means overheat condition due to slipping clutches or brakes, when you disassemble it you'll probably find at least one set of clutch packs that is completely scorched. It's a pretty vicious spiral once that happens, the more breakdown of fluid the faster the clutch/brakes burn up and the faster particulates damage the valve body/torque converter (erosion) which in turn leads to MORE damage...

It wouldn't hurt to drain/fill the fluid one more time because the more particulates you pull out the more you delay the inevitable but if it comes out looking/smelling scorched again with significant debris on the magnet then you should start immediately shopping for a replacement unit.

 

Shouldn't he wait like 1000 miles or so, so the detergents have a chance to work stuff out? If he changes it now it'll just be changing new fluid.

 

Sounds similar to mine, just more extreme. Mine mostly slipped/made noise when cold, ended up with aluminum in the pan. Only thing aluminum in the transmission is the casing AFAIK, so something was chewing up the inside of the case...it was a pricey fix. Only did it cause (a) car had the packages I wanted and (b) I have plans to build it.

It's a guessing game as to how long you can keep driving, aggressive driving is just going to accelerate it. If the fluid stays clean for a while after a change, you can probably keep driving for a while, but I'd start looking for another ride/cheap transmission...

 

Drain and fill only affects 3.5-4 qts. or about a third of the total fluid. It's my understanding for a near total replacement that the car needs to be driven a couple of hundred miles between D/F work. After the 4th time you have nearly all new fluid. But, with the tranny in his situation it's pretty much toast at this point so I wouldn't waste any more money on fluids, especially when it's $9-12/qt. depending on where you buy it from.

 

do you guys think its worth rebuilding/replacing the trans? I'm at a dilemma thinking if it's worth putting that in a car with 175k.

i just replaced the damn fluid on monday and the smell is insane. i think i killed it.

 

The detergents just prevent sludge from accumulating. The reason I suggest another drain fill immediately is to flush out more of the contaminants. This is one of the rare cases where I think an actual power flush is worth the risk, you have SO MUCH particulates in the fluid that you really need to get them out quickly to prevent more rapid wearing of components.

I still think the transmission is toast though, it will probably start slipping soon if it hasn't already begun to.

 

Yeah, man. Good thing about these cars is there's a lot of them, they're EASILY "totalled" by ins companies and a lot of dummies crash em. Engines and trannies for these are plentiful and cheap.

 

Agreed, I'd just replace it. A rebuild will be pricey and who knows how many miles your car has left in her.

 

Alright sounds good. Thanks for the help guys. I really do appreciate it.

 

 

It's my understanding you should be fine, hopefully cleric or someone else will confirm or deny soon.