ATF in my manual

[Feldman]

So i bought a 96 outback about a week ago that was a bit of a fixer upper. I've been working my way through the list of things that need fixing and today got to the Reverse switch. I noticed red fluid on the plug and was curious so i drained the fluid and it's bright red/pink It doesn't smell particularly sweet like I think AFT is supposed to smell but I've never had/changed an auto it definitely doesn't smell like gear oil though.

 

I was already planning on throwing in some synthetic fluid which i already have but how do i get all of what i presume is AFT out? i have some old fluid from my 00 outback that i haven't taken to get recycled yet, should i run that for a bit then change to new fluid?

 

Do you guys think that will get enough out to be effective?

[Feldman]

Jacked up the back end and got as much fluid out as possible and put in some actual gear oil. It shifts marginally better. How long should i leave that in there before i drain that?

 

Here is what came out, upon further inspection i guess it does kind of have a sweet smell

http://ritzpix.com/net/ImageDisp.aspx?filespec=A9CE3159CA58893F78ADE56EA86961DE0896D2A8844F9D82F3EAFE4214B082E3F961173389480A8993AB603AE37C7904563AA07120323929AD6238F46F156A80D04F9F28106EC66C42B446DBE7248DB49F64B7FF1AA62732DC751C4E81E64E733B4801D0AA696C984EF0F102DC6FD51D&lastmoddate=4/20/2011%207:27:33%20PM&maxSize=650&w=842E0C587EF6879C11083BAE32BE19F9&o=46FBC33C14DAA5B4558DBB914FA0E108&a=4AAFEBCEDB51BE31A2D2C6BF71D8E32D&rkey=300&SlideShowHeight=440&SlideShowWidth=660&SlideShowMatte=F5F2F5

[thorongil]

I know virtually nothing about ATF since I've only taken care of M/T cars, however the fluid you show looks very much like Redline HW Shockproof. I used it on my former WRX, and it looks like strawberry syrup when you pour it into the transmission. (The Redline LW shockproof looks like blueberry syrup.) I don't recall if the Redline Shockproof had any distintive smell when new. Though when I drained it some 30,000 miles later it had the strong, foul smell typical of used M/T fluid.

 

While I can't tell you for certain, there is hope that the wrong fluid wasn't used in your transmission.

[GTTuner]

Use conventional gear oil to flush, go about a hundred miles, the spend the cash on synthetic.

 

My .02c

[Feldman]

i doubt the previous owners would have spent the money on a high end fluid, there were a lot of looming maintenance issues.

 

Right now I have the used fluid from my 00 outback in there, which was still in decent condition. I'll run that a few more days then throw in the syn I have.

 

Any ideas on what kind of damage this might have done do my syncros and center diff? I actually did some mild off-roading when i first bought it and AWD worked rather well.

 

fortunately there are a bunch of transmissions in the junykards around here if it craps out

[BAC5.2]

That isn't ATF.

 

It's Heavyweight Shockproof by Redline.

[Feldman]

That isn't ATF.

 

It's Heavyweight Shockproof by Redline.

 

So how do i find out for sure?

 

If it is redline shockproof the redline site states: "Not recommended for most synchro applications due to the product's extreme slipperiness"

 

so I guess its best to replace it anyway

[BAC5.2]

Redline says a lot of things. That stuff won't hurt anything.

 

You find out for sure because I told you what it is. It's very likely that the PO came into a shop complaining of transmission grinding and they sold him that fluid because it would solve the problem.

 

To flush, just get some crappy fluid from Advance (cheapest 75W90 GL5 they have), and do a drain-and-fill every hundred or two hundred miles until it comes out clear.

 

I typically recommend running a 1:1 mix of Redline Lightweight Shockproof and Motul Gear 300 (75W90).

[Max Capacity]

^ what he said, to flush then go with Amsoil Severe Gear 75W-90 cost about the same and you can leave it in there longer.

 

http://www.amsoil.com/a/synthetic-gear-oil

 

That's what I'll be putting in the SpecB's tranny in a few weeks. Thanks, HAMMERDOWN.