Holy Fluid Level Batman!
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 392
Likes: 1
From: Sunny Seaside Seabrook Texas (a whole 'nother country)
Holy Fluid Level Batman!
I just checked my tranny fluid ('92 LT-1 auto) and it's a pretty pink. But... the level was far above the hash marks on the dipstick. I followed the instructions in the owners manual "to the T" for checking the level. What happens if you've got too much fluid? TIA for the help!
Large Impressive Member
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 65,811
Likes: 71
From: Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die
St. Jude Donor '04-'05-'06-'07
Re: Holy Fluid Level Batman! (MrWiggly)
You could blow a seal and worse, better drain 'er down.
Large Impressive Member
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 65,811
Likes: 71
From: Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die
St. Jude Donor '04-'05-'06-'07
Re: Holy Fluid Level Batman! (bogus)
It could also cause cavitation of the fluid resulting in lack of lubrication to critical parts.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 17,298
Likes: 33
From: The Top of Utah
Re: Holy Fluid Level Batman! (MrWiggly)
Those suckers don't make fluid. Over full and pink, says only one thing, to me. WATER ! And there are only two ways it can get in there. One would be a super ignorant lube jockey at the local grease 'n go. The other is a failed trans cooler. The interesting thing about water, is that it dissolves the bonding that holds the linings on the clutch plates. Don't ask how I know this. Good luck, and...
RACE ON!!!
RACE ON!!!
Pro
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 732
Likes: 138
From: Allen (DFW) Texas
Re: Holy Fluid Level Batman! (MrWiggly)
CFI-EFI is absolutely correct, if you're fluid is actually pink it means water has gotten into the system and contaminated the fluid. He's also correct that water will cause the clutches in both the transmission and the torque converter to fail in short order - I owned a transmission shop for five years and saw firsthand the results so if this is the case DO NOT drive the car, have it towed on a flat-bed to a shop for repairs (driving it will likely result in damage not just to the clutches but to other parts of the unit that will drive the repair cost much higher). The most common cause of this problem is failure of the radiator. I don't recall specifically for the Corvette, since mine is an M6, but generally the transmission fluid runs through a metal line up to a separate section of the radiator that provides cooling and then returns to the tranny - if the radiator is damaged between those sections it will allow water to enter those lines and be carried into the transmission, and once that occurs the only "fix" is to replace all the clutches and probably the torque converter.
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