• Steel Soldiers now has a few new forums, read more about it at: New Munitions Forums!

  • Microsoft MSN, Live, Hotmail, Outlook email users may not be receiving emails. We are working to resolve this issue. Please add support@steelsoldiers.com to your trusted contacts.

Happy birthday to me (trans cooler failed)

patracy

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
14,606
4,691
113
Location
Buchanan, GA
sections do not show on screen when I read posts, just titles.
I know on the browsers from a computer, it'll show the section just above the title in the thread display. Or from the thread list, it'll show in the right column. Now, on tapatalk, you kinda have to dig around to see it though. Maybe you're on the phone or something?
 

DeucesWild11

Active member
1,265
12
38
Location
Putnam County, NY
Happy Birthday as well. You never know at some point in the future you may have a situation where you were glad you changed it all out. Also you found this out in the driveway and not the freeway! That's always a good thing!

I'd offer you some good used oil for a flush if you were closer.. My WMO supply is from a guy that services generators, I have to mark my buckets so that I can tell it apart from new oil. (still looks like honey)
 

papabear

GA Mafia Imperial 1SG
13,513
2,420
113
Location
Columbus, Georgia
I think if you just flush the trans two or three times at the most you should be OK. I think we flushed the GOER trans three times and all the milk was gone.[thumbzup]
 

patracy

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
14,606
4,691
113
Location
Buchanan, GA
Got the heat exchanger swapped out. I ran it with only the transmission hooked up first to make sure I didn't have a leak in it. 20 gallons so far. Starting to get less cloudy. This stinks. I'm just going to sit all this in the pails in the shop and let them sit till the summer. Maybe it'll clear up over time. I think another 2 buckets in and dumped and I'll be ready for a drive.

So the lesson is, never just let water sit in a M939 series heat exchanger when the temps get anywhere close to freezing.
 

patracy

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
14,606
4,691
113
Location
Buchanan, GA
I shifted plans. After 25 gallons of oil with no major improvement. I've started using diesel fuel. I've gone through 20 gallons of diesel fuel. It's still cloudy, but not a thick goop anymore. I'm going to run another 8 gallons of diesel through it. Then I've got 15 gallons of hyd fluid. I think I'm going to have to drive it and get it hot enough to hopefully boil off the water/cloudiness. I just hope I've flushed enough out of it to not screw up the clutch packs.
 

marchplumber

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
3,728
2,645
113
Location
Peoria, Illinois
Contact Allison and ask for their suggestions for a remedy? Just a though before maybe doing permanent harm.
God bless
Tony
 

patracy

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
14,606
4,691
113
Location
Buchanan, GA
Pretty sure they'll say just keep swapping fluids or run it through a fluid exchanger a few times. I'd just feel better if it wasn't cloudy coming out.

I think this brute force method isn't working as fast as I'd like. I've pulled the MSDS on Seafoam Trans Tune. ( http://seafoamsales.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/MSDS_transtune_EN.pdf ) Just as I suspected, it's primarily just a pale oil base (40 to 60%). This is just "filler" really. The two working parts are the Naphtha and Isopropyl Alcohol. Sooo, I'll be making a trip to the store tomorrow to pick up some IPA. Best way to do that is with iso-heet. It's 99% IPA.
 

patracy

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
14,606
4,691
113
Location
Buchanan, GA
Doing a little more research, IPA's boiling point is 180F. Which is better than the 212F of water. But Denatured alcohol is 173F. That's pretty close to operating temps of the truck. I think I'm just going to allow the truck to keep on dripping dry today. Then I'll put the plug in again and pour a little alcohol or acetone in the pan to rinse out any residue left. I'll pour 5 gallons of hyd fluid into it and let it idle for a while till it gets warm with alcohol, then drop that. Then another repeat of that. Maybe venturing around the block to check things out and letting it idle till warm again. Then drop that fluid and fill up with another pail and drive it for a bit.
 

doghead

4 Star General /Moderator
Staff member
Super Moderator
Steel Soldiers Supporter
26,247
1,172
113
Location
NY
I've cleaned manual transmissions that had water in the oil (usually in the wintertime) with warm diesel fuel.

Tractors and trucks mostly. Actually driven them slow to circulate it. The drain and refill with oil.

I've heated it to about 150f when doing this.

Always worked well.

Like with shampoo, you can rinse and repeat for best results.
 
461
6
18
Location
Sandyston, NJ
The only problem I see with this is that water reeks havoc on clutch packs. I had a trans that was in a flood. When I contacted my trans guy he asked if a started it at all. Then he said if it has not been started then just drain and refill. But if it has been started it is done and will need a rebuild. The reason being is that the water breaks down the bonding agent that holds the friction material to the metal disks. He said it maybe fine for now but you will surely have a trans failure in the near future. Not sure how much this pertains to this problem but just wanted to pass the knowledge along.
 

patracy

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
14,606
4,691
113
Location
Buchanan, GA
Well I haven't driven it yet. Thankfully (I guess) it started puking oil out the coolant res. while I started it up. But by then I was already getting a milkshake from draining it. I've not driven it yet at all. Just been exchanging fluids over and over and over. It's still milky, but it's not a frothy goop coming out anymore. I just switched back over to hyd fluid and filled it up right now with a quart of denatured alcohol. It's idling now to warm up. I guess I'll let it idle and come up to temp and drop that oil and put another pail in today as well.
 
Top