thepred

Last month took my JK into a local lube place. They should me my tranny fluid and it was black. They wanted to flush it. Wasn't that much so I said sure go ahead. What they didn't tell me is that well they were flushing the cracked my line. A day later my JK went into tranny limp mode and I was out of fluid. They replaced my lines and all is OK now. My question is, I am about 10km from out of warranty. I really want to make sure my Tranny is fine. First why was my fluid black? Second want to make sure I didn't damage it running it dry. What should Inask the dealer to do before out of warranty?

sa29560

My opinion,

If you have an auto and race your jeep like a Ferrari, or wheel in really hot places, your transmission gets hot. Hot enough to turn black?

I have changed transmission fluids on a variety of vehicles I've owned, car, truck, jeep and so on. Some were really high mileage, the fluid was dark but by no means black or sludgy.

Never have seen atf turn black. Especially if everything is running good, sounds right, all the usual stuff. I did my jeep at 50 k and it was literally perfect. Second change at 90k, was pristine. My experience only, not an auto but a manual.

Yankee

If you go to the dealer and tell them "check my tranny, which I ran almost dry, to see if it needs replacement under warranty" they might not be enthusiastic about honoring a warranty for damage through negligence.

You have 10k left so drive it and see how it acts. If it seems ok for 9k then it probably is. If it fails before then and you want it replaced under warranty then you will have to examine your conscience and decide if you present it for repair without the background story on the tranny flush/broken line.

There is also the option of trying to go after the shop that broke the line and caused the leak. Might be a waste of time though since the tranny did not immediately fail. I won't ever go to the "quicky lube" shops even for a simple oil change.

One lesson I learned long ago is when a shop works on my vehicle, even if I trust them to do good work, verify! Before leaving the lot I look around for fluid leaks, check bolts if the wheels where off, etc.... Had a brake master cylinder replaced just weeks ago, found a leak at a connection right off the bat.

Your profile does not say anything about your Jeep, and we do not know the miles (and under what conditions) on that tranny fluid to make it black. Usually it goes from a bright pink to a darker shade over 50k or so. If the fluid gets too hot (especially too many times) it will be dark and smell burnt, which is obviously not good for the tranny.

thepred

Ya sorry its a 2011 Sahara Unlimited with 90,000KM on it. All city and highway driven, never off road and never abused. That's why I am concerned about black tranny fluid. IS there anyway to check the condition of tranny before it comes out of warranty?

Yankee

With the proper equipment there are probably ways to check internal pressures and such. But that might not tell if the tranny is damaged internally anyway. No way I know of to inspect the clutches and moving parts. As long as it shifts between gears smoothly, does not slip, clunk, or otherwise act weird as far as I know you just have to cross fingers.

IMO 90,000 kilometers does not seem like enough to make the tranny fluid black on a street driven vehicle unless it spent a lot of mileage in stop and go at high temperatures. I had my filters and fluid changed at 62k miles and it still looked good. Granted I have a cooler on it but still. Did you see them actually pull out the tranny dipstick with black oil on it? Have to wonder if they were scamming you.

If that lube place only half assed attempted to "flush" it but did not drop the pan and change the filter(s), you should take it in ASAP to a competent mechanic and have that done.

I am sure there are wiser forum members that may have different advice, thats all I know to suggest.

thepred

Thanks for that. Will probably take back to dealer and have them flush and drop pan. Fluid should reveal something.

PhxSilver

Did the fluid smell burnt? Did you ever get a "HOT OIL" warning light?? if you did that was the transmission overheating, not the engine oil.

If I had to guess the "Salesman" at the oil change shop contaminated the fluid to change it to BLACK before showing you to scare you into buying their service.

jk_sea

If it shifts fine, you can probably rest easy. I'm guessing you signed a service order and on the back was fine print about the shop is responsible for absolutely nothing--and it would be tough to prove future premature failure anyway. It's good that they replaced the broken lines.

The 2011 JK auto trans fluid is due in the standard service schedule at 64k miles. If you go offroad, live in a hot climate, do a lot of city driving or towing, then you should consider a severe service schedule which probably has you changing it at 32k mile intervals. I'm not surprised the fluid was dark. Dark and oily-smelling doesn't necessarily indicate trans failure or impending issues; but the fluid itself is probably at the very end of its life. Dark/burnt and toasty smelling; that could indicate an issue.

My only recommendation is to understand that quick lube shops can be really hit-or-miss and to have heightened awareness if you use them. I haven't had good luck with them. I'd also recommend knowing the service schedule for major maintenance, and also doing your own fluid checks. This will arm you against unnecessary or extremely premature service recommendations from these kinds of shops.