Oil filter on auto box?

Bri · Post by **Bri** » Tue Mar 27, 2012 10:07 pm

Any filters that could need cleaning out on an auto BB4? All is good when its cold and changes gear fine but when it warms up its a lot of noise and a lack of action. I need to get this car going right untill I do a manual swap. It does change up and down, but I find myself sinking my right foot further down and even then not the performance you would expect from a H22. I know its not engine related, defo transmission probs.

I checked my oil and I have found that there is a bit of the white gunk in there (Not much just a bit on dip stick) even though I have recently fitted it to the new engine and put new fluid in. I have been advised that there must be some filter somwhere but I dont know anything about autos, so please educate me.

BTW I cant do diagnostic because none of the shifter lights work.

Tell everything you know about auto's please what to do and not to do. Im counting on you guys to pull me out of the jobby here

I drove Chufters old one and it went like stink! Why isnt mine?

Post by **4thgenphil** » Tue Mar 27, 2012 10:10 pm

i know merc auto boxes have a filter

and auto's are gay

i'd say change the fluid and go from there! have you looked in the bible BTW?

Post by **indigolemon** » Tue Mar 27, 2012 10:12 pm

What colour is the autobox fluid? It should be bright red, if its a dark red or muddy brown it's totally past it and should be swapped. The box is made up of solenoids and valves and oil crappy fluid causes these to work slowly due to the hydraulics having issues.

Bri · Post by **Bri** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 6:52 am

it is bright red but I think a bit of moisture has got in at some point and created a bit of gunk so Im looking for things to clean out, filters and valves ect. Phill I have looked at the bible but somtime it just doesnt make much sense to me. Pictures are the way forward, line drawings suck.

I agree about the auto box has to go, money is tight and I dont have all the parts yet. I just took my mrs to work in it and it is perfect for a while becoming sluggish as it gets warmer. god this is doin me ed in. Got to lift the suspension and remove them side pies fix this auto box thing and get the 4 wheel alighnment done on sat then it will be a cracker, but all those things combined just make it sound and feel like a bag of spanners now.

littlefeller · Post by **littlefeller** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 7:43 am

sounds to me like your solinoid valves are gunked up

Post by **indigolemon** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 9:21 am

I'm sure there was a thread on PUK about changing the autobox fluid by decoupling the feed into the radiator cooling area. This means when you start the car the system pumps the fluid out. Then you stop the engine and top up with fresh, then start again for 15 seconds etc.

Will see if I can find it, sure it was Ubersonic that posted it. It's the only way to ensure you get all the crap out.

[edit] Found it!

ubersonic wrote:Do NOT change it yourself! Take it to a garage and have them drain/refill the system.

The reasons for this is are that the system has 6-8 litres in it but you can only drain/refill ~2 litres from the sump yourself. Normally if your changing/adding good fluid regularly this isn't a problem however if your fluid is visibly past it you must drain the whole system otherwise the detergents in the fresh ATF will mix will the degraded fluid in the system and turn acidic then begin attacking seals/etc.

Secondly the minimum ATF you should ever use on a 5th gen auto box is Honda Z-1, ideally you should use a good modern synthetic ATF like "Amsoil synthetic ATF" or "Fuchs 4400" (I used Fuchs 4400 in my SiR). Dextron II/III were substandard in 1996 and they are still substandard today even though the value of the car has dropped, remember after the Porsche 968 this was the second ever semi automatic road car.

*Edit*

If you do want to do it yourself then get enough ATF to fill the entire system and a bit of garden hose and a hose clip, disconnect the ATF return line from the rad and attach the hose then put it in a big bucket, start the car, count ~15 seconds then turn it off (too long and the gearbox will run dry and fubar), top up the gearbox with new fluid, repeat this till your out of fluid.

I believe a garage would vac it out instead, this is more of a ghetto method but I used it and it worked (uses the system to pump out the old fluid and the 15~ seconds bounces it between the high/low marks on the dip.)

Bri · Post by **Bri** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 7:05 am

littlefeller wrote:sounds to me like your solinoid valves are gunked up

Thats what Im hoping it is! Thanks

Bri · Post by **Bri** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 7:07 am

indigolemon wrote:I'm sure there was a thread on PUK about changing the autobox fluid by decoupling the feed into the radiator cooling area. This means when you start the car the system pumps the fluid out. Then you stop the engine and top up with fresh, then start again for 15 seconds etc.

Will see if I can find it, sure it was Ubersonic that posted it. It's the only way to ensure you get all the crap out.

[edit] Found it!

ubersonic wrote:Do NOT change it yourself! Take it to a garage and have them drain/refill the system.

The reasons for this is are that the system has 6-8 litres in it but you can only drain/refill ~2 litres from the sump yourself. Normally if your changing/adding good fluid regularly this isn't a problem however if your fluid is visibly past it you must drain the whole system otherwise the detergents in the fresh ATF will mix will the degraded fluid in the system and turn acidic then begin attacking seals/etc.

Secondly the minimum ATF you should ever use on a 5th gen auto box is Honda Z-1, ideally you should use a good modern synthetic ATF like "Amsoil synthetic ATF" or "Fuchs 4400" (I used Fuchs 4400 in my SiR). Dextron II/III were substandard in 1996 and they are still substandard today even though the value of the car has dropped, remember after the Porsche 968 this was the second ever semi automatic road car.

*Edit*

If you do want to do it yourself then get enough ATF to fill the entire system and a bit of garden hose and a hose clip, disconnect the ATF return line from the rad and attach the hose then put it in a big bucket, start the car, count ~15 seconds then turn it off (too long and the gearbox will run dry and fubar), top up the gearbox with new fluid, repeat this till your out of fluid.

I believe a garage would vac it out instead, this is more of a ghetto method but I used it and it worked (uses the system to pump out the old fluid and the 15~ seconds bounces it between the high/low marks on the dip.)

Thanks dude! At least if its just a case of bleeding and cleaning it takes the pressure off gathering and paying for parts is the challenge, not the swap. Thanks for your help chaps I will give it a going over on sat after geometry has been done.

toyracer69 · Post by **toyracer69** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 3:30 pm

Use a vac pump to pull all the fluid out.

Bri · Post by **Bri** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 7:05 pm

Well I just had the soloniods off and they are spotless, Im wondering if its just crap fluid then, it said dextron 2 on the can. Any thoughts???