Funny Tranny smell (not a guy in Amsterdam!)

[natevans65]

I recently had my trans serviced at the dealership and they did the ole WS fluid change. The old fluid was still pinkish in color but it was due for a change and off I went to NC.

The Situation is...while coming home through the hills of NC....I was on a road that had a 5% incline and I was able to keep a speed of 55-65 mph but the trans had to do this in 3rd gear in order to keep posted speed and to not have the trans shift from 3-4-5 and back down all the time. The total distance was about 3 miles and I noticed a smell that only can be from a heated transmission. Once I made it over the hill and started my descent the trans cooled down and the smell went away. No shifting issues as of today and it operates Full Mission Capable.

Question: Knowing I stressed the trans and fluid for those 3 or so miles, would it be or recommended to have the fluid replaced again knowing I burnt it up a bit on the NC hills or can the fluid withstand this type of punishment????

Thanks in advance!

 

[DC runner]

3rd gear? Really? Wow. I visit my family in Chattanooga and travel over Monteagle Mt on I-24 which is a serious 8% grade for about 4 miles and my v-8 does it with 0 problem in D. If i were towing, I would throw it in 4 to prevent it trying to go into overdrive.



Your V8 struggled that much on a 5% grade it had to stay in 3rd gear to go 55? Really? That sounds very odd to me.

Wait. Did you FORCE it to stay in 3rd gear? I think that is your problem. You didn't allow the transmission to pop up to 4th gear and ran the transmission hard.

Straight from the manual:

Do not continue hill climbing or
hard towing for a long time in the
“3”, “2” or “L” position. This may
cause severe automatic transmission damage from overheating. To
prevent such damage, “4” position
should be used in hill climbing or
hard towing.


Honestly, you may have done some real damage to your transmission pulling a hard grade and preventing your auto transmisson from operating correctly. That v8 can pull that grade in 4th or 5th no problem.

 

[natevans65]

I would say it was "probably" driver error on my part but going into 4th I would loose speed slowly as it backed down a bit so I kept my foot in 'er to keep the speed up. Any who....

 

[DC runner]

So. Regardless. Yes, change your fluid as your probably burnt it.

 

[stanleybb50]

If that's enough to overheat and burn the WS fluid, with the v8 trans cooler, then that's just not right is all I'm saying.

And great title to the thread lol..


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[DC runner]

This is less a design flaw and vehicle capability and a bit more of potential user error. By forcing it to stay in 3rd gear, driving close to max speed and at a decent grade, you simply made the transmission work much harder than was necessary.

The spec suggests 84 miles as the max speed in 3rd gear, and that is "redlined" which hopefully no one ever tries. 65 miles an hour represent a speed that is very high for the gearing, that in combination of the grade simply made the transmission over work itself.

I don't think 3 miles killed the transmission fluid, but may well have burnt the fluid.

 

[stanleybb50]

This is less a design flaw and vehicle capability and a bit more of potential user error. By forcing it to stay in 3rd gear, driving close to max speed and at a decent grade, you simply made the transmission work much harder than was necessary.

The spec suggests 84 miles as the max speed in 3rd gear, and that is "redlined" which hopefully no one ever tries. 65 miles an hour represent a speed that is very high for the gearing, that in combination of the grade simply made the transmission over work itself.

I don't think 3 miles killed the transmission fluid, but may well have burnt the fluid.

So what happens when I'm towing in the PA/WV mountains here and the trans itself decides to stay in 3rd for a very long time? What might be even worse would be 3rd, 4th, 3rd, 4th, etc.. It just doesn't seem right that 3rd could burn the fluid just going up a grade, regardless.

Not trying to just disagree with the posts, but seems weird/not right is all.

How long ago was the WS fluid changed? Could have gotten some on an exterior part of the underside and just the heat from the tailpipe heated that fluid to the point you could smell?



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[DC runner]

True, my only point was talking about the power band. The advantage of the V8 to the V6 is the higher torque at lower engine speeds. The v6 reaches its power at higher RPM, and as such that engine is meant to see higher rpm's.

My thinking as to why, initially the V8 had the 5peed while the v6 had the 4 was this thinking. When you have an engine meant to develop its power at lower RPM, you want to give it more gears to help it stay at lower RPMs. More gears does this. The v6, which has a higher RPM power band, could get by with 4. The 5speed proved to be so good, they gave it to the v6, but the theory holds.

My point is that, on the v8, at some point you actually lose performance with higher engine RPM's in terms of torque. By keeping the engine in 3rd gear and running a grade, at high speed, it sounds like it was overworking the transmission.


Just my guess from looking at the numbers and the characteristics of the vehicle. Obviously, I could be WAY off, but in general a v8 likes to run at lower RPM's than a V6, which runs at lower RPM's than say a I4.

 

[stanleybb50]

True, my only point was talking about the power band. The advantage of the V8 to the V6 is the higher torque at lower engine speeds. The v6 reaches its power at higher RPM, and as such that engine is meant to see higher rpm's.

My thinking as to why, initially the V8 had the 5peed while the v6 had the 4 was this thinking. When you have an engine meant to develop its power at lower RPM, you want to give it more gears to help it stay at lower RPMs. More gears does this. The v6, which has a higher RPM power band, could get by with 4. The 5speed proved to be so good, they gave it to the v6, but the theory holds.

My point is that, on the v8, at some point you actually lose performance with higher engine RPM's in terms of torque. By keeping the engine in 3rd gear and running a grade, at high speed, it sounds like it was overworking the transmission.


Just my guess from looking at the numbers and the characteristics of the vehicle. Obviously, I could be WAY off, but in general a v8 likes to run at lower RPM's than a V6, which runs at lower RPM's than say a I4.

Too-shay. Agreed with all you said above.


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