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Low transmission fluid question

G

gba88

NAXJA Forum User
Location
PA
Hi Guys,
I was just looking at a 97 163k. When I checked the transmission fluid level cold it was too low to see anything. I let it run for about 5 minutes or so and checked again... Nothing. The guy then put some in and I test drove it. Seemed to shift fine, 4wd (231) seemed fine also. Checked it after about 7 minute or so test drive and it was wet, but level still seemed really low. It has been sitting for a while too (guessing at least a month or so).

He has owned it 2 years and my guess would probably be that he never checked it before (gathered from my perception of the guy's knowledge of maintenance in general).

I'm kind of hinging the buying decision on this question. I know the aw4 is bullet proof, but all machines break if not treated right or after a given time. Does anyone have any advice and or input to the situation? The only thing I can think of is offering to buy some fluid, drain it and replace checking the old for shrapnel. Thanks for any help...
 
If he'll let you pull the pan, you can check out clutch particles and funny colored metal parts. Probably has a pretty good leak anyway. I guess you can try bargaining him down enough to replace the tranny when it goes bad.
 
winterbeater said:
If he'll let you pull the pan, you can check out clutch particles and funny colored metal parts. Probably has a pretty good leak anyway. I guess you can try bargaining him down enough to replace the tranny when it goes bad.
Click to expand...

I really doubt I can drop the pan...that's why I mentioned about a change only. It just wouldn't be practical (for a few reasons). I guess I was hoping to hear that if shifts good, it's ok. It didn't smell burnt or anything, and there were no visible leaks underneath. Still seemed odd to me that there was NOTHING on the stick until we ran it a while. I've never seen that before....even checking cold, I've seen some fluid on the stick of any aw4 that I've checked. Is there any possible way that the fluid could just be regularly consumed somehow if the owner didn't keep up on the levels?
 
I thought you had to drop the pan to get tranny fluid out. A tranny does not normally consume fluid. I've run em for 10 years (80k miles) on the original fluid without adding any or showing low. (Not necessarily a recommended practice).
 
winterbeater said:
I thought you had to drop the pan to get tranny fluid out. A tranny does not normally consume fluid. I've run em for 10 years (80k miles) on the original fluid without adding any or showing low. (Not necessarily a recommended practice).
Click to expand...

Well in my 99 I just took out the plug to drain and change the fluid.... never did the filter, but that would definitely involve dropping the pan :)
 
taking the plug out on my 97 and letting it drain will need a fill of two litres exactly to return it to full (from full). Why dont you do that, give you a chance to look at the stuff that comes out?
 
Thanks, guys.... ok so let's say he allows me to drain and replace the fluid... if it looks good, and then continues to shift fine, does it sound like it would be alright? What other warning signs should I look for? If there's not a leak underneath, could the fluid be leaking somewhere else internally? Thanks for any help!
 
You could pull the inspection cover between trans and engine.
 
i done a write up with way too many phots if you have a look. But like winterbeater says youd see it (unless the seller cunningly wiped off the excess with a cloth ) so a look inside may be good if you can. But 5-90 done a very good write up listing all the possible places for tranny leaks.
 
dunbad said:
i done a write up with way too many phots if you have a look. But like winterbeater says youd see it (unless the seller cunningly wiped off the excess with a cloth ) so a look inside may be good if you can. But 5-90 done a very good write up listing all the possible places for tranny leaks.
Click to expand...

Thanks, dunbad. I'll try searching for your name and hopefully find it. The thing is....I've been helping my friend look for an xj for about a month now. This is the most solid one we've come across and seems like a decent deal, but obviously the WORST if there's an issue with the transmission. So anyway, I'm just trying to get enough info on whether or not it's even worth driving out to see it again. I was just freaked out when I checked it and saw NO fluid on the stick! Like I said though, it shifted fine and he put some in before we drove it and it was still there after we turned it off. So yeah, I'm probably putting too much time and thought into this but as am sure you know buying a used vehicle can be a pretty crappy process. I've come across some real junk lately that people wanted big bucks for.
 
the post with the phots is titled, Knocking, Tapping, Loose flexplate.. video and its by blaine b. For some reason i cant enclose it and couldnt pull it up under my username, but you should get the idea pretty quick. Will take only 10 maybe 15 mins max to remove on your first time i believe.
 
Thanks for the search terms, I found that thread with the pictures! Ok, so you take off the 4 bolts (2x13mm, 2x19mm), and then you can see the flexplate, right? What exactly would I be looking for on the plate itself? Also, so the cover doesn't have a gasket of any kind? Doesn't fluid circulate in that area? Sorry for all the questions, but I don't have any hardcore experience with the inner workings of the engine or transmission, so this is all new to me...
 
The fluid circulates in the torque converter. The cover is just a dust cover. No gasket. If it's all wet in there though, you have to decide if it is the rear main seal of the engine (oil color and smell), or the front seal of the tranny between the big round torque converter and the transmission (red color and different smell). Wipe it on a white paper napkin to check the color. But hey dude, reality check here. It has 163K miles on it. It's gonna leak some. If it were me, I'd wipe that area off with a cloth or paper towels, drive it around some, and see if it is dripping anything, and if so, what is it dripping? Color and smell.

Don't forget too, a leaking transmission cooler in the radiator can put fluid into the coolant. But that would be an easy fix.
 
winterbeater said:
The fluid circulates in the torque converter. The cover is just a dust cover. No gasket. If it's all wet in there though, you have to decide if it is the rear main seal of the engine (oil color and smell), or the front seal of the tranny between the big round torque converter and the transmission (red color and different smell). Wipe it on a white paper napkin to check the color. But hey dude, reality check here. It has 163K miles on it. It's gonna leak some. If it were me, I'd wipe that area off with a cloth or paper towels, drive it around some, and see if it is dripping anything, and if so, what is it dripping? Color and smell.

Don't forget too, a leaking transmission cooler in the radiator can put fluid into the coolant. But that would be an easy fix.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, I get the reality check....My 96 has 182k on it and the underneath looks like an eternal oil slick :D

You have provided some solid info in this post, so thanks for the follow up. I'll probably crawl under mine tomorrow and check it out first hand. I've been in touch with the guy and he still has it for sale, so I'm entertaining the idea of checking it out again and going over everything I've learned since I saw it yesterday.
 
Also just make sure that the guy put the right fuild in, not just any tranny fliud, as not all auto fluids are the same?
I once has recuring problems with a parts dismantiler replacing 3 auto's he installed on a previous car because they kept putting in the wrong auto fluid!!!
Greg
 
gregxj said:
Also just make sure that the guy put the right fuild in, not just any tranny fliud, as not all auto fluids are the same?
I once has recuring problems with a parts dismantiler replacing 3 auto's he installed on a previous car because they kept putting in the wrong auto fluid!!!
Greg
Click to expand...

Yeah, I did :) When I was there, he had 2 bottles and I told him dexron III. I'm not even sure what the other one was that he had.
 
There is some risk in purchasing this vehicle, even if the transmission is CURRENTLY shifting well. That being said, it might work just fine and give you a long service life. Hard to predict.

Be sure that that your risk is compensated for in the purchase price. Otherwise, I'd keep looking.

There are a lot of XJs out there. If you keep looking, you may find one that has been better maintained in general. If the guy wasn't checking the tranny fluid, he probably wasn't a wiz kid in keeping up with other maintenance things either. Did you check the level of the oil, the color of the coolant? I would DEFINITELY do that. If it has real dirty coolant, that's another risk factor for things like head gaskets, heater cores, etc.
 
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