Rust on tranny dipstick.

[Officer Redneck]

I just did an oil change on my blazer and when I checked the tranny fluid, there was a fair amount of rust on the dipstick and some in the fluid itself. Hopefully the rust in the fluid is from the dipstick being pulled out but with my luck, I wouldn't bet on it. I know i'll be in for a tranny flush and filter now but are there any vent tubes or pressure valves I can check to attempt to find the culprit?

[BlazerLT]

You will have to replace the tranny dipstick and tube with a revised one which is resistant to rusting.

Mine is the same way.

[Officer Redneck]

Cool thanks. The guy at a shop in town said that I would need a flush and filter change and to replace all the hoses and any vent tubes on the tranny. Funny he didn't say anything about the dipstick and tube.

[blazes9395]

Rust on the dipstick is not a good thing. It means water is getting in there somehow, and it has to be fixed and flushed right away. The tell tale sign of water getting into the tranny is a rusty dipstick. Just like the guy said flush and fill, and cross your fingers it didn't do any damage. My tranny that I just rebuilt was damaged by water at some point and destroyed the friction material on the clutch packs. Common area of waer getting in is the oil cooler on the rad. Sometimes you can see it because the trannt fluid mixes with the anitfreeze, other times it can be a pinhole leak, or hairlines cracks at the joint of the cooler internally. If you need more information, take a look at this article from Raybestos powertrain. I used thier new clutch pack material for my new rebuild and came acroos this.
http://www.raybestospowertrain.com/p...tip_water.html

[BlazerLT]

Originally Posted by blazes9395

Rust on the dipstick is not a good thing. It means water is getting in there somehow, and it has to be fixed and flushed right away. The tell tale sign of water getting into the tranny is a rusty dipstick. Just like the guy said flush and fill, and cross your fingers it didn't do any damage. My tranny that I just rebuilt was damaged by water at some point and destroyed the friction material on the clutch packs. Common area of waer getting in is the oil cooler on the rad. Sometimes you can see it because the trannt fluid mixes with the anitfreeze, other times it can be a pinhole leak, or hairlines cracks at the joint of the cooler internally. If you need more information, take a look at this article from Raybestos powertrain. I used thier new clutch pack material for my new rebuild and came acroos this.
http://www.raybestospowertrain.com/p...tip_water.html

There will always be a little moisture when there is heat.

The moisture enters through the seal in the top of the filler tube seeing is will rust and thus not allowing the seat to seal properly.

[blazes9395]

Originally Posted by BlazerLT

There will always be a little moisture when there is heat.

The moisture enters through the seal in the top of the filler tube seeing is will rust and thus not allowing the seat to seal properly.

Moisture is not good for the tranny period. The tranny and its components are designed so no moisture gets in. If you have moisture, you have a problem. If your seal is not sealing properly like you state, then it needs to be corrected to stop the moisture.

[BlazerLT]

Originally Posted by blazes9395

Moisture is not good for the tranny period. The tranny and its components are designed so no moisture gets in. If you have moisture, you have a problem. If your seal is not sealing properly like you state, then it needs to be corrected to stop the moisture.

okokok......

A little moisture is not a problem.

It is a normal part of the heating and cooling phases the system goes through.

There is moisture in your engine as well, but not enough to cause problems. This applies to transmissions as well.

The problem is that the metal the tube and dipstick are made of are not corrosion resistant.

[blazes9395]

Originally Posted by BlazerLT

okokok......

A little moisture is not a problem.

It is a normal part of the heating and cooling phases the system goes through.

There is moisture in your engine as well, but not enough to cause problems. This applies to transmissions as well.

The problem is that the metal the tube and dipstick are made of are not corrosion resistant.

Alright, alright,

Your opinion is noted.

[Officer Redneck]

I contacted my local Chevy dealer and bought a new dipstick and tube for $27.00. The parts should be here on tuesday. I plan on putting the new parts on then and then spending the $120.00 for the tranny flush and filter change. I have heard from different people over the years that flushing the tranny on a high millage truck can sometimes cause problems but I hope this isn't the case here. At this time I'm not having any slippage problems with the tranny and if I do after the flush, i'm gonna have to kick the hell outta somebody.

[blazee]

Check out the post by GM_trannyman:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=441787

[blazes9395]

I couldn't agree with GM_trannyman any more...

[Officer Redneck]

Ok, i've said it before and i'll say it again. I would like to find the guy who designed these engines and kick him in the cookies!!! I attempted to change the tranny dipstick and tube myself only to find it's immpossible. The damn things are made so close, that to change the parts you have to unbolt the tranny and drop it a few inches. It's gonna cost me $294.68 to have the parts installed and another $120.00 to do the flush and fill. Thats a grand total of $414.68. Thats more than I spent on my last truck in 4 1/2 years. And to top it all off, my ABS is starting to act up and my A.C. started making noise. If i'm being feed a line about my tranny dipstick and tube install please let me know because i'm about to lose my damn mind!!!!!

[BlazerLT]

Take it to a different shop.

[Officer Redneck]

Take it to a different shop why? Because of the price or because they said you had to pull the tranny to change the dipstick and tube? If someone nows a better way to do this without pulling the tranny, FOR GODS SAKE TELL ME!!

[BlazerLT]

They only quoted me CDN$150 to change mine.

Tak the truck to another shop for a quote and for god's sake don't mention to them how hard it is. You are just setting them up for a big bill.