transmission oil in differential

[jeffeulogy]

i'm new to DIY maintenance and repairs and think i made a huge error. last night i started an oil change on my new (to me) '94 cherokee sport. i loosened the wrong drain plug and lost all my transmission fluid. i finished changing the oil and replaced both plugs. i bought more tranny fluid this morning but tried to add it through the long tube with a stopper on the end on the rear of the engine compartment on the driver's side. i got about 1/4th of a quart in before the fluid stopped flowing down the tube. at this point i realized my mistake and searched out and found the transmission dipstick and added the rest through there.

so now i have transmission fluid in my front differential. i haven't started the engine yet. will i need to evacuate the fluid before i drive it? or will this small amount be ok in there for a day or two until i can open the differential and clean it out?

[fredjacksonsan]

Originally Posted by jeffeulogy

i'm new to DIY maintenance and repairs and think i made a huge error. last night i started an oil change on my new (to me) '94 cherokee sport. i loosened the wrong drain plug and lost all my transmission fluid. i finished changing the oil and replaced both plugs. i bought more tranny fluid this morning but tried to add it through the long tube with a stopper on the end on the rear of the engine compartment on the driver's side. i got about 1/4th of a quart in before the fluid stopped flowing down the tube. at this point i realized my mistake and searched out and found the transmission dipstick and added the rest through there.

so now i have transmission fluid in my front differential. i haven't started the engine yet. will i need to evacuate the fluid before i drive it? or will this small amount be ok in there for a day or two until i can open the differential and clean it out?

First off, welcome to AF.

Second, let's look at the fluids and where you put them. Sounds like the oil change is ok.

Is your Jeep 4wd or 2wd? What engine do you have? From your description it sounds as if you have an automatic transmission. Having these details will go a long way in getting help.

Where was the drain plug that you drained everything from? What color was the fluid? Usually there's not a drain plug on a stock auto transmission, but there is a drain plug on a manual - but no fill tube under the hood.

I've never seen a long fill tube for a front differential on an unmodified vehicle, especially one that's at the firewall. Are any of your tubes labeled? Do you have an owner's manual that shows the location of teverything under the hood?

Figuring you've got the correct fluids in the engine and trans, the question remains where the "wrong" fill tube goes that you put trans fluid into. Differential will probably be fine for a short while, since trans fluid is basically a lubricating fluid (albeit thinner than gear oil). If you did add some trans fluid to the differential, it's a pretty easy job to take off the cover, clean out the insides and refill with the correct fluid.

Hopefully that helps, but again a bit more detail about your vehicle would be great.

[jeffeulogy]

thanks for the help,

it is an automatic. it's 4wd with a selector. the drain plug i opened initially was on a pan directly behind the oil pan. the fluid was the color of motor oil but didn't seem to be quite as viscous. i didn't see a red tint to it but it was a little after dusk so visibility wasn't that great. the "wrong tube" appears to run into the differential.

[fredjacksonsan]

Hmm, sounds like there might be a drain plug on your trans after all....

Well, same goes for the differential....a little trans fluid won't hurt it, but not a bad idea to change it out anyway.

[AlohaBra]

Jeff...Aloha and welcome...
You apparently tried to put ATF into the Front diff (dana 30) via the breather tube. It is a small rubber hose with a plug on it and it is there so the diiff can do stream crossings when you are 4 wheeling and not get water in there.

*first, pull the hose off of the diff end and let the excess ATF out
*BTW, I hope you used Dexron III/Mercon for the AW4 Auto trans.
*unfortunately, the Dana 30 has no drain plug, so you will have to pull the cover and reseal it (get some black silcone sealant and some spray brakeleen for the gasket surface before you start)
*it is ok to drive for a "short" while
*change the rubber breather due to oil contamination (oil and rubber not good)
*consider synthetic diff oil (Amsoil or equivalent)
*don't fill using the breather tube, fill only up to the fill plug on the cover
*recommend snythetic diff oil at the rear also

I have mentioned a lot already, but if you are going 4 wheeling at all, this would be a good time to add a rock proof diff cover. Look what I noticed at this site for the Dana 30: http://www.mad4wd.com/tek9.asp?pg=pr...ific=jmpnmqloo

Best regards..

[Ray H]

It'll be fine for a while. Probably the worst thing that will happen is it will foam up and spit out the vent tube. I would chnge it first chance you get though.