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18K views 61 replies 7 participants last post by  Enco  
E
#1 ·
Hello everybody,

i am a new member on this forum and i come frome Slovenia.
I have some questions about my automatic transmission AISIN AW50-55 SN - AF33-5.
My problem started a year ago when i changed the trans oil.
Before that my gearbox worked so nice, but after a oil change everything changed.
In the beggining ther was a banging sound when it shifted to upper gear, the it changed to vibrations in lower gears, now after a year, my car drive about 100 m, then slips. I tryed to drive it , but its useles. If i turn the car off, then it starts to drive, otherwise, it slips.
I check my oil and it is VERY BLACK.
If anyone have a opinion o a clue how to help me, please, let me know.

Thanks.

p.s. - sorry for bad english.
 
J
#3 ·
you changed the oil a year ago and now the fluid is "VERY BLACK", wow :(

That indicates that the fluid is burned, and possibly permanent damage to the tranny has been done already. Do drain and refill x 3 with a couple of hundred miles in between changes. The drain and refill procedure uses about 4 quarts.

So go to your local Toyota dealer and get a case of Toyota Type IV fluid.
 
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#4 ·
Yes, after a year it turned to be black. After a oil change, i went back a several times due to tranny problems but the asured me that everything is ok. After a while, the input and output sensors burned, so i replaced it, and here we are. They claim they did everything ok by putting the right oil but 2 weeks ago i went to oher mechanic to chek on my oil and he need to add another half liter, and it should be ok. BUT ITS NOT OK.
My question: do i need a coplete flush , a B4 change, before i pay 4500 dollars for renewing my transmission?
Thanks guys for quick anwsers i am desperate to fix my gearbox so i wont be needing extra costs.
Thanks.


p.s. - sorry for bad english
 
1
#5 ·
what is the year and model of the vehicle?
 
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#6 ·
My vehicle is Opel Signum - i know that this is not swedish car like volvo but we have a common thing. AISIN AW 50-55SN - AF33 - 5 ;
My car is 2003.
170.000 km
2.2 16v diesel

Transmissions are indetical.

thanks
 
M
#8 ·
From what you describe, you had incorrect fluid in the transmission, and it should be flushed out completely. It may or may not help. It does not sound like B4 cover would help at all in this case.
You need to source Toyota Type IV, Mobil 3309, Mobil 1 (the new one with 3309 certification) or similar. You can use cheaper Dextron for the first few litres, and follow with some 12 litres of 3309. Disconnect the battery after the flush so that the adaptives will clear and it should start shifting better, unless the clutches have been burned.

If the tranny is toast, you might be able to source a used Opel tranny from Germany much cheaper than 4500. Even though the tranny type is the same as in Volvo, Renault, Toyota and others, the gear ratios are probably different and there can be other subtle differences that make the control SW not be compatible with the HW, so you better get an Opel version of the tranny.
 
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#9 ·
Mika thank you very much for your straight anwser. How you know that the tranny is toasted?
When i cheked the oil i puted the tap back and i went for a spin, and the tranny shifted as new one, when it reached its temperature, then starts to shake and then slips. I know, that is impossible to get an diagnose like this, but i want to asure myself that dealer toasted my tranny by putting a wrong oil in it. If cluches has been burned , the car would slip always or not? I dont understand this.
Thanks for anwsering.
 
M
#12 · (Edited)
That is absolutely completely incorrect fluid!

You'll only know if the transmission is still good when you do the flush and it won't act up anymore. The transmission fluid for the AW55 needs to have specific friction modifiers so that the clutches have the specific amount of slippage. Friction is also temperature dependent so what you describe is plausible.

I have not seen an Opel for a long time, but I believe it should have a transmission cooler like Volvo has. There are two lines going between the cooler and the tranny, one input and one output (lower one). They are in the front of the transmission. The cooler is either separate or integrated in the car's radiator. to flush, you need to disconnect the output line (hose) from the cooler and attach a transparent plastic tube to it (the other end of the tube to a waste oil container). Start the engine for a few seconds, the fluid comes out pretty fast. When the fluid stops, stop teh engine and fill in about 2 litres of fluid. The filling is through the tranny dipstick hole, you need a long thin funnel for that. Repeat until you have 12 litres of new fluid through the system. Connect the line in the cooler again. Then, with the car level, engine running, shift through all gears holding each shifter position for 30 seconds, check the dipstick, the fluid should be somewhere near the low mark. If not, add more a little bit at a time until it's there. Then drive the car at normal speeds for about 15km, park, shift the gears again, and check the fluid engine running. Now the level should be in the middle. If not, add fluid. If above high mark, remove some fluid by opening the drain plug under the transmission.

Here are IPD instructions for flushing a Volvo transmission:
http://www.ipdusa.com/uploads/sku_files/7945_INST.PDF

If these instructions end up helping you, you can buy me a pivo next time I'm in Slovenia ;)
 
M
#15 ·
Na zdravje!

The 3309 was around $5 - $7 per US quart the last time I checked. You can start with a cold engine since you don't want to drive this car any further, but the final check must be in operating temperature.
 
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#16 ·
Na zdravje! Bravo!!! Vsaka Čast. Please, tell me what do you mean that i am not going to drive this car any further. After a flush i must reset my BC with OPCOM-diagnosis, and go for a spin so oil can reach every last corner of a bloddy tranny. Isnt that so? Or, its enough to change PRND in place (not drivig). Thanks
BTW - MOBIL 3309 in Slovenia (a good retail price) is 13 $! Send me 20 litrs (quarts) , i will send you the money right away. You can send me your account data on PM if you want.
Thank you very much

HVALA!
 
M
#17 ·
I mean you should change the fluid before driving to minimize further damage.
The 15km drive is for the fluid to reach operating temperature. The fluid volume expands a bit with heat, also the transmission internal parts expand a little, so the level is checked at normal temperature. The whole dipstick scale is about 200mL so we are talking about very small amounts here.

The PRND is done when car is parked.

I do ship parts to Europe a lot, but I don't ship hazardous materials, sorry. Besides, shipping would be about $80-$100 for almost 15 kilograms of fluid.

Having a Volvo dealer flush the transmission here with Volvo fluid would be around $500, for a price comparison.
 
M
#20 ·
I have no personal experience with it. I would try it only as a last resort if the transmission still slips after the flush, because the Mobil 3309 has everything in it that a well-working AW55 requires. The Lucas Oil treatment contains friction modifiers and such that may help a slipping transmission.
 
E
#21 ·
Ok, i will try first just with a flush and oil change. If it will slip again, then something is wrong with my tranny, and niether the LUCAS himself can help me with an oil aditive.
Thanks MIKA, today afternoon is a D day for me and my tranny, the first flush, and i really hope that is works.
Thanks MIKA......
 
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#22 ·
Hello MIKA, bad news my friend. After a 6 hour hard labour (In very tight place) i manage to flush the transmission but with no approval.
After a first oil drain ai noticed a strange colour in allready burned black oil, and i tought it was water. I also neded a extra room for taking the hose from coolant, so i neded to take of the coolant fluid also. I noticed oil in it... and ofcourse it was tranny fluid. When i tried to take my oil hose, it was impossible to take it off, cause its welded on a rubber, so i needed to find a hole in coolant to use this hose for flush. After i did a quite honest flush( 14 liters of new MOBIL 3309) the oil was red like the one in the can.
I finished, i cheked the oil and i closed it. When i wanted to put the hose back into the coolant, the water came trought it. And i shutted the tranny hose (preventig the water break in). If you ask me, my tranny problem lies here, the coolant water wnt into a gearbox and i think this is a ended story.
I puted everything back on its place, beside the hose from tranny and i dont know what to do further.
Can i still try by changeing my coolant or adding another? Will my tranny work if there is any coolant water? When i did the flush i think the input hose was taking the water from the coolant, so i think i have it in my tranny sitll. I HATE OPEL!!!!
Please, any advice?!
 
M
#23 ·
If I understand correctly, your radiator is leaking to the transmission cooler. This is not good, the car is not drivable, and this is the cause of your original problem. This is not an uncommon problem in Volvos either. If you did not drive the car extensively with coolant seeping into the fluid, the transmission may still be okay.

You'll need to change your radiator, which is a fairly big job but not very difficult.

If you can plug the transmission cooler ports in the radiator and the radiator does not leak outside, you could add an external transmission cooler. At least in Volvo, the transmission lines can be plugged directly in a generic cooler core. I don't know if the Opel lines are similar quick-connect clip type. Even if you replace the radiator, an external cooler would prevent this happening again in the future.

It's not just Opel, the parts come from the same vendors for all these cheap Euros, and they all are what they are.
 
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#24 ·
Yes, you understand it well. I dont know, if there is water in the tranny at the moment. I did the flush with just one hose opened (the one that squirted the fluid out) and i am not sure that the water came in the tranny from the first hose. If there is water in the tranny, can another flush (with some cool aditive) make this tranny works?
I will mount a new radiator just for oil, and reconect the hoses to new one, without a problem. I just need to close (tap it) both holes in the old radiator. If this old radiator will be good for further use for engine or sould i replace it with a new one?
What would you do Mika if you were me (luckily you are not).?
 
M
#25 · (Edited)
Personally, I would replace the radiator and flush the tranny once more, but I don't know how much work that is in an Opel. In Volvo S60, the radiator is about a 6 hour job at home on jack stands.

You probably don't want new problems for yourself trying to fit in an aftermarket cooler. In any case, you need to flush the cooling system clean of the fluid also.

You'll need to fix that car anyway whether you keep it or sell it.
 
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#26 ·
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