Is this normal?
 

This is motul 300 manual transmission fluid after about 25k miles.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...dbb2a23e9d.jpg

broken image, and @MisterSheep :popcorn:

Think it's fixed. Thanks.

Uhm.. It's hard to tell as I did not get to see the fluid once my trans was drained. I actually just got back from warranty work for getting my whole transmission replaced. I can't help you out here bud :/ but I would like to know the outcome/ answers some people more knowledgeable will come up with

Have you ever driven through deep water? IMO, it looks like the oil has water in it.

https://www.google.com/search?biw=19...41.C4N85hIKvVo

Yeah but is it not a sealed system or the fluid would have leaked out

Yeah it should be a sealed system and I didn't see any leaks.

Got to be condensation or something of the sort. There are bubbles on the surface. Looks like water to me. Unless there was water in the pan before you emptied the oil into it. Could be a clogged or malfunctioning breather valve.

The pan want 100% clean when i used it but there wasn't much in it when I used it. When I emptied the fluid it poured out rather quickly. Might explain the bubbles. What should it look like after 25k miles?

Not like this I would think. Where in Jersey you at?

Looks like it was contaminated with water. There's a breather valve that allows for hot air expansion but checks against contraction.

It's supposed to be almost as clear as the day it was filled. That's definitely a problem.

edit: what @stevesnj said.

Yeah, definitely not supposed to look like that. The last time my transmission fluid looked like that, it was in my old Subaru Outback. I drove through a flooded road that was almost 2 feet deep because #Subaru. The next day after work, my car suddenly refused to make any turns without the whole drivetrain binding up. Drained diff and transmission fluid and that was what it looked like, lol.

As others have said, your fluid should basically look identical to new fluid.

Yeah, that's not normal. I agree it looks contaminated with water. It also looks to have a fair amount of metal in it.

This sounds like bad news... What should I do about it?

Looking at the picture again while I sipped my coffee this morning....

It looks like my coffee :lol:

Is the trans acting funny? How many miles are on the car? Still under warranty?


If you still have a warranty I would take a sample of that oil and send it to blackstone, see what they come back with. Then take that and the car to the dealer and have them document it/diagnose it. At the minimum have them document the problem so that if you have an issue when the warranty expires you still have a leg to stand on. Its going to be hard because the dealer is going to want to see and drain the oil themselves.


If its out of warranty and the car is still shifting OK, I would refill it with new fluid and let it ride until it shits. Maybe start looking for a new trans once you start having issues.


Regardless, monitor the color of the fluid. I don't know how to tell you to do it, because its not like there is a dipstick, and you want to avoid draining the fluid to check the color. You need to find a way to get a sample without draining, probably through the fill plug. Maybe a syringe and a hose? You only need enough to see the color.

I'd personally drain and refill it. Drive a bit (like 10 miles), then drain and refill it again. Then drive some more, then TAKE IT TO SUBARU, and have them drain and refill it. I changed mine 3 times before it started coming out clear.
That way if this same issue happens again, they are the last people to have touched it, which might help.

Yeah had that same looking fluid in another car after I drove through a portion of flooded streets, I've found the best way to just check your fluid is to use a 1ml or 10ml syringe and just suck some out to check and put back in if its good. 1ml is usually small and skinny enough to get in almost any transmission without draining.

Are you sure you didn't barrel through a large puddle or partially flooded street?

I mean I've driven over puddles. This is a daily driver. but nothing I would consider excessive.

I bet it's like @stevesnj said. I'd take a look at your vent/check valve to see if it isn't stuck open. The spring is super light.

Where is that vent/ check valve?

It's the part right above the blue switch in this photo. You can reach it from underneath the car and wiggle it.

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5746/...aab21869_k.jpg

Sorry to be off topic and jack OP's thread.

Just want to know, is there such a valve at the diff as well?

Yep

UPDATE:
 

I brought my car in to toyota for service to have them look at the car. I brought in the drain fluid. they said there wasn't anything to worry about. "some metal flakes is normal after this many miles". They also said they didn't know what I was talking about when I said it looked "milky". Apparently it looks a lot more transparent when the fluid is warm. They poured some of it out and it looked a lot different from when I took the picture.

So that wasn't water? Wow. Both dust and water would have eventually settled out of suspension. Perhaps that's why it looked so different when they poured from your sample. I take it they didn't see your photo.

Thanks very much for following up here.

Wow they sound a lot more helpful and informative than what I've experienced from dealer mechanics.

To be fair the guy on the phone when I was setting up the appointment was a pain and the guy I talked to first kept giving me a hard time asking why I changed the fluid at all. Eventually I was like it doesn't matter why I changed it I just did now answer my questions. Turns out he was just trying to make me look stupid because he didn't know the answer so he went and got "the guy" from "the back" and he was super helpful and polite.

You know oil and water will separate, right? So if they just poured the top layer, sure it will be all oil...

I did try shaking it before i poured it.

These dealerships make me facepalm so hard. The service writer at mine said that I shouldn't ever need to change the manual gearbox fluid when I was getting expensive 30k service done at the dealership. I'm now at 60k miles and have changed it twice since, and its made my car drive / shift better after each change.

Yeah the service guy at the dealer told me there is no reason to change those (tranny and rear diff) fluids too. They apparently only sell the tranny fluid in 3 or 5 gallon jugs also for some outrageous amount I forgot how much but, it was just over the top unnecessary.