5r55e o/d flashing and gray fluid

[Xplorer82]

Ok, on my way home today (in the 97) i notice my o/d light flashing and loss of 5th gear (hit the o/d button for the hell of it and felt it downshift i believe). got her home and checked the fluid, it was a grayish color even though i dropped the pan and did new fluid and filter at 222k miles, currently at 240,xxxK... i have a inline trans filter by my cooler and the last time i changed it (238k) i did not notice any nasty coloring, i believe i would have caught it if anything was odd.

now i have not had a chance to get/find a code reader to read the trans codes (no CEL), so i know no codes so far, hopefully will tomorrow..

been reading through o/d light threads gathering any info for when i get the code read, im just wondering what would make my new'ish fluid gray within the 2+k i have put on since my last inline filter change and did not notice any odd coloring.. so any input is appreciated and welcomed...

and the fun begins............................

 

[colintrax]

I would guess the grayish color is from metal shavings?

 

[Xplorer82]

yeah that was my first thought.. but driving conditions have not changed in the 2k miles since my last inline filter change and didnt notice anything strange, was hoping it has something to do w/the o/d light problem i encountered tonight..

guess i'll know more when i get the code read and drop the pan, oh the nightmares im gonna have tonight

 

[Xplorer82]

i should add i noticed no shifting problems when it started blinking, well besides no 5th gear.. drove it about 10 miles home like that.

 

[Xplorer82]

Well no scanner yet. Guy can't get out here till Wednesday.. trying not to drive it at all so guess ill know then..

Prob drop the pan tonight/tomorrow and take a peak.

 

[Xplorer82]

just got back from the shop right up the road, it was the code i thought it was going to be P0741.

on the way up to the shop the o/d light went off (first time driving it since i made this thread) and i regained 5th gear... $40 later i had my code, the guy didnt go into much detail (kind of a dick when he found out he wasnt gonna get $1,200-$2,000 out of my pocket for a rebuild) just said the scanner said something about clutch performance (torque converter) and gave me the code and cleared it..

after doing some reading & thinking, i think im going to flush the fluid using the 5gallon bucket trick till i see Good fluid, swap or rebuild my valve body, change the tcc solenoid, throw in a new filter (and external filter change) top it off and roll it out..

 

[drdoom]

Yes, I have been through the exact symptoms & code P0741. I would be very interested in your findings. In my case, I still wonder what caused the failure. Did the solenoid fail, and burn out the torque converter? Or did the torque converter fail, or maybe the stator seal, or something else? I still wonder.

 

[Xplorer82]

Yes, I have been through the exact symptoms & code P0741. I would be very interested in your findings. In my case, I still wonder what caused the failure. Did the solenoid fail, and burn out the torque converter? Or did the torque converter fail, or maybe the stator seal, or something else? I still wonder.

I have been contemplating pulling the trans for the hell of it and doing a rebuild after a good inspection, but w/240k on it, ehh not sure at this point. Might just stick w/my plan above and see how things go. If I pull the trans and inspect it I will be sure to post my findings.. same goes for if I do the complete flush, VB swap or rebuild and filters, and keep the thread up to date as I tack on the miles...

I was thinking about driving conditions the other day and remembered that I did feel 2/3 hard'ish shutters awhile ago at different times(days/weeks apart) while trying to shift to 5th gear until I let off the gas.. im thinking that is what caused the gray'ish fluid (probably sheared some teeth somewhere causeing shavings)..

What I think happend is (and im no trans tech by any means, never touched one except for dropping pans to change filters)..... while trying to shift from overdrive to 5th the tcc solenoid failed(not sending signal or whatever) which didn't lock up the TC which caused my shuttering(causeing shavings and gray fluid) till I let off the gas and somehow/someway the TCC solenoid decided to work/send signal which then shifted to 5th gear... but the odd thing is, when the o/d light was tripped I had no shuttering that time, just lost 5th til I let it sit for a few days till code was read.. drove perfect to and from the shop. Been parked since so I do not cause anything further. Hoping I caught it in time..

I could be totally off with my thought, but that is the only thing I can come up with.. I had no other shifting issues other than shift flares which have been the same for years and my fluid has never been off-colored like this..

Will update further when I decide on what route im going to take..

 

[Xplorer82]

Just made a thread about a 800700tran.com VB and posted it in the stock explorer section instead of the trans section on accident, so instead of making another thread if anyone has any Personal experience w/the company/product please take a look at the link below, I had a few questions on the 5r55e VB from them... thanks..

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=352209

 

[Xplorer82]

update

.....edited, posted out of frustration.....