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O/T: Oil Change Problem

M

Mashbox

Member
Had my oil changed in my pickup last week at one of the local oil & lube shops. Yesterday morning (7 days later) I started my truck to go to work and it was knocking. After a few minutes it stopped. I drove into work, about 35 miles, and no more knocking.

Truck was parked all day. I left the office around 4:30, started the truck , and it was knocking loud enough to hear over the A/C, radio and Flowmaster exhaust. I started looking for a place to pull over when the knocking started to fade. After a couple of miles, it went away altogether.

To make this short, I decided to change the oil again. Maybe trash was blocking a passage and causing a lifter to drop. We started draining the oil, and it had a red tint to it. It appears the oil change shop put transmission fluid in my engine.

After the oil change and running the truck for a little bit, the lifter is no longer knocking. Started the truck this morning, runs smooth as ever. But, what damage could have been done by running transmission fluid in the engine? It was in there for approximately 450 miles, no more than 40 mile trips at a time.
 
Was it a "knocking" or a "ticking"? Big difference.

Shouldn't really hurt it, I would think; probably just took a minute to get 'er "primed".

I knew a guy one time who once drove a little Ford Escort 90 miles in an emergency using water for oil. I watched him pull 'er in the shop and drain that water back out and fill with engine oil.

Darned little car was still running around the country the last I knew. :>)

Allan
 
I guess you would say it was a ticking noise. My neighbor, who is a truck mechanic, said it was a lifter, and once pressure built back up in the lifter, the ticking quit.

My worry is about any long term damage that might have been caused by the tranny fluid. My understanding of transmission fluid is it will cool the transmission, lubricate it and also helps create friction needed for the transmission to operate. Friction in my engine is not what I am looking for.
 
Was it straight ATF? or oil with some ATF in it?
Personally, I've run a quart of ATF with 5 quarts of oil in my old truck to clean out sludge- but I would NEVER do it to a customer's car.
What you should have done is take it back to the quicklube and have THEM do the change, and have them document what came out. That way, they have a record and perhaps some liability against a future issue. Since you had oil pressure the entire time (no light) it was probably valve train and I think you'll be OK.
Most quick lube contamination issues do involve ATF- but they usually dump it in the master cylinder...contaminated brake fluid is their 3rd biggest issue. #1 is double gasketed filters failing, #2 is stripped pans
 
I knew a guy who took his Ford into a Ford garage for an oil change. Drove the car home, heard a ticking noise, drove the car back to the dealer where they discovered that they had forgotten to put oil in the car. They put oil in and had a little laugh about it. He drove that car for years after that.
 
Doubt if it hurt the truck at all.

ATF is the best lubricating agent with the most cleaning ability of any oil out there.

Probably even helped the ol' gal.

I wouldn't make a big stink about it; just wouldn't ever go back. :>)

Allan
 
My dad used to have an Indian hired man who would do that all the time.

He used to say that, "Ya just have to go slow". :>)

Allan
 
It appears to be full service with transmission fluid, not a mixture of oil/ tranny fluid. I have the receipt from the lube center, with the date of the change, the vehicle mileage and the oil they say was put in it (Penzoil 5W30). A sample of the oil/fluid is being sent off today for analysis, and I should have that back in about a week. I also have about 1/2 pint of the fluid in a clean jar, which I will be taking to them today to see what they have got say about it.

At the time I did not suspect transmission fluid in place of oil, or I would have taken it to the dealership to have it checked. But I would not have taken it back to the same place, as once they drained the engine, I would have no evidence of what was in it.
 
ATF thins badly when hot.Doesnt belong in engines.Overheated auto transmissions will stop working then return to normal when the fluid cools.
 
All oil thins when hot.

Drain the rear end of 80/90 after it comes in off a 100-mile jaunt on the Interstate. It will run out of there like water.

Also, I've been into one or two automatic transmissions in my day and they don't "cure" when they cool.

Trannys start unraveling at 305 degrees and there is no going back. The adhesive that holds the clutch material to the plates will melt at those temps; has absolutely nothing to do with the oil “thinning” at high temps.

However, depending on the program strategy, some electronic controlled units will go to "fail-safe" when overheated.

Allan
 
5 min. without proper lube & you'll wipe all the babbett off the rod bearings down to copper...Kent
 
There are mostly kids, 19 year olds that work in the pit in those kinds of places. I dont go there cause the potential of my car being destroyed haunts me. I have an old boss that went to a 10 minute oil change and the kid left the oil cap off the valve cover, 2 quarts chugged out in 50 miles and my boss was super *issed off. Lots of horror stories with the oil change places that guys here can discuss for hours.

As far as dexron being used, real stupid. At least it wasnt 5 quarts of beer poured in the motor. Go back to the place and show the owner the trans fluid.
 
Have seen people do that with old hard to start in cold weather cars. Tried it once myself. Didn't seem to hurt anything. Left it in about a month. Drove car to california and back after that.
 
My sons friend had an old car with auto transmission that had to sit and cool when they went on trips.I used to pull sick auto transmissions and strip them down.Service manager did the rebuild,then I put them back in .Try heating some multi vis oil and see if it thins when hot.A hot auto transmission gets very sluggish.Not talking about hot to destruction.Ive opened some that were burned .They stink pretty bad.Late model Ford transmissions that shudder when shifting can be cured with a complete fluid change and adding a friction modifier to the new fluid.Costs 100.00 to have done.Ive done front seals and rear bearings that came apart in Chrysler trans missions.Got smart about 40 years ago and gave up auto work for electronics.
 
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