Tranny damage?
 

WHAT A NIGHT!

After straightening out my deformed tranny pan from my own stupidity, putting it back together, filling it with ATF and letting it idle for about 20 minutes with -no- signs of leakage, I decide its fine, and head off to my friends house, about 15 miles away.

Everything is fine, until about 1 mile from his house where the tranny starts slipping while driving. I pull over, and see ATF RUNNING out of my tranny pan. I had a half quart in my trunk, I quickly poured that in and decided to make it to my friends house.

It barely made it, but it did. After that I bought 10 qts of ATF and parked it in a local WaWa parking lot where I will put the new pan and gasket on tommorow or monday. You would not belive the volume of this stuff running out, it was like pouring it on the ground out of the container.

Now, I drove her for a total of approximately 1 mile with it slipping badly. I smelled the dipstick after that, and did not smell any burning.

Could I have done any damage? I guess I just want some reassurance, I don't think I did because the slipping condition was caused by the lack of fluid, not lack of clutch material. I guess only time will tell..

The good thing about your type of 'injury' is the quick loss of trans fluid. My past experience with auto trans failures that were the result of leakage is that slow leaks will cause severe clutch plate damage, were as quick loss of fluid will result in almost immediate loss of hydraulic pressure inside the transmission minimizing clutch wear.

So, you should be alright as long as you didn't horse the car at all. Time will be your master in this case! Put fresh fluid in her and run it, see what happens. Also, you said the fluid doesn't smell burnt....VERY good sign, the fluid would be wretched smelling if the trans were toast for sure!!

Good luck!!!

Well I did 'dog' it a little bit the last half mile, as it didn't really want to move anymore.

I'm going to pick up the pan, gasket and tranny fluid and perform my surgery in a convineice store parking lot, wish me luck!

With a new pan, gasket and 7qts of new ATF she is as good as new. It doesn't look like I hurt anything. But I think the EPA should check out the WaWa parking lot..