transmission failure after installing new radiator?????

[GNUINE87]

Hello to everybody, I am new to the forum. I own a 1987 Grand National with 26000 original miles. The original radiator was leaking so I replaced with the Alradco radiator. (The transmission acted perfectly before this radiator was installed) The mechanic hooked up all the lines correctly, triple checked them, and filled with fluids. I took my first drive with the new radiator and I think my transmission is smoked! It started with losing overdrive all together and then I had drive but it wasn't shifting smoothly. I let it sit for about 30 minutes and drove it again. This time it went into overdrive and wouldn't shift into any other gears. two days later I test drove it again, this time it would me in drive and overdrive, shift very hard into 2nd gear but i had no gears after that and the longer the car ran the worse the transmission acted.

I want some opinions please. my mechanic is telling me he thinks the transmission cooler is not working, the lines going into the radiator were scolding hot, he says that shouldn't be. The transmission fluid levels are fine and there are No Leaks anywhere. So now I can't drive the car because I think there is major internal damage to the trans from too much heat. Alradco told me that they have never had a problem with the radiators and even if there was No Cooler the transmission wouldn't overheat, I don't necessarily buy that. All opinions are Greatly Appreciated!!!

 

[toomanymodz]

I would check to see if fluid can flow through the cooler without restriction. I'd check for kinked or pinched lines too, especially where they hook up to the radiator tank because that is a very tight area.

 

[TurboTdr3.8]

I had the same symptom similar after putting the Alradco radiator in also . My trans was doing fine and after installing the rad the trans starting acting up as soon as I pulled it out of the shop . I had to pull the trans and have it rebuilt . I am wondering if something was in the trans cooler , like metal fragments, stopping up the valve body as soon as I fired it up . I was thinking a flute happened but after what happened to you also I do not believe so . Mine would not go to overdrive or downshift to 1st gear starting off in second . After I had it rebuilt it is doing fine now .

 

[Ktbregal]

Just put one in mine. VERY INTERESTING. GOD I hope I don't have the same issue.

Posted from the TurboBuick.Com mobile app

 

[bison]

Opinions aren't going to help with diagnosis. I'd check cooler flow into a bucket and also check line pressure before going any further. Then pull the pan and take a look. Even if the cooler was blocked the trans would still act fairly normal till it began to overheat. Usually the bushings blacken first, then the planetary gears disintegrate from lack of lube. It would take a long cruise in OD to do this. I've seen clogged radiators cause trans failure. I've yet to see a new radiator cause a problem.

 

[robzombie]

I would check to see if fluid can flow through the cooler without restriction. I'd check for kinked or pinched lines too, especially where they hook up to the radiator tank because that is a very tight area.

X2

It sounds like a flow problem, and your continued driving is going to make it worse and or ruin the trans if you haven't already.

The 2004r will act wonky if the fluid temps get above 200* and if you have low fluid or poor fluid flow which is what I think you are experiencing, it sounds like you already took out the bands and probably the clutches also.

I installed my ALRADCO a month ago and have had zero issues. I made sure it was hooked up right [a no brainer] and made sure fluid was full and had no leaks before I drove it.

I also have an external cooler with a fan on it which if I did have any heat issues would have bought me some time. An external cooler is almost mandatory depending on where you live or how you drive the car.

I have an EA trans and I blew it apart last month [ front planetary] . Anyway when it was disassembled we looked at the clutches and band. They looked like BRAND NEW and that was after 3,000 miles of HIGHLY spirited driving.

Being built right by Lonnie and me making sure the trans temps stay in the 160*/180* range with a secondary cooler kept the trans in perfect condition except for the aforementioned parts breakage which wasn't due to heat but other issues, like maybe a heavy right foot.

Anybody reading the OPs original post should NOT drive their car any further if they have those symptoms and find the problem before toasting the trans and costing themselves a couple grand for a new trans versus taking the time to locate and fix the problem.

A laser temp gun could save you a few grand by taking temps of each trans line and the pan to measure the differences of incoming vs. out going fluid temps. They are a great tool to have for many reasons and everybody should have at least a cheap 40.00 dollar model to help in diagnostics and or efficiency testing.

Continued driving while knowingly having an issue no matter what it may be usually will always cost you 3 to 5 times what it cost you from replacing a part and then not addressing the new problem before continued driving of the car.

 

[GNUINE87]

i drove the car about 12 miles before the problems started to appear, and it did act fairly normal, but I guess the longer I drove it the more it heated up and the worse it became until I started losing gears.

 

[robzombie]

i drove the car about 12 miles before the problems started to appear, and it did act fairly normal, but I guess the longer I drove it the more it heated up and the worse it became until I started losing gears.

Don't drive it anymore until you check for flow/blockages and fluid level. You may have to drop the pan and check for debris and or any of the valves hanging up.

 

[Squid4life]

I had used the ALRADCO rad for years without issue. This is very odd. As stated and restated, check the flow.

 

[GNUINE87]

The car is not being driven until its repaired. I am going to check the flow. The radiator is very high quality and looks factory, as it should for $539! But its not impossible a defective radiator could be produced, no matter how good the reputation of the company, nobody is perfect and the fact that the same thing happened to somebody else tells me there may be a production issue with some of the radiators.

 

[robzombie]

The car is not being driven until its repaired. I am going to check the flow. The radiator is very high quality and looks factory, as it should for $539! But its not impossible a defective radiator could be produced, no matter how good the reputation of the company, nobody is perfect and the fact that the same thing happened to somebody else tells me there may be a production issue with some of the radiators.

Check the install and what was recommended above before you condemn the rad. I know it's possible that the rad could be the issue, but I highly doubt it. Check for pinched or crimped lines, your mechanic may be buying you a new trans.

Go over everything yourself before bringing it back to him. He may find the problem [that he caused] and fix it and not tell you so he would be off the hook for a new trans. A rubber line bent in half for example will restrict flow and ruin the trans. CHECK ALL LINES rubber and metal.

 

[robzombie]

The car is not being driven until its repaired. I am going to check the flow. The radiator is very high quality and looks factory, as it should for $539! But its not impossible a defective radiator could be produced, no matter how good the reputation of the company, nobody is perfect and the fact that the same thing happened to somebody else tells me there may be a production issue with some of the radiators.

I agree and love mine. My car now runs in the mid 170's to low 180's with the AC on in 95* + temps.

 

[GNUINE87]

I will look at all the lines again tomorrow for the third time, just to be on the safe side. I am not condemning the radiator , just stating that IMO its a good possibility that there is some sort of blockage in the trans cooler. I won't know for sure until I take it to a radiator specialist to check it out after its taken out of the car again.

 

[robzombie]

I will look at all the lines again tomorrow for the third time, just to be on the safe side. I am not condemning the radiator , just stating that IMO its a good possibility that there is some sort of blockage in the trans cooler. I won't know for sure until I take it to a radiator specialist to check it out after its taken out of the car again.

You can check it yourself for flow and or blockage while it's still in the car.

It will take you all of ten minutes.

Take off the bottom line and put a rubber line over the hard line and run it into a bucket like Brian said.

If it comes out slow or not at all you have a blockage.

 

[Ktbregal]

Just to be sure can someone state which lines go where?

Posted from the TurboBuick.Com mobile app

 

[Pronto]

Note to self. If replacing the radiator, blow air through the trans/oil coolant fittings to make sure they aren't blocked...

 

[robzombie]

Just to be sure can someone state which lines go where?

Posted from the TurboBuick.Com mobile app

The top line from the trans feeds the cooler and the bottom line returns to the trans.

 

[1fastcobra]

http://www.txchange.com/cooler.htm

Posted from the TurboBuick.Com mobile app

 

[EVIL]

did you check the fluid level yourself with the car running?

there are many factors that could have caused this.

trans could have been on way out and it was just bad timing.

how hard do you drive your car?

how hard were those 12 miles?

D

 

[GNUINE87]

The trans was not on its way out, this car is a babied garaged 26000 original miles car. The car is not driven hard and the 12 miles I drove, 4 miles were 35mph and under and the other 8 miles were highway, didn't go over 70mph.