nicks88

Hey all. what are signs that a tranny is going bad? I have never dealt with a bad tranny and since the car has 170k+ miles on it, thought I would start watching for things just in case!! Thanks in advance

88Legend

poor/ hard shifts

slipping gears and slow acceleration

Losing gears completely, usually reverse is first to go on the Legends...then the rest die shortly after

But you can tell what condition the trans is in by the color and smell of the fluid. If it has not been changed in a while and the fluid still smells kinda sweet and has a nice pink color the trans is in good shape.

If the fluid is dark and burnt, your trans is probably almost dead.

Use only OEM fluid! I fixed a shifting issue in the 5mt legend by switching to the Honda MTF. My reverse gear used to grind and it doesn't anymore. Overall it shifts smoother.

nicks88

My worry is the fluid color. The car shifts perfect, and the fluid smells about like the new fluid in the bottle. It is more dark than pink though. I changed it out, and will do another drain and fill in a couple days. I just want to make sure fluid color isnt a for sure sign of a tranny going bad.. and.. there were no shavings on the drain plug.. but I dont know if there would be...

88Legend

No, dark fluid is not a for sure sign. Burnt fluid is though and metal shavings. It could be that it hasn't been changed in a long time. And remember when you change the fluid, only about half of it drains out and the other half stays in the trans. So you will have about 4 quarts of fresh pink fluid in there and 4 quarts of dirty old stuff, that will darken the new fluid.

Just do another drain and fill with Toyota ATF, you should be fine. It doesn't sound like you have anything to worry about.

nicks88

sounds good.. I honestly dont think the fluid was ever changed by the previous owner.. 170k when I bought it.. lol... I did the first drain and fill... Only about 3 qts came out.. will do another in a couple days. Thanks again for all your help peeps!!! Love this forum