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View Full Version : Tranny filter change problem????



Shed
01-06-2008, 12:33
Warm here in Iowa yesterday, so I decided to change oil and tranny 10k service.

Problem was when I spun the tranny filter off I noticed what looked like oil but thicker and black(real black) on the top of the filter where the magnet thing is. Wondering what the heck this could be or if anyone else has had this. Who knows this maybe normal and I've just never seen it before. Absolutely no drivability problems or funny feelings from the tranny or motor. Just wondering what everyones opinions are.

Shed

Idle_Chatter
01-06-2008, 13:06
The ferrous (magnet capture) wear products of the Allison are black. It's normal to have a black "paste" on the magnet and it probably got thick enough to leave the residue you describe on the filter. Although GM states that the Ally filter is good to go for 20000 miles, many of those in the know recommend much more frequent changes, on the order of 3000 to 5000 miles and it's probably a good practice to do it whenever changing engine oil. Cheap insurance for the life of an expensive tranny at $5-8 for a cartridge and a few minutes of time.

77TransAm
01-07-2008, 04:48
Sounds completely normal. Wipe the magnet off, or give it a shot of brake cleaner, install it on the new filter, and you're back in business.

It's rare to see one that doesn't have a bunch of "fuzz" all over it; sometimes so thick it looks like a little doughnut.

k1rod
02-17-2008, 07:10
Warm here in Iowa yesterday, so I decided to change oil and tranny 10k service.

Problem was when I spun the tranny filter off I noticed what looked like oil but thicker and black(real black) on the top of the filter where the magnet thing is. Wondering what the heck this could be or if anyone else has had this. Who knows this maybe normal and I've just never seen it before. Absolutely no drivability problems or funny feelings from the tranny or motor. Just wondering what everyones opinions are.

Shed

It's normal. Those thick black oily looking spots were on the filter before it was installed. I bought a case of new Allison OEM filters and they all had that stuff on them. I thought there was something wrong with them so I called Allison. They told me that that was normal and it was just a result of their manufacturing process.