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Trans Oil in oil pan

3K views 21 replies 9 participants last post by  tresi 
#1 ·
I have heard where people use to put a quart of transmission fluid in the oil pan when they changed their oil .
4 quarts of oil and a quart of transmission fluid ..
this was mostly 283 engines but have heard of this being done with the older 327 also .
If this worked then .. How come you do not see people doing it now .
Is the motors not as tough now
 
#3 ·
It was an old trick to clean the sludge out of the motors. the only time I saw that done was on an old straight eight motor that was so bad, it only held a couple of quarts of oil. They put some atf in it and filled it with oil and had the lady bring it back in al week later and changed it out. That old motor didn't have a filter and theoil back then didn't have detergents in it to help prevent sludge. I'm not sure if the newer cars could --no, i'd say don't try it. Your vehicle may not handle it. Bearings,gakets and ect.
 
#5 ·
They tried almost anything to get the sludge out of those old motors. I even heard old timers adding a couple of quarts of kerosene or diesel to the oil the day before an oil change. As state before no reason to do this to modern engines , if they are that bad on the inside they're probably worn out.
 
#6 ·
Was at the local garage and if what I heard was right ;; it was normal practice ..
4 quarts of oil and a quart of trans fluid. Almost what was in the service manual.... Or that is what was called for
Quote "If you took one of those motors apart it looked like new "" Unquote.

But what I thought was odd ; was they were only talking about doing this to the 283 and some of the older 327 and i did hear mention of the straight eight Buick.. But no ford or dodge motors were mentioned .

So I assumed; and you should never assume ;; this was a chev thingy
 
#7 ·
The early SBC including the 283 and 327 used a "road draft" crankcase evacuation system instead of a PCV system. Combine that w/the non-detergent oils that were common then, and then add short hop in-town driving where the engine rarely got fully up to temp for long, and the result was sludge.

Using ATF or kerosene or MM oil, etc. was done to put the sludge in suspension so it could be dumped w/the oil and filter.

The problem w/doing this was often seals were damaged by the abrasive nature of the crud that was suspended in the oil, and any wear that was masked by the sludge (like valve stem seals) was removed and the result was often the engine became an oil burner/dripper/leaker.
 
#8 ·
So that's why the 72 and older vehicles smokes a lot and the newer vehicles of today smoke a lot less with the same amount of miles on them. Makes perfect sense now, I've wondered from time to time but never really understood why.

Thanks, there you go, my day is finished and it's not even 10 AM...I learned something I should have known but didn't know.

Ray
 
#9 · (Edited)
So that's why the 72 and older vehicles smokes a lot and the newer vehicles of today smoke a lot less with the same amount of miles on them.
Another reason for older vehicles to use oil more than newer ones can be chalked up to carbs vs. EFI. The carb choke could get out of adjustment or stick, causing the engine to run way too rich. This too-rich condition washed the oil from the cylinders causing accelerated ring and bore wear. Same thing if the float sunk due to absorbing fuel or a pinhole- way too rich and washed cylinders. None of that happens to an EFI equipped engine, so much less wear overall. This would be on vehicles a lot newer than '72, and I'm guessing you're aware of this already but thought I'd mention it for anyone doing a search.
 
#10 ·
As Cobalt says old non detergent oil most 30w or 40w people thought the heavyer the better ,wrong, added to short trips and idleing to long ,small oil return holes in head ,Especially when using Gulf oil ,it contained paraffin for lubrication also caused build up,as for the ATF I have used it for years on my older engines ,no need in newer cars ,to see if it works in cleaning an engine, the next time you work on a realy greasy ,dirty project ,do not wet hands or put any cleaner on them ,just pour some ATF on your hands rub them together then wipe hands off with paper towels ,see the results.:D:D
 
#11 ·
Thanks again Cobalt, I was aware of the carb versus fuel injection but, the difference in oils I didn't think that we had come that far with oil improvements. See, this is why I joined up to this site, to learn. In the early early 80's, I put away my mechanic's hat and put on my painter body guy outfit. So, over the last 30 some odd years, I haven't kept abreast of everything that has changed. I'm getting into more and more of the "One guy will restore everything on your vehicle" kind of syndrome and need to quickly hone my mechanical knowledge. Like "Vinniek2q" told me, the basic principles are the same for an engine to run, the methods of supplying the engine with what it needs to run have been altered, (which I recently realized, my wife's Eldorado, ran like crap...sometimes, I used my knowledge from days gone by and diagnosed coil pack...$51.00 later, the car runs like a champ)...and obviously improved.

So, "496CHEVY3100"...I did not know that about transmission fluid and dirty greasy things. Next time I need to go over to my sister in-laws house I'll bring a case of ATF....her house is always so filthy I'll need to shower in it...LOL. Seriously, she bought new carpet for her home and the installers refused to rip out the old carpet and lay down the new....honestly it was that bad. One time I was at her house and she told me "to feel at home and take my shoes off"...I told her that "that's all right, I don't want to get my socks dirty"!

Ray
 
#14 ·
I found I enjoyed the Paint and Body side of the automotive trade more than the mechanical. What got me about being a mechanic was that when I worked for a shop, I was the brakes and front suspension guy and got plugged into that spot and that's what I did all day...What I enjoyed at that time was to make cars go fast in a straight line...not slow down for Orange cones in a slalom course. I did build engines for people on the side and enjoyed watching them at the track. When I got into painting I knew I had finally found what I was looking to do in my life...I did get sick of painting Civic front clips and Ford 1/2 ton peelers in the late 80's early 90's but, had a hobby shop on the side and started building cars for people...Now I'm also trying to get educated on doing interiors...I've done several...they're OK but, lots of room for improvement.

Cobalt, it's funny that you would say to make my sister in-laws house a W/E project. My wife and I talked about it this weekend and after about an hour of discussion we decided that we both had careers already and didn't need another one...she needs to start showing some initiative before my wife and I are going to lend a hand...even if my sister in-law would spring for the Hazmat suits...LOL.

"496CHEVY3100", thanks I did know about the ATF working on sticky lifters...when I was fresh out of High School I sold Wynn's oil additives...when Wynn's "Engine Tune Up" wouldn't free up a sticky lifter, ATF often would. I also used to go out with a girl whose Father tried to tell me that the best way to make a car shine was to wipe it down with ATF...true as that was, I lived on the Prairies at the time and dust storms where common...let alone how often he needed to repaint cars because the ATF would eat through Lacquer and Acrylic Enamel paint in no time...LOL.

Ray
 
#15 ·
Off topic alert

Wiping the car w/ATF reminds me of the old used car salesman's trick of using lamp oil (unscented kerosene, basically) to wipe down an oxidized paint job. Lasted about a week. Later, much the same thing was done to Ford wagons w/simulated wood panels made of vinyl. Right up there w/putting sawdust in a rearend to quiet it from howling.:nono:
 
#17 ·
I know of a body shop that would cut their paint for car lots with gasoline instead of reducer...shone like no tomorrow...until about 10 tomorrows and it died right off. The car lot had a 10 to 14 day window to move the freshly painted cars...if the paint got close to the expiry date, they had a sale.

Ray
 
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