Can external water cause tranny failure?

[AnotherWs6]

Hi all, if you click the link below you will get my story. I started that thread looking for tranny advice. Well I already ordered and paid for a new one, but I am perplexed.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...75#post7638775

In a nut shell -

Driving on highway

Hear loud popping sound, hear pressurized liquid

Pull over, hard to see, but diagnoses is hole in heater core

Top off coolant in attempt to make it home, pull back on highway

Get up to 30mph and hear harsh, loud buzzing from below

Pull over again, shut off truck, put truck in park, hop out, truck slowly rolling away, hop back in, turn wheel hard right to bump against guardrail

Look around and under truck a little bit, see nothing new, start truck, put in reverse heard harsh, loud buzzing.

Put truck in drive, engages with no noise. Able to drive up to flatbed with no issue.

1 - Is it possible for pressurized liquid to "mess up" the transmission's or transfer case's electronics?

2 - How are park and reverse related? Why is at least 1st gear still ok?

I know I'm not gonna get lucky, change a fuse and have everything work again, but I would like to know if I either jumped the gun on the new tranny, and/or if I need to be looking out for/changing anything else when I install the new tranny.

I know that some of you know a LOOOOOOT more than I do about how auto trannys work. Hoping yhat you can shed some much wanted light on this for me/ Thank you.

[AnotherWs6]

Bing, bang, bump

[hugger6933]

I have a 05 Z71 in my shop right now that when we put it together and started it is made a milkshake. Thinking the motor was bad, my dad jumped the gun and had another motor put in.[ we had plenty laying around]got the other motor put in and running it was only a few min until it started pushing the water out of the uncapped jug[overflow]. I pulled the trans stick it was milkshakey[if that is a word]. I told my dad the cooler was bad and sure enough it had caused all that trouble.
Sounds like what has happened to you.
But to be more clear on the truck it had a head that had been changed and it had also sat outside and had water in the motor so it was a pretty decent chance that the motor had gone bad, it was just a string of happenings that made it go as far as it did. Jim

[AnotherWs6]

I'm not sure that followed that. The engine oil was dis-colored or the trans fluid? What are you referring to as "cooler"? Trans cooler, oil cooler, radiator?

[hugger6933]

The trans cooler ruptured and it got trans fluid in the radiator and water in the trans.
I'm sorry the post was hard to follow, but the truck was wrecked and had sat in line to be worked on at my shop. I kept bypassing it and it sat in the elements for about 18 months. That is how water was in the engine oil, after two oil changes it cleared up. But the truck once running after just a few moments of running, would build a good bit of pressure and start blowing that mucus like stuff out of the coolant jug. Once the truck was shut off, the water would go into the busted trans cooler and that is how the water was in the trans and trans oil in the radiator.Sorry for the complacation

[AnotherWs6]

Thanks, no need for apologies. That actually makes a lot of sense, and will be the first thing I look for once I tear into it.

[mike16]

water in the trans kills the clutch's. clean the tranny thoroghly when you rebuild it. the debris from the clutch faces will have traveled throughout the tranny.

A good excuse for an external tranny cooler

[special-K]

I followed you Hugger. That's all that came to my mind. An automatic is sealed and pressurized, basically a hydraulic pump. The slightest breech and it doesn't leak, it blows it out. The only way to get water in a healthy transmission is through the vent while not running. Or... with a line leaking in the radiator. And that is why the coolant gets blown out the jug. That trans is pumping it out.

[AnotherWs6]

Thanks guys. Ordered a stage 2 from Performabuilt. It comes with an external cooler and written in big letters as soon as you open the crate is something along the lines of "Do not use factory transmission cooler - doing so will void warranty" I spoke with the owner and he said he was getting a lot of failed units back because of different problems associated with plumbing the new trannys back into the old lines and cooler.

I'll start taking the old unit out soon. Very curious to find out what water line blew.

[davepl]

Had a thought, took it out, but can't delete the message, so now you just get this useless post! Sorry!

[AnotherWs6]

No worries. But to answer your question - its debris in the tranny they are worried about mostly.

Tranny explodes.

Replace tranny.

Reintroduce explosion bits to new tranny

[special-K]

Oh yeah, for sure. A transmission blows and all particles migrate throughout the system...lines, cooler, torque convertor. It all needs a serious flush or, better yet, replaced. A new torque convertor is a must for a new transmission

[AnotherWs6]

Yup. I have a Circle D Specialties 3,000 - 3,200 rpm verter on its way. Acts like a stockist unit most of the time, get into though and watch out.