Just back from France

[rhume]

Have just spent 2 and a half weeks in France with a 1.7 ton caravan and my 3L auto terrano. Drove 2150 miles without any bother then four miles from home lots of white smoke out of the back.

Pulled over and lots of fluid dripping out of bottom of car. Was a bit non plussed as oil, water, brake fluid and power steering fluid all ok.

Drove on to get home and dawned on me two miles down the road that it was Gear box fluid from auto box. Limped into village and abandoned car 50 m from house.

Got a friends car to pull the caravan up to the house. Moveed car into car park at which point the gearbox was not happy at all and was slipping.

Think it may be the pipes to the cooler for the auto fluid but it is dark and checking it is a job for morning.

Two questions will the box be completly shagged having driven it with low or no fluid. Can the whole box be re filled from the dipstick pipe or is there another technique.

Great holiday. Might be a bit expensive in the end though.

 

[briggie]

I hope you haven't " cooked " your auto box ..... speaking as an expert on cooking boxes ( ive done 2 ) .

yes you fill the atf through the dipstick tube .

I dunno if the 3l auto box is the same as the 2.7 , but I would guess it is .

good luck my friend , solarman 216 ( rick ) might be a better person to answer your query .

 

[rhume]

Cooked Box

Hi,

In mitigation I had just driven 1000 miles in the last two days and was a bit punch drunk or would have realised what was going on sooner. The symptons of a cooked box are what??

Hope it is not knackered or it will be going the distance as wont be able to afford a replacement box.

You should have seen the mess it made of the front of the caravan. Its just taken 2 hours to clean the fluid off it:doh

 

[briggie]

colour of atf is a good sign ya box is cooked ..... it should be a nice cherry red colour ...... if its brown ( or black in my case ) ..... you have a problem .

symptoms of a cooked box are basically it wont drive forwards or backwards , and even it it does it wont be for long .

like I said solarman 216 is the best guy to answer you .

 

[briggie]

the white smoke bit is interesting though ...... mine didn't do that ..... don't give up hope yet , it may be summat simple .

 

[rhume]

Well the fluid that came out was cheery red. :nenau

What is left in the box well that's for tomorrow and the cold light of dawn. Off to have a glass of red wine and contemplate my fate.

 

[briggie]

just an idea , but perhaps the dipstick tube has become detached from the box and was leaking fluid , then when you drove the pressure of the box made it gush out ...... maybe summat as simple as refastening the tube back to the g/box ?

 

[briggie]

Well the fluid that came out was cheery red. :nenau

What is left in the box well that's for tomorrow and the cold light of dawn. Off to have a glass of red wine and contemplate my fate.

cherry red is good :thumb2

 

[rhume]

The white smoke was the fluid burning off on the exhaust. It was quite spectacular whilst it lasted!!

 

[AD Ent]

Now I'm sure I've read about oil coolers needing to be fitted when towing with auto box Terranos?

 

[96terrano]

I hope you haven't " cooked " your auto box ..... speaking as an expert on cooking boxes ( ive done 2 ) .

yes you fill the atf through the dipstick tube .

I dunno if the 3l auto box is the same as the 2.7 , but I would guess it is .

good luck my friend , solarman 216 ( rick ) might be a better person to answer your query .

Pah, that's nowt, I've destroyed 3 manuals and actually managed to jam a auto and cause it to.grind

These were scrap cars I hasten to add...well..2.of them were having replacement boxes the Jazz and terrano

 

[bry]

God help us when you are legal,Scotland has some good places.Erm If i visit,Then let me Know in advance.PLEEEZEE .lol

 

[96terrano]

God help us when you are legal,Scotland has some good places.Erm If i visit,Then let me Know in advance.PLEEEZEE .lol

haha, no:lol:lol, wouldn't worry, i'm a sensible driver when on the roads, and don't abuse a good vehicle:thumb2

 

[96terrano]

cars were a nissan Terrano, Honda Jazz kia pride and a Renault megane RT auto

 

[briggie]

the oil cooler for the atf is normally at the bottom of the rad ,its actually a part of the rad, another possibility is that a pipe (s ) have come off /damaged /leaking ,or perhaps the rad / cooler itself is goosed /damaged . investigation is required in daylight :thumb2

but towing a 1.7 ton caravan with a autobox ...hm , im guessing it wont like that .

 

[rhume]

Holy Pipe

Well I have had a look in the daylight and the verdict is in. Auto box oil cooler pipes run around the side of the rad fan and they had come loose from the stupid plastic clips that hold them in place. One had rubbed against fan and has a hole.

The terrano is specced to be able to pull up to 2 tons with the auto box. didn't have any problems with the auto box getting hot whilst away.

So am pushing it around to local garage who are going to try to patch pipe fill box with oil and check to see if box is knackered.

 

[rustic]

I would hope you have caught it in time, it probably only happened in the last few minutes of the journey.

When Briggie cooked his, it was over several weeks and several visits to the garage.
I wish you well.

best regards,

Rustic

 

[AD Ent]

I would be feeling relieved mucho. :thumbs Hope its a cheap fix

 

[solarman216]

My opinion is cure the leak, fill it with oil and drive away, you will not have done any damage, Rick

 

[briggie]

My opinion is cure the leak, fill it with oil and drive away, you will not have done any damage, Rick

:thumb2