Curious and maybe amateur question: How does transmission fluid turn black?
#1
I love when things work
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Nashville, TN
Posts: 1,090
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Curious and maybe amateur question: How does transmission fluid turn black?
How do the transmission and rear differential fluids turn brown or black? They go in almost clear and they are in a closed system. Whats the deal?
#3
Rotary Freak
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Hattiesburg, MS
Posts: 1,668
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I've changed manual tranny fluid on a lot of cars and it was never black. There is a lot of shear and heat that goes on, though, and that would degrade the oil eventually.
#5
Lives on the Forum
Same reason motor oil turns black. The constant and intense high pressure mashing of the fluid between things like gear teeth and bearing races causes the fluid to break down and literally decompose into its original ingredients along with byproducts as a result of the decomposition. That just happens to result in a darker fluid than what you dumped in there.
This is the main advantage to synthetic lubricants; they are much tougher to break down.
This is the main advantage to synthetic lubricants; they are much tougher to break down.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post