hello im pete, im new around here i have some concern for my transmission and im not quite sure if its savable or not.

story: About a month ago i bought my first car a 1976 chevy Camaro. It was a dream of mine to have a classic muscle car. and drove it home (around 45-50 miles) and it sat in my driveway for a few weeks. Note the car drives fine, shifts fine and i love it to death.

after it sat in the driveway for a couple of weeks and once i registered it and all i checked the fluids and they were very low, ran to the store and gathered the things i needed. i searched around and asked everywhere what type of trans fluid a turbo 350 would need? and the list went on and on. a lot of people were saying dex/merc others were saying type f ans so on. so i went with castrol synthetic dex/merc as my choice and the car has been just fine. Lastnight i checked the fluids again i pulled the dipstick to find the fluid kind of black and starting to smell burnt! did i use the wrong fluid!? is the trans going out?? could it be small metal deposits burning to make fluid black and burnt? it runs and shifts fine and i searched all over to find a problem like mine.

any help will be appreciated. ill provide as much info as i can.

It has a 350 with 350 trans, performer intake, holly 650 4barrel carb and longtube headers, cant make out the type of exhaust, new plugs and wires, B&M shifter, the block is a 0010 block im not sure if its a 2 or 4 bolt main, the car does run rich but idles and drives fine.

 

did you change the fluid an filter or just add?

 

I just added, because when I did check it was so low it was barely on the dip stick. filter seems new.

 

i would be thinking the old fluid mixed with new and made it smell and look the way it was. have you changed the fluid sense? probly be a good idea.

 

I believe, oil level should be checked after brought up to operating temp and on a level surface.
One thing about a THM350 is after sitting for some time, oil, as any other fluid, seeks its lowest level.
Therefore, oil in torque convertor will leak by the oil pump into the case, and if enough leaks down, oil will come out the vent just behind the bellhousing.

But, you did not mention of any trace of oil on the ground, so as suggested, either low fluid, or the wrong dipstick/tube.
Best effort is fill to FULL line, and monitor both oil level and functionality of trans.

 

Fluid level is more critical then type. Over filling the transmission is one of the fastest ways to kill it. Verify you did the correct fluid level process.

As long as you put in a GM fluid its not going to hurt anything. There are some fluids that will wipe out your trans but that is like brake fluid. The difference in GM Trans fluid is about long term effect on your trans from heat and wear. They would not have a short term effect on anything.

Do you know anything about the Th350? when was it rebuilt last? How many miles on it?

If this is an original trans I would assume its going to fail. The seals in the transmission are 40+ years old, They were design to last 6-8 years. Sitting and not allowing the car to run up to full temp is bad for old seals, they can dry out. Once the seals stop sealing well it drops the pressure in the transmission and causes the clutches to slip.

An good aftermarket seal will have a longer life then the originals.