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 Expert
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| LOL Just like it says I have a quick and easy trans question about my new truck. Maybe someone here or family member could give me a quick answer. THanks! |
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 Scooters Savior
 
Location: "Si Fi" Ville | I know an expert I can ask...... |
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Expert
Posts: 1314
Location: North Central Iowa Land of white frozen grass | What is the question. |
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6443
Location: Montana | I've been around cars my whole life and my brother is a mechanic...try a question on me, I may know the answer! Like it says at our local DMV office...dumb questions are better than dumb mistakes! :) |
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  Ms. Marine
Posts: 4641
Location: Texas | What is your question? |
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Expert
Posts: 5293
| OK, here goes, I have only ever driven manual transmissions. Last month I purchased a brand new Dodge 3500 dually Automatic trans with AISIN. (Trans manufacturer). Just for GIGGLES I decided to check my trans fluid level after driving 30 miles to a barrel race..  I popped the hood while it was still Idling and put it in Neutral with emergency brake on. When I pulled the transmission dip stick I saw a LITTLE amount of " Vapor " coming out of the tube, NOT SMOKE, just vapor. Like you would see off a small cup of coffee or something. It wasnt constant, was not smoke, just ever once in a while looked like coffee steam. Fluid level was fine, fluid looked good. etc. Just wondered if that was normal???? I am the WORST person with NEW THINGS.. I look for stuff to be wrong.. lol I will look over a brand new truck looking for stuff.. If its a horse I make them trot around looking for lameness even if they just passed a vet check.. OCD!!!! 
I did get hold of a friend of mine last night who is a trans engineer. He said that when a unit cools it can pull in air from outside. Since its been raining and cold, the air getting pulled in is likely very moist and humid. It forms condensation and as the trans heats up, that moisture burns off in the form of vapor like I'm seeing. He thinks its fine but said I could pull a sample and send it in for analysis just for peace of mind. I drove it back to town last night and checked it and no vapor.... SO will look again today and try and get a suction device to pull the sample.. Truck is awesome and shifts beautifully. I would never have even seen it had I just decided to saddle my horse and go about my day..lololol |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | FLITASTIC - 2016-12-18 9:31 AM OK, here goes, I have only ever driven manual transmissions. Last month I purchased a brand new Dodge 3500 dually Automatic trans with AISIN. (Trans manufacturer ). Just for GIGGLES I decided to check my trans fluid level after driving 30 miles to a barrel race.. I popped the hood while it was still Idling and put it in Neutral with emergency brake on. When I pulled the transmission dip stick I saw a LITTLE amount of " Vapor " coming out of the tube, NOT SMOKE, just vapor. Like you would see off a small cup of coffee or something. It wasnt constant, was not smoke, just ever once in a while looked like coffee steam. Fluid level was fine, fluid looked good. etc. Just wondered if that was normal???? I am the WORST person with NEW THINGS.. I look for stuff to be wrong.. lol I will look over a brand new truck looking for stuff.. If its a horse I make them trot around looking for lameness even if they just passed a vet check.. OCD!!!! I did get hold of a friend of mine last night who is a trans engineer. He said that when a unit cools it can pull in air from outside. Since its been raining and cold, the air getting pulled in is likely very moist and humid. It forms condensation and as the trans heats up, that moisture burns off in the form of vapor like I'm seeing. He thinks its fine but said I could pull a sample and send it in for analysis just for peace of mind. I drove it back to town last night and checked it and no vapor.... SO will look again today and try and get a suction device to pull the sample.. Truck is awesome and shifts beautifully. I would never have even seen it had I just decided to saddle my horse and go about my day..lololol
LOL, just take it back to the dealer you bought if from and have the mechanic check it for you and tell them your concerns about what you saw, I think they will be the only ones that can help you feel better about this.  |
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Ms. Marine
Posts: 4641
Location: Texas | Sounds like vapor, especially if it's cold where you are right now. I don't think it's something you should worry about but you can always take it in and have it checked just in case. |
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Expert
Posts: 5293
| Update: lol my mind is at ease! Lol trans mechanic said to drive it this morning and get it up to running temp and check it. I did and there is zero vapor this trip. It has a 14 quart fluid capacity and it constantly circulates so it takes a while for the steam to all get burned off. It's not like a pot on stove that sits in one spot. Lol so it went 100 miles after the rain storm and all good. Fluid looks great and not milky. Onward and upward. Thanks all!
Edited by FLITASTIC 2016-12-18 2:56 PM
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Expert
Posts: 1314
Location: North Central Iowa Land of white frozen grass | Absolutely normal. |
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Total Germophobe
Posts: 6443
Location: Montana | FLITASTIC - 2016-12-18 8:31 AM OK, here goes, I have only ever driven manual transmissions. Last month I purchased a brand new Dodge 3500 dually Automatic trans with AISIN. (Trans manufacturer ). Just for GIGGLES I decided to check my trans fluid level after driving 30 miles to a barrel race.. I popped the hood while it was still Idling and put it in Neutral with emergency brake on. When I pulled the transmission dip stick I saw a LITTLE amount of " Vapor " coming out of the tube, NOT SMOKE, just vapor. Like you would see off a small cup of coffee or something. It wasnt constant, was not smoke, just ever once in a while looked like coffee steam. Fluid level was fine, fluid looked good. etc. Just wondered if that was normal???? I am the WORST person with NEW THINGS.. I look for stuff to be wrong.. lol I will look over a brand new truck looking for stuff.. If its a horse I make them trot around looking for lameness even if they just passed a vet check.. OCD!!!! I did get hold of a friend of mine last night who is a trans engineer. He said that when a unit cools it can pull in air from outside. Since its been raining and cold, the air getting pulled in is likely very moist and humid. It forms condensation and as the trans heats up, that moisture burns off in the form of vapor like I'm seeing. He thinks its fine but said I could pull a sample and send it in for analysis just for peace of mind. I drove it back to town last night and checked it and no vapor.... SO will look again today and try and get a suction device to pull the sample.. Truck is awesome and shifts beautifully. I would never have even seen it had I just decided to saddle my horse and go about my day..lololol
Where your transmission would have been warmed up, it isn't unusual for there to be vapor there. Its like heating up a pot of boiling water...the difference being is the transmission is a closed system until you take the dip stick out. Then when the dipstick is pulled out, the vapor has to release somewhere. Transmission fluid is highly detergent, so I don't see this unusual at all.
We had a 2013 Ram, different transmission, but they have transmission oil cooler lines and a heat guage for the transmission if you go through all the system functions on your computer on your truck. If the transmission was running at a higher than optimal temperature, or if you noticed any difference in the way it shifts (clunking, grinding, refusing to go into gears, etc.) or your transmission fluid had a burnt smell or a brown tinge to it, then you may have something to be concerned about. If it is nice and pink, then it is fine.
Most new transmissions on almost every vehicle now days is a completely closed system, to where you can't even check the transmission fluid. The reason they do this is they have discovered that the life of a transmission is longer when people don't try to check and/or treat problems they deam to be there.
So long story short, I think you're good to go! |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | FLITASTIC - 2016-12-18 11:20 AM Update: lol my mind is at ease! Lol trans mechanic said to drive it this morning and getnitnupntintemp and check it. I did and there is zero vapor this trip. It has a 14 quart fluid capacity and it constantly circulates so it takes a while for the steam to all get burned off. It's not like a pot on stove that sits in one spot. Lol so it went 100 miles after the rain storm and all good. Fluid looks great and not milky. Onward and upward. Thanks all!
Glad you talked to a mechanic, its better to be safe then sorry and now you dont have to do any more worrying, Hi Ho Silver and away, lol..I always wanted to say that...  |
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Expert
Posts: 5293
| I guess mine has a big vent tube up on top of it but under the cab of the truck. Moisture can get in there as the fluid cools and draws in air. If that air is moist or humid then that's where you get the moisture. My dipstick tube is far from sealed. It just kind of makes a little snug. Fit. It's all good! |
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