So I put a new water pump in my 97 XJ a couple weeks ago. Went under the hood tonight because my voltmeter dropped to 9 and the check gauges light came on so I thought I'd start with my serpentine belt. No 15mm wrench anywhere in my garage. After a couple cigarettes and a lot of swearing, I decide to check all my fluids and call it a night. I'm not too concerned about this right now because it happened earlier tonight and was fine after I shut my Jeep off and turned it back on. Looked under the hood to see if my belt popped off or anything and it hadn't. Everything appeared fine at the time. It got me all the way back from where I had been, about an hour away.

Coolant was bone dry. Oops. Added more. Done.

Oil. I honest to God swear there was ATF in it. But how? I know that's like saying there's such a thing as brake fluid in my engine. But it's there. Just a little bit on the dipstick. Didn't even notice until I wiped it off. Little red smear in the middle of my paper towel. Smelled like it. Looked like it. I'm just at a loss for words right now. And I don't even know where to start.

I'm going to guess my alternator is the culprit behind the whole voltmeter issue. Unless it's just Chrysler's fantastic electrical work causing a short in my dash. Heading to Autozone on my lunch break tomorrow to have them check everything over and probably going to make a few phone calls to some more mechanically inclined friends of mine. Great timing, seeing as how I still need brakes up front, an oil pump and some new tranny fluid!

 

I've run ATF as an ersatz lube oil in axles, engines, and manual transmissions in the short term without ill effect. The only lube oil I carry in my emergency kit is a couple of quarts of Dexron - you can use it anywhere you use oil to get back to down.

I pretty much only carry three fluids in my emergency kit - distilled or R/O filtered water (coolant, battery, me,) Dexron (engine, transmission, axle, transfer case, power steering) and a small sealed bottle of DoT3 (I buy only small bottles, and use the whole thing if I break the seal. If I don't, I write the date I opened the bottle on the thing - throw it away in six months.)

Long trips? Throw in one or two 5-gal Jerry cans of unleaded. If the trip goes well, I'll dump it in the tank when I get home. If it doesn't, I'll be glad I had it...

 

Are you the only one that maintains the truck? I can't think of any way for tranny fluid to cross over into the engine unless it was poured in on purpose or by accident. I can easily see a "quicky oil change monkey" at a chain store pulling the engine dipstick instead of the tranny dipstick to pour in some tranny fluid, the dipsticks are close together.

I am with 5-90, a little tranny fluid in the crankcase isn't the end of the world. I seriously doubt you need to change the oil pump because of it. Do a good oil change with a Wix or Mopar filter and some Rotella. I think I would just watch and check the fresh oil change before doing anything drastic. I hope I don't open the whole the can of worms of "which oil & filter are the best"... it is just my opinion and what I run in my XJ.

 

Once at the end of the day I checked my tranny fluid and was devastated to see it was brown/black....(spent that night wondering what to do about a toasted tranny in a Jeep with over 270K on the engine). In the morning light I found I had pulled the wrong dipstick!

Also once I grabbed a gallon of "anti freeze", and while pouring it into my mom's radiator noticed it was pink! (ATF)

Just sayen...these things happen.

 

I am sure I am not the only backyard mechanic to have accidentally began pouring oil into a crankcase with no drain plug....

Only happened once!!

Lol mistakes are mistakes. Laugh that it wasn't a big one. I have heard some ATF being used as an engine cleaner does well.

 

 

Is this a spill your guts thread...

Well, once I accidentily put Vodka in my Coke instead of Rum.

 

I once added coke to my Bacardi never again will that happen...

 

The old Type F did the best job - highest detergent content. Replace half of your engine oil with Type F, drive for a week (but not longer - Type F is antagonistic to engine seals in the long term.)

If you can still find Type F. (It also made a great ersatz hand cleaner - use Type F to get the crud off, use regular hand soap to get the Type F off.)

Also made a good light lubricant for drilling, tapping, and machining...

 

I once dumped 6 qts of Mobil 1 into my Escape and couldn't figure out what was getting all over the floor until I saw the drain plug on the work bench. Ugh, $25 down the drain. I still have the stain on the garage floor and it's a constant reminder to check the drain plug before adding oil.

 

That's the problem I'd worry about first. Is it leaking somewhere?

 

X2, he's not kidding. I never differentiated between type F and Dexron...but yes, "when I'm done doing my dishes in dexron, I always finish with Polimolive"

Hands. I mean hands.