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1983 Automatic GL Turbo Wagon: automatic tranmission fluid in vacuum system


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Like the title says, I have an automatic 1983 GL turbo wagon. I had it towed to my house due to a "massive" transmission leak. The tow truck couldn't fit up my driveway, so we (meaning my boyfriend and I) filled the transmission fluid and started it up. After a few seconds white smoke came billowing out of the exhaust but we had to get it up the driveway and behind the house. It went into 1st gear and reverse (but only briefly) so those gears appear to work. After consulting the repair manual we pulled the vacuum modulator and it had definitely given up the ghost. It was full of ATF, as was every vacuum line we checked. After replacing the modulator and a few bits of vacuum line (though in hindsight maybe we should have done all of it?) we started it up and the amount of white smoke was reduced, but still pretty bad. We let it run for a minute or so, then drove it around the block, hoping to purge the ATF from the lines. It still smoked, and with renewed gusto every time you hit the gas pedal.

 

The woman I bought it from quite possibly drove it over 100 miles sucking ATF into the vacuum line so my suspicion is that there is a reservoir of ATF fluid somewhere in the vacuum system (maybe the evap canister?) that is causing it to continue to smoke even though the modulator is now working as it should.

 

Does anyone have any experience with this? I am tempted to see if I can just "drive" it out but the car is not legal to drive yet so cruising down the road billowing white smoke is not something I want to do unless it's a sure fix.

 

A few more relevant details: All this went down yesterday. Today, all the fluid levels look good and there is no cross contamination. There isn't even a drip of ATF under the car. Vacuum lines are not pouring out ATF like they were before the modulator replacement, but there is still some residue/vapor in them.

 

Any help/ideas would be greatly appreciated!

 

 

 

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Yes it may still be cleaning out the ATF. I'm not familiar with the details of a turbo model. The only things I can think of that may be hurt burning a lot of ATF would be an O2 sensor and catalytic converter. If the car was being run like that long enough. Once you get it legal, a good drive or 2 should clear it up. It could probably use new sprk plugs anyways too.

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Agree with the above. It will take a bit of driving to clear the system(s) out.

 

Do know from the wrench-turners I grew up around, that ATF was good for cleaning the upper end of the engine. Valves, valve seals, combustion chambers , what have you. Kinda wanted to believe those guys, so have dribbled some ATF down the intake of a few engines.

 

Gets rid of the pesky bugs that want to be flying around........

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Yes it may still be cleaning out the ATF. I'm not familiar with the details of a turbo model. The only things I can think of that may be hurt burning a lot of ATF would be an O2 sensor and catalytic converter. If the car was being run like that long enough. Once you get it legal, a good drive or 2 should clear it up. It could probably use new sprk plugs anyways too.

The good and the bad is that I don't have a cat to potentially foul up with ATF but I need one to pass emissions here in Portland. Spark plugs and tune up stuff will definitely be done. Thanks!

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Agree with the above. It will take a bit of driving to clear the system(s) out.

 

Do know from the wrench-turners I grew up around, that ATF was good for cleaning the upper end of the engine. Valves, valve seals, combustion chambers , what have you. Kinda wanted to believe those guys, so have dribbled some ATF down the intake of a few engines.

 

Gets rid of the pesky bugs that want to be flying around........

I actually came across that a few times during my internet searching, people using ATF that way. The smoke coming from my car looks a lot like the videos I've seen of people using seafoam and other engine cleaners, which sucks for me but makes sense because all of the above burn super hot.

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Thinking that I would get a couple cans of carb cleaner, then systematically go thru all of the vac lines. Shot of cleaner, short blast of air, rinse and repeat.

Keep in mind that some of the original vac hoses have restrictors in them, so care must be used with those lines/hoses.

 

ATF likes to "hang out", doesn't run off like oil will. Best thing ever to coat anything made of cast iron with if it's going to sit around a bit.

So it does take a bit of cleaning to get any residuals out of hoses/tubing.

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  • 3 weeks later...

If it still looks that good, I'm very jealous.  I miss my old EA81 Turbo wagon and have been trying to find another. They seem to be rarer than hen's teeth.

 

More or less... It's been neglected the last few years of its life. The outside still looks like that, but the insides are in various states of disrepair that include but are not limited to: leaking, mis-wired, not wired at all, not broken but non-functional, just plain broken...  But it's an awesome car and I'm pretty excited for it to be road worthy again.

 

I didn't realize how rare they were until I started looking for parts. And the fact that I've had five different people offer to buy it and I've only had the thing for like two weeks.

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Congrats on the '83 turbo wagon! I'm looking at one myself... any pics of yours? Plans for it?

 

Thanks! At the moment the only real plan is to get it back to being a safe and reliable vehicle without unnecessary mods. Oh, and maybe some 14" wheels. I have a few pictures of it in various states of dismantled because that's the state it's spent the most time in, but none really when it's whole.

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I had the windshield replaced on it but it's probably out of warranty now. I sold it to who you bought it from 2 years ago so i don't know if she gave you the folder with all the receipts i gave her. Car was Purchased new in Gladstone by a little old lady from Oregon City. She died and the car sat in the garage for a couple years then a guy down the street bought it and got it running, but soon after that the digi dash shorted and caught on fire. He took stuff apart and left it for a couple years parked in a field. Tags were expired in 04 when i got it in 2013. I ended up getting it and fixing it up since i had my almost identical ea81t wagon to compare it too. Let me know if you need some parts for it i might had it or know somebody that does.

1782169_415611958573948_1412183082_n.jpg

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Oh yeah, I got the folder, so I know you did a TON of work to it. It's just old and a bunch of stuff is crapping out. The PS pump sounds like it is full of gravel and the brake booster in non-functioning, the rear shocks are blown... Just stuff like that, pretty minor in the grand scheme of things.

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Nope, the EA81T and the EA82s used the same RESERVOIR, but the pump is different.  I figured this out when one of my hardlines started leaking.  I was hoping I could just swap in the EA82 bits, but the actual pump section (a separate part from the reservoir) has the inlet and outlet in a different place and they will NOT clear the EA81T distributor. 

Edited by carfreak85
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Nope, the EA81T and the EA82s used the same RESERVOIR, but the pump is different. I figured this out when one of my hardlines started leaking. I was hoping I could just swap in the EA82 bits, but the actual pump section (a separate part from the reservoir) has the inlet and outlet in a different place and they will NOT clear the EA81T distributor.

I had noticed that the resivoir was the same, good to know about the rest.

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