just got done draining the OB and on the magnetic plug I installed a yr ago is a very fine black creamy substance...what is it??

Ah yes, this is how transmission shops sell rebuilt trannies. "see this clutch material"

 

It is normal wear and some gunk mixed in. Thats why you are chainging the fluid

Sounds like just the normal friction material wear and possibly some gear wear.

 

What I do find interesting is that when I first changed the ATF on my '00obw when I got it at around 96k miles the drain plug had quite a bit of that material on it.

 

Now I just did a drain and top off this weekend on it at 150k miles and there was hardly anything at all on the drain plug. But at 96k miles I had also installed an amsoil dual mount bypass filter at the outlet to the trans cooler. So I am thinking these filters (which filter down to around 1 micron) have been catching all this material rather than letting it circulate back into the trans. The combination of these two filters holds an extra gallon of ATF.

sounds normal. were you just changing the fluid for good measure or was there some compelling reason?

 

i've pulled plugs from perfectly good trans and diffs with huge piles of mush on them, so divide that by 10 and sounds like what you got roughly?

Ah yes, this is how transmission shops sell rebuilt trannies. "see this clutch material"

 

It is normal wear and some gunk mixed in. Thats why you are chainging the fluid

in all the yrs that I have driven, I have never before owned an auto tranny that I actually changed the fluid on...so the clutches are made of metal..I never knew

sounds normal. were you just changing the fluid for good measure or was there some compelling reason?

 

i've pulled plugs from perfectly good trans and diffs with huge piles of mush on them, so divide that by 10 and sounds like what you got roughly?

..no compelling to change..I just do the drop and fill once every yr ..cheap insurance, maybe ??

..no compelling to change..I just do the drop and fill once every yr ..cheap insurance, maybe ??

 

The nice thing is that Subaru installs a drain bolt/plug to drain out the ATF. I never owned a car before that had that feature. Hats off to Subaru for that thoughtful design!

The nice thing is that Subaru installs a drain bolt/plug to drain out the ATF. I never owned a car before that had that feature. Hats off to Subaru for that thoughtful design!

 

I'd be really tickled if they put a drain plug on bottom of the torque converter.

in all the yrs that I have driven, I have never before owned an auto tranny that I actually changed the fluid on...so the clutches are made of metal..I never knew

 

Just like any clutch or brake, friction material (usually on a metal backing) on one side and a smooth metal plate on the other.

 

Dave