Antifreeze in transmission 2010 Duramax??

[ivbinconned]

What’s going on here. How does this happen? And has it ruined my transmission?

[ksss]

So far that 10 speed works amazing. I pull 30-35K up and down passes and it is scary how good it is at knowing what gear to be in. Regardless, of who builds it, it works awesome. We will see how it lasts.

[ZR1]

The new transmission that will be going in the Dodge will be made specifically for the Cummins platform. (this was announced some time ago and should happen some time in 2022.

If your interested here's an article you may like to read: https://www.autobison.com/2020/02/which-new-transmission-will-ram-pair-with-the-cummins-diesels/

The 9 speed was orginally going to be used for the Duramax but GM passed on it in favor of their own new in house 10 speed transmission. When GM announced the new 10 speed I was curious why they needed so many forward gears. My 2013 Duramax worked just fine with the 6 speed an would climb a 6 percent grade at 70 mph pulling a 10k trailer and never come out of overdrive.

Personally, I did not believe believe the hype that GM said about their new BRANDED Allison transmission and actually called Allison to ask them about it. I was told by them that the branding is noting more then an agreement between GM and Allison, though Allison did lookover the design then did not have a hand in it nor do they have any involvement in the building of the new 10 speed. Not the case with the 6 soeed 1000, even when the building was supplemented to the GM plant do to the demand, Allison employee's were involved in the build. Not so anymore...

Please don't take these post as an assault on the new GM 10 speed, I just didn't want to be a guinnie pig for it especially after reading the problems with the co-engineered Ford-GM 10 speed used in other applications. I hope for all those who purchase this new tranny it proves out. I guess we shall see.

[Charlie_D_]

ZR1 wrote:
ivbinconned, don't give up just yet. The issue of a failure of a transmission cooler in the radiator is a common problem for GM. The real issue how long did it go before you discovered the problem. In many cases you can simply replace the radiator, have the transmission flushed and the fluid replaced and you may be good to go. This is something you may want to consider before you just give up and purchase a transmission rebuild. Ultimately if the transmission has been toasted you can have a GM dealer replace the trans with a factory rebuild and you will get at 3 year 100k warranty to boot. Do your homework before you give up. You have lots of options!

Why would he have a GM transmission placed in a Ram?

[Cummins12V98]

"If Dodge gets the new true Allison 9 speed this will be a game changer for them and I think many will jump brands to get it."

I find these types of comments entertaining. The AISIN Medium Duty Transmission offered in the 3500, 4500 and 5500 RAM trucks simply does not break. With the straight six Cummins the 6 speeds works great. I tow much more weight than the vast majority on here at 35k combined West Coast with ZERO need for more gears.

My trans temp runs 165 towing or not and when climbing miles of 6% grades it may get as high as 172. OH and the trans is NOT tied to anything other than it's own cooler.

[Dadoffourgirls]

ZR1 wrote:
...Its sad GM decided to go with there new 10 speed "Branded" Allison in their new trucks, it's really not an Allison since they did not build or engineer it. If Dodge gets the new true Allison 9 speed this will be a game changer for them and I think many will jump brands to get it.

Anyway, Cheers, glad to see your back on the road again!

GM sold Allison transmission in 2007. GM built the 6-speed automatic transmission at the GM plant in Baltimore.

From the Allison website:

“We built the new 2020 Silverado HD with more differentiation than ever before, to meet the needs and priorities of our customers,” said Jaclyn McQuaid, chief engineer, Silverado HD. “By offering the new Allison 10-speed, tested and validated in partnership with Allison Transmission, each transmission will deliver the legendary quality and durability that customers have come to expect.

I am looking forward to my new 10 speed truck.

[ZR1]

The Allison 1000 transmission that is used with the Duramax is probably one of the best heavy duty transmissions ever made and unmatched in any other brand truck, it was the primary I purchased the Duramax over the Dodge or Ford truck. I have a friend with a 2013 3500HD with about the same mileage as you. He had the same problem you did at about 200k. He replaced the radiator, flushed the trany and replaced both filters and refilled with Transynd and the truck hasn't skipped a beat. Since his mishap he as put on an additional 100k on the truck and this thing tows a skid loaded 3 to 5 days out of a week.

You caught the problem quickly and did the right thing. I think your good to go!

Its sad GM decided to go with there new 10 speed "Branded" Allison in their new trucks, it's really not an Allison since they did not build or engineer it. If Dodge gets the new true Allison 9 speed this will be a game changer for them and I think many will jump brands to get it.

Anyway, Cheers, glad to see your back on the road again!

[Cummins12V98]

This sort of issue is another reason I like my AISIN trans. It has a cooler and that's it, no heat exchanger.

[carringb]

How much contamination did you find?

I found strawberry milkshake in my coolant bottle one time. Trans fluid looks ok but since I replaced the radiator just went ahead and did the trans fluid at the same time (I just use the cooler-hose into a bucket method anyways), and it's been fine ever since. I think that happened a bit before 300,000 miles and I have 502,000 miles on it now, and the transmission still hasn't been touched other than a couple more fluid services.

[Tom_M1]

If your problem is the radiator, replace the whole radiator. You can then install an external cooler if you are worried about this happening again.

[ivbinconned]

Thanks ZR1
If my memory serves me correctly some older other GM vehicle I had a mechanic recommended disconnecting the Tran cooler lines at the radiator because of this kind of risk and we connected the oil lines to an aftermarket cooler installed in front of the rad.
Is this the right thing to do with this truck?

[ZR1]

ivbinconned, don't give up just yet. The issue of a failure of a transmission cooler in the radiator is a common problem for GM. The real issue how long did it go before you discovered the problem. In many cases you can simply replace the radiator, have the transmission flushed and the fluid replaced and you may be good to go. This is something you may want to consider before you just give up and purchase a transmission rebuild. Ultimately if the transmission has been toasted you can have a GM dealer replace the trans with a factory rebuild and you will get at 3 year 100k warranty to boot. Do your homework before you give up. You have lots of options!

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

bgum wrote:
When I was in school I worked at a full service filling station part-time. Customer came in and wanted a quart of antifreeze added. I caught one of my co-workers just before he added it to the crankcase oil. After that he wasn't allowed to raise a hood. He did learn how to clean the Grease bay, restrooms, and wash bay.

A friend I had in HS put 3 gallons of gas in a fresh water tank of a motorhome. That was not good!

[bgum]

When I was in school I worked at a full service filling station part-time. Customer came in and wanted a quart of antifreeze added. I caught one of my co-workers just before he added it to the crankcase oil. After that he wasn't allowed to raise a hood. He did learn how to clean the Grease bay, restrooms, and wash bay.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

Well that sucks. 😞 Sounds like my luck.
In any event the glue that the tranny friction material is glued on with is water or antifreeze soluble. The friction material will be fine. The glue that holds it to the steels......not so much.
Don't ask me how I know. But mine was a cheap T350 I learned this lesson on and not a big buck Allie.
Good luck.

[Ivylog]

X3 as it softens the clutch’s friction material.