Well I hope this is not the end of our beloved D2. I have a 1999 D2 with about 135k on it. About 6 months ago I had Randy @ BritishBoneYard redo my leaking heads. He fixed up a bunch of other things on it at the same time. It never has run better. Well today we go out to take it for a quick drive out to the store and the transmission will not engage. No matter what gear I put it in the transmission wouldn't engage, engine just revved. I did eventually get flashing M&S lights. Came back several hours later, not sure what to do I though I would check the transmission fluid as the pan gasket is leaking little bit. Well I was surprised. Pink milky fluid came out!. Not good. only drained a little out as it is 20 degrees out right not. No time for a fluid change.

I had to move the vehicle to get to one of my other cars and I tried to use the transmission again. It worked. Moved it over to the other parking spot and shut it off. So it looks like some other fluid had mixed into my transmission. Is there anyway coolant could of gotten into the transmission? Any suggestions on where to look. I know I need to drain and refill the system at the least. Just trying to figure out what Im getting into on this.

 

If memory serves the trans cooler is separate from the radiator. Have you done any water crossings? Don't recall if there is a vent tube on this transmission.

 

Replace your rad. Trans cooler is part of that unit. That's where you're getting the coolant mix from.

 

Isn't the Oil cooler built into the radiator and the trans cooler is separate mounted in front of the radiator?

 

Hi, do a pressure test on the trans cooler after you clamp the rubber hoses with similar pliers to these.

Beta Tools 1481PL/A PLastic Hose PLiers | eBay

 

Would be the other way around. Most vehicles with auto trans will share the rad for trans cooling. Engine oil would be separate since not all vehicles would need engine oil cooling.

 

As far as I know they are all separate. Trans cooler has its own cooler in front of the radiator and oil cooler is another low profile cooler in front of the radiator. Not sure how coolant wil mix all together.

 

Obviously, drain it all out.

Do you have or can you make a call to figure out what was put into it?

I am also perplex how anything besides ATF should/ could have gotten in there, however, determining what was in there to begin with might help out.

My example...I had a 02 WRX that I put shock proof Red Line that was milky yellow out of the bottle. The tuner "thought" I have had water in the tranny but, actually that was the correct color of the tranny fluid.

 

There's no chance for crossover of coolant into the transmission cooler. As LR03NJ says, the radiator, oil cooler, and transmission cooler and are completely separate units.
Could rainwater or snow have gotten into your transmission somehow?

 

Ok so either way it is either water ingress or a clogged vent tube not letting moisture out