Lasting effects of gray silicone in transmission fluid line

REVISORE61790

MEMBER
2013 NISSAN ALTIMA
3.5L
6 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
43,000 MILES

After a faulty repair of a transmission leak, I had gray silicone mixed in the transmission line, which remained for about 10 miles of driving. Dealership supposedly repaired the leak, and changed the transmission fluid to find these bits of silicone in the existing fluid. After a fluid change I was still feeling a jerkiness when the CVT upshifted, so I took it back in to say there was a separate axle seal leak fixed under warranty that could have leaked the transmission fluid.

Moving forward, they are telling me if the jerkiness comes back, that I may need a new transmission as the silicone in the fluid could have caused lasting damage. After 10 minutes of driving the jerkiness came back.

The question I have is if they flushed the lines originally, shouldn't the silicone at least be out of the system? If so, is further damage still being done by driving the car?

5 Replies

MHPAUTOS

MECHANIC
31,937 POSTS

They should have never used silicon sealant in the transmission, it can get into the valve body and this will never get flushed out, was it the dealer that repaired the transmission and used the silicon?

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Friday, September 25th, 2015 AT 4:36 PM

REVISORE61790

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2 POSTS

I had actually applied gray silicone at the advice of nissanpartsdeal. Com, the website from which I ordered the transmission pan and gasket. Autozone also confirmed this advice.

The dealership confirmed this was an issue after-the-fact.

Would having the valve body replaced be the best course of action from here? If so, is it generally better to have this done at the dealership or a transmission shop? Not sure which is more reasonably priced, and does okay work.

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Friday, September 25th, 2015 AT 10:51 PM

MHPAUTOS

MECHANIC
31,937 POSTS

A transmission shop would be a cheaper option, and advise them exactly what you did and why you did it, this will give them a better understanding of what is going on.

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Sunday, September 27th, 2015 AT 2:41 PM

REVISORE61790

MEMBER
2 POSTS

So fun times here. I went to a reputable transmission shop, and they put a used transmission in that had only 10k miles with a 1-year/12,000 warranty. Now there is so much more engine noise outside of the normal engine revving, and the car is more sluggish, which is especially noticeable when coasting. Took it back to the transmission shop, and they can't really distinguish the noise or speed as they didn't drive it before. They also can't find any leaks, rubbing or issues.

At this point would it be better to take it to the dealer to have them check it out since they'd know the car better, then provide the feedback back to the transmission shop? I'm just not sure what the best actions are from here.

As always, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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Monday, October 12th, 2015 AT 7:34 PM

MHPAUTOS

MECHANIC
31,937 POSTS

I would consider giving the car back to the trans shop and let them sort out this mess, it may be transmission related as it looks like it's only started sine this used trans was fitted, my question would be, what is the history with the trans fitted and why was it removed from the donor car, talk to the mechanic that fitted this trans and you should be able to get some answers.