Bubbles (or, bubble) in trans fluid

[Blackhawk]

Hey guys!

Quick question.

I installed a new valve body onto my truck, and after, i noticed something strange.

I replaced the filter seal, made sure it was seated correctly and replaced the flat sump and the spin on filter.

I noticed a tiny cluster of bubbles (1 bigger and 2 smaller) on the top of the dipstick after a driving cycle, but checking it in neutral after cycling through all the gears results in no bubbles at all and the fluid was fine and at the correct level.

Is this normal?


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[Burla]

Was it cold fluid? Are you sure the sump filter only has one gasket? Sometimes it gets stuck up in there and someone will in error put another gasket on. So first time you checked it in park with no circulation, and second time you checked it in neutral with fluid circulating? I guess I should ask, what transmision?

 

[GTyankee]

The next time that you take a drive
Stop on level ground & check your transmission fluid level like the owner's manual tells you to

Make sure it is not overfilled or too low
check for bubbles on the dipstick

If it does have bubbles, did you use the proper type of transmission fluid

Everything that i have read, says that if the fluid level is to low or to high or if the wrong transmission fluid is used, it can cause bubbles. If all those things are as they should be, then you are drawing air from somewhere, like the oil filter, etc.

You don't want fluid cavitation, each bubble contains vapor or air & the more bubbles that are in the fluid, the less proper lubrication gets to the wear parts

 

[Blackhawk]

Was it cold fluid? Are you sure the sump filter only has one gasket? Sometimes it gets stuck up in there and someone will in error put another gasket on. So first time you checked it in park with no circulation, and second time you checked it in neutral with fluid circulating? I guess I should ask, what transmision?

Fluid was hot, and i’m 100% sure the flat sump filter only has one gasket.

The transmission is a 65RFE.


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[Blackhawk]

The next time that you take a drive
Stop on level ground & check your transmission fluid level like the owner's manual tells you to

Make sure it is not overfilled or too low
check for bubbles on the dipstick

If it does have bubbles, did you use the proper type of transmission fluid

Everything that i have read, says that if the fluid level is to low or to high or if the wrong transmission fluid is used, it can cause bubbles. If all those things are as they should be, then you are drawing air from somewhere, like the oil filter, etc.

You don't want fluid cavitation, each bubble contains vapor or air & the more bubbles that are in the fluid, the less proper lubrication gets to the wear parts

This is what i did when i checked the fluid.

After driving and going through all the gears (123456), only a bubble will appear on the top, and the rest of the fluid looks fine lower on the dip stick.

If i let the truck sit for 5 minutes in Neutral, i can run it through all the gears (PRND), rev the engine, press the brake pedal (this raises lp) and get no bubbles at all.

I’ve dealt with bad filters before, and i’d always get bubbles in park and neutral independent of how much time i let it sit.


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[U&A]

How many quarts did you use.


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[Blackhawk]

How many quarts did you use.


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6.5


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[Burla]

Let me ask how warm was trans? Like driving for an hour warm? 10 minutes?

 

[Blackhawk]

Let me ask how warm was trans? Like driving for an hour warm? 10 minutes?

Roughly around 130-140, after around 2 hours of driving.


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[Burla]

Roughly around 130-140, after around 2 hours of driving.


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another thread bubbles in rfe

this was result after he took off pan again...

Took off the pan after still having air bubbles in the fluid and everything was in right, checked the filters, all installed right. No response from trans seller.

Only weird thing was is that it seems the fluid only gets bubbly after a while of driving, sitting and idling in drive/neutral/park/reverse results in no bubbles.

Maybe it’s normal, who knows.

 

[U&A]

The reL question is

Is it creating “foam” inside the trans from a mechanical motion..... or is their jist a bit of air trapped in their trying to work its way out.

How long did you let the trans drain with the pan off?

I dont like letting it sit over night or even a few hours. Maybe 10 min and I’m putting back together.


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[Hemi395]

If the valve body was just replaced theres a good chance theres just a bunch of air that is working its way out. However, @TheEnder has done this before and might know if this is normal after a valve body change....

 

[Blackhawk]

The reL question is

Is it creating “foam” inside the trans from a mechanical motion..... or is their jist a bit of air trapped in their trying to work its way out.

How long did you let the trans drain with the pan off?

I dont like letting it sit over night or even a few hours. Maybe 10 min and I’m putting back together.


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I let it drain for around an hour or 2 with the pan off.


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[Blackhawk]

another thread bubbles in rfe

this was result after he took off pan again...

Took off the pan after still having air bubbles in the fluid and everything was in right, checked the filters, all installed right. No response from trans seller.

Only weird thing was is that it seems the fluid only gets bubbly after a while of driving, sitting and idling in drive/neutral/park/reverse results in no bubbles.

Maybe it’s normal, who knows.

I went through the thread, the only thing i find different between that thread and from what i’m experiencing is that my truck doesn’t have any shift quality issues, it doesn’t bang shift, and shifts are soft but not TOO soft.

I also read that they parked in a parking lot and revved the engine only to find a bunch of bubbles, i don’t get that either. Revving the engine in park results in pretty much nothing going on, it’s only when it’s been driven that bubbles appear on the dipstick. I’ll try to catch this later if possible.


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[Blackhawk]

If the valve body was just replaced theres a good chance theres just a bunch of air that is working its way out. However, @TheEnder has done this before and might know if this is normal after a valve body change....

That’s a good thought, i just did it on Friday. Nothing to do but to wait for his response.


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[Blackhawk]

Update:

I took the pan off for the 4th time this week to make sure EVERYTHING was sealed right. I put on another flat sump filter, made sure the sump filter seal was mounted flush in the trans with no rips, and i also replaced the canister filter and made sure the seals on it were fine and lubed as well, but i made sure to avoid over-tightening the filter.

Long story short - even with another 100$ thrown at it, it’s still bubbling up the fluid.

Waiting for @TheEnders response still, but, i singlehandedly cannot find what would be the cause for bubbles in the fluid AT ALL. So it’s leading me to think it’s normal. But i’m not 100% sure.

Can anyone else just get in their truck, start it up, shut it off and then check the fluid and see if there’s bubbles on it? If so, and there’s bubbles that show up, it would greatly help me out and prevent me from blowing more money on it.

Thank you guys.


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[Burla]

Update:

I took the pan off for the 4th time this week to make sure EVERYTHING was sealed right. I put on another flat sump filter, made sure the sump filter seal was mounted flush in the trans with no rips, and i also replaced the canister filter and made sure the seals on it were fine and lubed as well, but i made sure to avoid over-tightening the filter.

Long story short - even with another 100$ thrown at it, it’s still bubbling up the fluid.

Waiting for @TheEnders response still, but, i singlehandedly cannot find what would be the cause for bubbles in the fluid AT ALL. So it’s leading me to think it’s normal. But i’m not 100% sure.

Can anyone else just get in their truck, start it up, shut it off and then check the fluid and see if there’s bubbles on it? If so, and there’s bubbles that show up, it would greatly help me out and prevent me from blowing more money on it.

Thank you guys.


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ill do it now

 

[Burla]

I tried every type of way, didnt get a bubble, sorry man. I wouldnt be rash, wait til you know a little more. You say no bubbles after long trip right?

 

[Blackhawk]

I tried every type of way, didnt get a bubble, sorry man.

Interesting, I don’t know what it could be then.


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[Blackhawk]

I tried every type of way, didnt get a bubble, sorry man. I wouldnt be rash, wait til you know a little more. You say no bubbles after long trip right?

No, no bubbles after it sits for a bit (5 mins or so). After those 5 mins are up i can shift it through all gears and not get a single bubble.


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