Transmission fluid color in a matrix

[firetrevjc]

Hello all, I was wondering if the Matrix auto transmission fluid turns a purple color after about 25K miles for everyone, or if this is something unusual. I have an 06 Vibe 2wd automatic with the 1zzfe engine. I did a drain/fill on trans and it went to a dark red for a little while, but is back to purple in 10k miles.

The Vibe is mostly a mechanical twin to the Matrix, so I'm wondering if the discoloration happens in the Matrix too. Is it normal for the toyota T-IV fluid to darken that much, or has GM changed the spec on something in the vibe that is causing it?

I appreciate your help.

[fishexpo101]

Toyota Type T-IV ATF is a conventional ATF - given that the transaxles are tough on the oil (heavy vehicle, different stall speed, etc.)

I've seen some Corollas (powertrain twin to the Matrix/Vibes) also darken their fluid extremely quickly. Just keep in mind, that you cannot really tell the condition of the ATF by color - smell would be better, but chemical testing would be better still.

Just keep to short drain and refill interval and you should be golden, every 30K miles or so. Also consider an auxillary transaxle fluid cooler - those can typically drop overall temps by 10-15 degrees or more. Which in turn has been shown to increase ATF life by 70-90% or more.

[firetrevjc]

Thanks for the reply. The fluid has never smelled burnt, but I have never had a vehicle change the fluid color so drastically and quickly. So, overheating is the cause?

[fishexpo101]

Heavy discoloration is likely to be a combination of slight overheating and normal wear material, ground off the clutch plates inside. I've worked on a couple of these A246E transaxles, and some have little discoloration, little to no debris on the pan bottom to others that are so discolored with a significant amount of shavings on the bottom of the transaxle pan.

Both ended up holding up exceptionally well. The one that had all kinds of shavings on the bottom is well on its way past 200K miles, 15K-18K miles yearly, so don't assume funky color or lots of shavings are signs of a dying transaxle (as long as the oil doesn't take on a burnt odor). The other one sees very little driving, might be less than 5000-7000 miles a year. Most are in the middle ground - some shavings on the bottom of the pan, and heavily discolored fluid.

My belief is that the friction modifiers in the Toyota Type T-IV ATF are likely the primary culprit of the discoloration issue. Keeping the fluid cooler tends to keep the discoloration from happening as quickly, but it still happens. Part of the issue is the extra weight the Matrix/Vibe has to lug around - basically the powertrain is dropped in from a Corolla, which is nearly 300lbs lighter (2568lbs vs 2860lbs). So everything has to work a little bit harder.

Auxiliary cooling is helpful, but not required. Same goes for inline filtering (some have an external filter to supplement the OEM filter "screen". Many have built in thermostats or novel designs to help make sure the fluid comes up to temperature - but there is always that risk of a leak, as you are adding many more connections in the fluid path.

Bottom line - as long as you stay ontop of fluid replacement - you should be good to go.