The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline gave my tranny an F (fluid, that is)

I just wanted to share that the PG tranny in my panel has been sitting for who knows how long. When I drained it for the first time, the fluid came out like strawberry milk, which means it had gotten water in it at some point along the way. After a few four letter words, I was off to pick up some new fluid.

I'd read that type F fluid, which was developed for Ford tranny's, was actually good to put in a PG, as it has a thicker viscosity to it (to manage the Ford heat). After reading that, and knowing my PG may already be scrap, I said what the hey and bought 4 qts of Type F to put into my PG.

I added it, and on my first run, I could feel the tranny starting to come back to life. I could feel the response when I shifted from Park to Reverse, and it was also detecting Drive right away. I went slowly around the block, and I am pretty sure it stayed in low/first, but that was fine- it was moving, so I was happy.

On my 2nd and third runs that took place last week, I stepped it up a little, and I could feel it shifting from low to drive! Again, I may have been going 30mph max, but, that tranny is doing its job!

I'm going to do another flush and fill, but I wanted to share that the type F is working just fine, if any of you are looking for validation on the urban legend as to whether or not the type change would be OK.

In the mid-1960's Ford started using a dark brown (almost black) colored friction material on their automatic transmission clutches. The stuff was hard as woodpecker lips, and without using a fluid with a lot of friction enhancers, the clutches would slip. GM used a softer, tan-colored clutch material that would grab OK without the extra friction additives. Pretty soon, the drag racers learned that using Type F fluid in a GM trans instead of Dexron gave it a much more positive shift, especially when combined with a "shift kit". It also had a habit of causing the GM clutch material to de-bond from the discs it was glued onto, but they didn't care- - - -the occasional hand-grenaded transmission was just part of playing the game. TCI (Torque Converters Incorporated) sold thousands of gallons of Type F to the racers by putting it in their own containers and advertising it as "high performance" transmission fluid. Good marketing to the P.T. Barnum crowd!
Jerry

We have a Hudson with the wet clutch and have read in several forums that Type F can be used in place of the pricey Hudsonite. Going to do a flush with the recommended kerosene and then give the Type F a try.

Hard to find kerosene in Dallas and the last I bought was about $7 per gallon. Hope it is easier to get up your way, Evan.

Try the local airport- - - - -Jet engines consume huge volumes of "aviation kerosene". They might be persuaded to part with a couple of quarts- - - -and they might even give it to you!

That Hudson wet clutch is a bunch of cork pucks a little bigger than a quarter, bonded to a steel disc. The fluid keeps the cork from drying out.
Jerry

Wonder how many millenials would know that. I didn't even know that, am I'm nowhere near a millenial