So I dropped the pan in my 99 ATX. I noticed the screen had a few small metal shavings in it. The magnets had what appeared to be a bit of brown sludge on them. I replaced the screen AND cleaned the pan and added 5.5 quarts of Mobil 1 Syn.
First off, is it normal to have some or ANY metal shavings on the screen (97K miles)?
Secondly, someone mentioned to me that the tranny is not healthy if this is the case... It DOES shift very nice and firm. However I can hear a FAINT whine when shifting to R or Drive.
I still have 3000 miles on the warranty, so I would appreciate any advice

 

some shavings are normal, yes, as it is a sign of normal wear and tear. I wouldn't want to see a glob of them by any means, but a few aren't too bad. In my old 300ZX I'd end up with a magnet full every year (nasty + bad sign = sold car). If you are really worried about it, go another 1k miles or so, then change the oil again and see how bad it is.

 

David, the brown sludge is normal. It's generated as the clutches and bands slowly ware. A few small pieces of debri on the screen could be a concern. The wine might be something to keep tabs on as well. Does it wine all the time, or only when it's cold? Has the wine always been there or has it started appearing recently?

You could just be seeing normal ware and tare. Perhaps you can drop the pan again in 6 months time and see if the screen remains clean. If you still find shavings on the screen after 6 months, I'd say your tranny is experiancing abnormal ware. If it's nice and clean your probably gonna get a good life out of the tranny.

 

It would probably be a good idea to take it to the dealer, and get them to note that there was a concern before your warranty is up. If it still whines, tell them it shouldn't, and you will pick the car back up when it doesn't.

 

I "think" it whines only on a cold start up. It is not real loud. I will definitely pay closer attention to it. Is it normal in this instance?