I put transmission fluid in my engine; what to do about it?

Question

I have a 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GT with the V6 engine. The last oil change was 1 week ago. My red oil light came on, and I read the dip stick and thought I was a quart low on oil.

Really it was just pressure, which is why I could hear the lifters. But I added what I thought was oil. So now, my car has 6 quarts of oil and quart of transmission fluid in it. I have driven it for a couple of miles and the sound is gone and so is the light. Given how tranny fluid helps engines with this problem, should I just leave it alone? Or if i leave if alone will it cause too much pressure and hurt a seal?

Answer 1

Putting transmission fluid into your engine shouldn't have hurt anything, and as you've found out, may help it a little by cleaning stuff out. Obviously, it's not necessarily a good thing, especially considering if you have too much fluid in the crankcase.

It is my opinion you should get the "oil" changed as soon as possible and try not to run it too long. The transmission fluid will not be providing exactly what the engine needs in order to be properly lubricated and you could be causing your engine damage by continuing to run it with the tranny fluid in there. As you've suggested, there is a real chance of blowing out seals due to having too much fluid in the engine. You also run the risk of the crankshaft hitting the fluid which can cause damage to the engine (if this were happening, you'd most likely already know it).

Once the fluid is changed (along with the filter), you should be in good shape. Just don't run it too much until you are able to.