Transmission Fluid...NEED help please advise

Good afternoon gentlemen. I have got a dilemna. I went made my second inspection trip today and fell in love with a deuce. Everything looked outstanding....well all except one thing. I checked all the fluids-oil,axle differential fluids, transfer case,brake fliud, and finally the transmission. All the fluids were absolutely pristine, a nice golden honey color even the oil except the transmission fluid. When I went to check the fluid it ran out like whole milk. As you can see from the photo it is a creamy color. Please tell me that this is somekind of gear oil....if it is water in the transmission fluid I have one question....how? How in the world does water get in there. I am perplexed b/c of the condition of the truck and the other fliuds. Please advise. Should I still buy the truck and use somekind of detergent to clean the tranny out? Are there any options? Thanks

Here are some photos of the fluid:

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj11/wsucougarx/100_1594.jpg

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj11/wsucougarx/100_1595.jpg

Fluid theft from a military base is a crime! Is the truck a soft top? Who knows why the oil has water in it, don't be afraid. By it and fix any problems that you find. There's plenty of parts available. Finding a 100% perfect 30-40 year old truck is not really possible.

AGREE 100 Percent.

Is there some kind of transmission detergent I can throw in there to clean out any possible oxidation/rust? Is the gear oil viscous and protectant enough to protect the inside of the transmission from rust? Common sense would tell me that given the transmission has no possible water source connected to it, maybe just a minimal amount of water got it there. Then again how much water would it take to discolor gear oil like this? Is there a breather pipe to the tranny that could have possibly gotten overlooked?
Please advise

Kerosene. There is a vent on the top of the trans in front of the shifter. I see water leak around my windshields and puddle on the floor directly above this area often. Possibly the vent fell out or was not installed. Buy it and fix it! Deuce ownership is an adventure. Also, by the color of your sample, And knowing the correct shade of golden tan with shades of blue that GL1 is when new and the capacity of oil in the trans, I would suggest that there has been about 6-12 oz of water mixed in with the oil.

One of the quirks of the M series is that they tend to leak water at the windshields. That water will run down the shifter and into the transmission. Without looking I would say that is what has happened. If you like the truck buy it take it home and change the transmission oil. An old trick to clean out a manual transmission is to drain the old fluid out, reinstall the drain plug and refill the transmission with ATF. Start the truck and allow it to idle for around 30 minutes. Don’t put any load on it, just leave it idle. Then drain it out. You will be amazed what will come out. Then refill with GL-1.

Now it is pretty obvious but I have to ask. I probably shouldn't drive this truck 60 miles w/this milky fluid. Maybe this is overkill but here is my plan. Drain the truck outside of DRMO, add new gear oil. Drive it 30 miles, pull off & drain the fluid and refill, drive home and do the ATF thing. But I guess I should probably win it first

Win first! Drain it and fill with new GL1 for the drive home! Go from there.

That gear oil is the newer mil spec hyplo-hygroscopic synthetic type.

It's only used in a limited amount of motor pools. Service life is unfortunately not too good.

I believe the new Mil Spec # is MIL-H20-N-80w90-MIX-2

Mainly used in those trucks that run without a cab top.

If I were you, I'd drain it, flush it out with diesel or the like and refill with MT-1 spec gear oil.

It is the military's newest gear oil?

Click to expand...

NO! It was a joke.

Mil Spec # is MIL-H20-N-80w90-MIX-2

Click to expand...

H20=water

gotcha I didn't even read the Mil spec description...good one

Thanks everyone for your input. I have one more question. Where is the filler hole? It is a Dana 3053 A. The hole I used to check the fluid was approx 8 inches up from the bottom w/a 1/2" drive plug hole on the driver side of the truck. Would this be it?

yup

Alright WON the truck, now awaiting my first EUC to go through. Now I can proceed with the drainage plan. I want to thank everyone for their input and easing my worries. Thanks!!!

Congratulations! Be patient during the EUC, especially your first one. Post up any questions you have and it will be easy. Does the wife know yet?

In my humble opinion, I'd say that the gear oil that color is a good sign. It's unlikely that by pulling the truck around the DRMO lot, the fluid and water would mix that well. Looks like its been driven like that. Must mean its a driver. I'd dump it and let it drip while you are doing all your PCMS, refill it with GL 1 or something with the MT1 rating and drive it home. Assuming that you will be driving it more that 40 or 50 miles, the remaining water will probably dissipate with the heat generated while driving it home. One more drain and fill and you will be golden.

Update, after winning the truck I went up and drained the tranny. I replaced the fluid and before doing so I looked in the filler hole to find everything was still very shiny. No corrosion or rust