My Grandaughter Took Her car to a shop to cjange the Transmission Fluid and now the transmission does not work

STANGHARVELL

MEMBER
1994 HONDA PRELUDE
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
204,000 MILES

My gran-daughter had a local shop (one of these quick pull threw oil change shops), the invoice reflects that they drained the transmission fluid and replaced with 10 quarts of new transmission fluid. The car ran for about 2000 miles and then the transmission quit working, it is an automatic and now makes a terrible grinding noise when shifting and will not move the car. There was no transmission fluid when I checked it with the transmission dip stick. I added 2 and 1/2 quarts on the side of the road where the car quit working. There is NO sign of any transmission fluid leaking under the car. There is NO sign of transmission fluid spraying under the car.
Does this car take 10 quarts of transmission fluid on a normal fluid change? If the vendor did not add the transmission oil back after draining thru the drain plug, how far could you feasibly drive the car before the transmission would fail?

1 Reply

HMAC300

MECHANIC
48,601 POSTS

It cold have blown out the vent and or into the radiator if the cooling tube broke inside the rad. But there shold be some trace of oil. Normally without oil it woun't shift because the valves won't operate. On a dry fill this thing only holds 6.3 qts and on a change it's only 2.5 qts. I never recommend anyone going to oil change places as they screw up more than they fix, at least that is my experience. As far as driving the car after supposedly not putting oil in I'm not sure if it wold go anywhere, I would imagine if it got in gear it would move for about what you have on it now since service but it would burn up clutches and seals because of low oil. It's best to h ave a trans guy give an opinion on that.