Slight speedo cable leak...and other questions
I have not had problems mixing type F with Dexron, but that was a long time ago when Dexron was just type 1. If it's not synthetic I don't see why mixing any Dexton would be a problem, but I'm not a ATF guru. Maybe TB knows more?
When your putting it in reverse and it's delayed engagement is this the first time in the morning when you fire it up to back out of the garage or all the time? Torqueflite's are prone to torque converter drain back when they sit overnight and since they bypass fluid in park it doesn't fill the converter. Without doing that it's sluggish the first time in the morning, or after it's sat for a few hrs. It's a general recommendation to pop it in neutral as soon as you start it up because in neutral it will fill the converter so it won't slip when you put it in gear.
Lockup transmissions have a different input shaft spline count and design so non-lockup converters won't fit in a lockup trans. and vice versa. They take the same fluid whether lockup or not. I'm out of idea's on the drain plug.
The last time I looked at a rubber gasket at NAPA it was a cheap POS that was just rubber, no steel inner core support like the good one from the dealer. If the one from NAPA does have a steel inner core that suggests they have improved them and it's probably good to use. If it's limp rubber don't use it.
Seems to me that this is being overthought, if'n you don't mind my saying so 318.
I do however agree with everything I have seen so far about the rubber versus rubber with steel core gasket and fluids.
As far as mixing Dexron with Type F, I see no reason at all to do this on purpose, but also know it doesn't matter one little bit if they do get mixed.
Really, what I do is drop the pan and filter and then fire the car up and run it through the gears real quick at an idle and shut it off.
Then put it back together and fill it with fluid.
As far as the delay in reverse, a drained back converter can do that (like Tracy mentioned) and it very well could be just a semi normal thing.
I would say if you go out in the morning and start it up and it has a 2 second delay it's going to be fairly normal.
I'd worry if I had to rev it a little to get it to engage when first started cold.
This would indicate hardening rubber seals in the clutchpacks and rear servo that applies the rear band for reverse
All this said and discussed though, I think you should just drop the fluid and filter and let it drip for a half hour while you clean up your pan and bolts, then put it back together and run it.
