Double trouble

[TriX5]

Since 10 days my SES light is on and since three days there is a horrible grinding sound from under the car. Ofcourse since the noise started it has been parked.

Today I tried to find the source of the noise and and seems to come from the area where the flywheel is. I am wondering if the starter gear is not fully retracting and touching the flywheel.

It only sounds when it revves up, not when idling and it does not seem to come from the TC or the transmission. Unfortunately I am now also due for the valley pan gasket though the leak is minimal it is no longer dry under the manifold.

I have decided to have the dealer check why the SES is on and what the noise is about. Once we have identified those problems I can decide what to do next. (I will do the valley pan myself and do the chain tensioners, etc, but that is one step away still.)

If there is something wrong with the transmission I am considering removing the entire engine/transmission so that I can redress the engine and fix the AT in one go.

Here is the question I have, today I took the fill plug out and some trans fluid came out. It is quite black, is this normal? What color was yours if you have done the AT service? (The AT shifts just fine, absolutely trouble free 5-speed AT.)