why is it still leaking?

[bizzo15]

Okay so I noticed a nasty tranny leak coming from my transmission pan a few weeks ago. Since I didn't have it put back together yet and road worthy I didn't worry about fixing it at the time. Well last week I was buttoning the truck back up and decided to drop the drop the pan and change the filter. Once I refilled her and took her for a spin it was leaking but not too bad. These week I decided to double check the tranny pan bolts to making sure they were all tight and one of the bolts in the front by the starter was stripped out. I bought a tap and re-tapped it the hole and put a bigger bolt in. Finally got a chance to take it for a spin today and the damn thing is still leaking. Now it's not leaking as bad as it originally was but nevertheless it's still leaking and pissing me off. Any experienced transmissions guys have a clue what I'm doing wrong or what the issue is? The tranny pan doesn't looked deformed or anything but maybe i'm just not noticing it? It's leaking right at the front of the pan and nowhere else. I'd like to get this taken care of before winter since I don't have access to a garage and don't like crawling under the truck in sub zero temps.

 

[barebones 1500]

i would check the torque on the bolts first, that is the simplest thing. if it still leaks then i would drop the pan and clean the mating surfaces of the pan and tranny. try using some light sand paper to clean the mating surfaces. check the tranny for any cracks or chips and put the pan on a flat surface to see if the pan is still straight. if all that checks out then use a little rtv on it and let it cure before refilling the tranny just to be sure. if that don't help then it might be a bigger problem

also, a bottle of tranny sealer might help but that is kinda hit and miss

 

[Swims350]

agreed, check to see if any are loose, if you find some too tight, maybe it pushed the gasket out or split it. Are you sure it's the front of the pan though? Could be front seal leaking, or even rear main seal on the engine. Also the shift shaft seal can leak and it'll leak down on the pan, but that's usually more driver's side or front DS.

 

[bizzo15]

Yeah I'm gonna re check the torque of the bolts on my next day off as the truck will be sitting until then anyways. I already used a little rtv the second time around to make sure the gasket stayed put when I bolted it back up. It's definitely transmission fluid and not an oil leak that much I do know. Maybe I'll snap a few picks of it and post it. It looks like it could possibly be running from the top of the bellhousing but if that's the case is it even possible to have a leak up top of there?

 

[Swims350]

not a trans leak unless as I said the trans front seal is leaking. They can run down the bellhousing down on top of the pan, stick your hand up under the TC (torque convertor) but over the pan, up on the case, see if it's wet. it's kinda hard to get fluid in there unless you spilled some working on the TC or something, unless it's leaking from the front seal or pump seal. pump seal could leak from up top as well.

trust me buddy trans leaks suck.

I had one on my truck tried foreveer to find it, spent hours cleaning and feeling and looking, one day out of the blue, found a chunk gone near the 1-2 acc. cover on the side, that was my leak.

Had 85 mc, kept leaking, after I changed the kickdown cable, I didn't have it sitting flat, got that one. had it leak here recently, my brother in law owns it, kept working on the kickdown cable, ended up being a line or fitting in the trans messed up.

 

[bizzo15]

I really just hope it's something silly with the pan. Otherwise I may just let it leak and keep a couple quarts of ATF and a funnel in the truck. I've spent enough man hours on this truck already this summer and it's getting colder here everyday. Oh and not to mention I've never pulled a transmission before.

The more I think about it the more I'm thinking I bought a lemon

 

[Swims350]

pulling a trans is easy, I've done it many times.

As for keeping fluid I know what you mean, doing the same with mine, driving it until it leaks too bad then gonna rip the guts out of my trans case and put em in the other case I got laying around since I can't fix a broken case.