Auto transmission leak

[miketyler]

My car is freshly gone thru and has few miles put on it. Yesterday I noticed a large puddle of transmission fluid under the car. After looking further, it appears to be leaking from around the dipstick hole o-ring. The car has been driven very little and sits most of the time. My question is why would it start leaking like this when it has been sitting and not running? I havent recently filled the transmission so I dont believe its over-filled.  Any other possibilities? 

[71fish]

Been there done that. I would look at the following.. I changed all..

O-ring (just change it)
Trans lines.. put new SS on w/ new fittings
Check the spedo cable (mine was leakingt there)
I switched to a deep aluminum pan. Zero leaks there. That was the best switch I made on the car

71fish

[CrazyPete]

agreed they usually leak from the speedo i finally got mine sealed and if you dont drive the car much remove the inspection plate for the torque conv. more times than not its the front seal that leaks.  Thats usually caused because the seal will dry up all it needs is to de driven a lil and it will  seal again perfect.  I was chasing tranny leaks off and on for the last few years and finally got them all licked.  Good luck

[miketyler]

Well now I am perplexed; I checked this again last night and it is a good bit over full. The drivers side is clean as a whistle with new lines and fittings. I know I was careful filling it to level when we first put it together.

Is there any defect that could cause a trans to pump its fluid into the crank case causing what would appear to be an over-full condition? Possible a line restriction?

On a similar note, if the vent hole behind the torque converter was plugged (with a rubber stopper, oh say 3/8" in diameter) might that cause the symptoms I am seeing? 

[Chryco Psycho]

if the car sit s a lot the converter will drain out overfilling the trans , fire the car up , fill the converter & check it in nuetral & it is probably fine , the vent for the tranny is on the top of the case towards the rear

[miketyler]

ok, will try that; the question on the vent has to do with a plug that I am unsure was removed before we put the transmission in.

It was put there to prevent fluid leaks when we flipped it over to clean it. The trans would leak fluid forever from there and I am not sure we took it out. Was that not a vent hole?

[70RTdroptop]

I had a tranny leak on my Challenger last year. Drove me and my buddy nuts looking for it. Turned out to be leaking at the point where the linkage enters the transmission case, the bushing / gasket was installed wrong. Once we replaced that everything was fine.

[727specialist]

the question on the vent has to do with a plug that I am unsure was removed before we put the transmission in.

Yes That is the vent hole.  If it is pluged fluid may belch up out of dipstick tube causing a big mess or worse a fire.

[miketyler]

727Specialist - thanks for that response. This has been bugging me; how could I tell for certain? I have driven the car around the block a few times, have run it in the driveway quite a bit and no issues. If the plug was still in the hole, when would you expect the symptoms you describe to occur?

[727specialist]

I would say try putting a heater hose on the dipstick tube add blow into it and see if it goes through or builds up pressure. Or very carefully blow compressed air into the dipstick tube and listen for escaping air from the bellhousing.  Keith

[miketyler]

thanks for the info Keith - I'll give it a whirl.   

If I dont get any flow of air blowing into the case or with low regulated air pressure, is there any other way to remove it without pulling the trans back out?

[miketyler]

UPDATE: I tried the heater hose thrick and it feels like I have free flow there. I guess I did take that stopper out after all. 

The fluid does climb up the stick after it sets awhile; is that normal?

[Chryco Psycho]

yes , if the car sits for a while the converter will slowly drain , overfilling the trans & causing leaks , fire the car up regularly & you should have no problem

[ShelbyDogg]

Leaking tranny:

You may have pulled a little bit of the o-ring up when you pushed the tube into the trans and it's no longer in the groove. Here's how to get it to stop:  Drain your tranny fluid into a pan, by removing the drain plug. You did weld one in when you had it off right? If not, drop the pan so you can get a dry dipstick tube opening when you pull the tube out. Take brake cleaner and wash both the hole and the tube to clean off any fluid. Put on a brand new o-ring an wipe a THIN coat of silicone sealer around the o-ring area. this will help slide the ring into the hole without tearing it. Put your tube mounting bolt back into the trans before the silicone sets up.    The tranny always looks overfilled when not running,especially if you run a tranny cooler up high. The fluid always backs up into the trans. That's why Mopars check the fluid running-in-nuetral.
 
The other places it could leak is the Shift-Shaft seal or the front pump o-ring. both easy to change IF you have the tranny out. Sound like just your tube though.

[tactransman]

Transgo shift kits come with a manual valve for the valve body that makes it circulate in park . Yes, you can check your fluid in park from then on.
It also helps the drain back problem.