Monday, September 19, 2011

If my Automatic transmission -may- have a small leak, Do I... 1) Have gasket(s) changed, or 2) Stop-Leak ATF?

My 1995 Ford Escort - may- have a small Transmission Fluid leak. This is because the Oil Change shop couldn't come to a conclusion about whether it was leaking or not, they just saw (smelled? They were under the car when it was off) what looked like Transmission Fluid wither seeping, or trying to seep, from the pan. I didnt look at it myself, but I saw the tech (young kid) wondering if it really was a leak.



My transmission has 148,000 miles. My bigegst concern is how to change the Vacuum line someone in another post said may be contributing greatly to rough shifts *and I was going to ask that person where to find it, and if it is common for shops to change it, to help it shift better, since it makes sense it would affect it.



As for the Fluid itself: I recently added a little under a quart, as it was low. I did so after my drive from NJ to Westernmost PA.Now my transmission is OK, and it felt good on the Highway. (I wonder if the fluid level went 'up' on the highway, like Tire Pressure does, due to heat and expansion, thus making it feel OK.)



-I- feel like if the Transmission Is leaking, or seeping, or wanting to leak, the leak would be from the Gasket. If that is so, I would love a shop that has no qualms about working on it to:



1) Drop the Transmission Pan,

2) Change the Gasket and Screen and Filter, as all three are on an AT if I recall right;

3) -NOT- FLUSH THE FLUID THAT IS IN THERE AND THE TORQUE CONVERTER, as I believe the stories about new ATF killing Old ATs when they are flushed and changed completely; and

4) Re-filling the lost ATF with Valvoline MaxLife, probably about 3 quarts for the pan-dropping, maybe with 1 bottle of Stop-Leak MaxLife ATF added... And Vaccum line 'changed,' Gasket and Transmission replaced, Transmission saved, 1/3 the fluid changed. I would -love- to do this.



Is that the best way to go here? Will I be able to find a shop to pay to -do- that? A transmission place will charge more and want to do it all, right? So should I just look for a general mechanic, and talk him into it?



Or should I just pour the Stop-Leak ATF in there and hope it seals itself? I heard that too much of that is NOT good.



Anything else I need to be aware of with this issue, of wanting to service my still-good transmission before it becomes worse in a way that won't kill it?



Thanks! - JosephIf my Automatic transmission -may- have a small leak, Do I... 1) Have gasket(s) changed, or 2) Stop-Leak ATF?drop the pan and change the fluid and filter with a new gasket. by all means don,t, i repete don,t flush it or you could wind up with more leaks. what about looking under it and see if the pan is wet. if it,s just a pan gasket then that,s not too bad but lets just hope it,s not the front seal or you will be looking at some money there.If my Automatic transmission -may- have a small leak, Do I... 1) Have gasket(s) changed, or 2) Stop-Leak ATF?If you have not had the transmission serviced, at 140,000 miles it needs it. So just find a shop that will service it right. That is the filter removed, cleaned/replaced, and refilled. But avoid chain transmission and auto service franchises (like AAMCO).

Yes, transmission fluid does expand as it gets warmer.

Also the leak maybe some where else. Like a rotten line to the transmission cooler, or a leaking seal. But before you go out and spend a fortune on transmission replacement, realize that transmission even new use some fluid. That is why the level needs to be checked on a regular basis.

As for hanging shifts, changing the fluid and a new filter may correct this problem too.If my Automatic transmission -may- have a small leak, Do I... 1) Have gasket(s) changed, or 2) Stop-Leak ATF?Change the filter and pan gasket don't mess with that stop leak crap.If my Automatic transmission -may- have a small leak, Do I... 1) Have gasket(s) changed, or 2) Stop-Leak ATF?clean the under side of the engine and transmission. then drive around for awhile and check again. if you keep an eye on it for a while you can determine where the leak is coming from.then you will know where to start. don't use stop leak until last resort ,(that would only be temporary anyhow ) and you would eventually have to replace seals.



Find the leak first