• DCRC 2024

Transmission fluid everywhere - advice please!

O

Ogre Palowakski

Active Member
Location
Gym basement
The family and I were driving back from Logan yesterday when I noticed (near home, thankfully) some smoke coming out behind my Xterra. When I stopped to check it out I saw a LOT of tranny fluid dripping on the ground.

We were about 2 blocks from home so I just took it there instead of leaving it in a parking lot.

Anyway, I can't quite tell where the fluid is coming from. At first glance it looked like it was coming from the front diff, at a joint near where the right half shaft goes in. I tried to figure out where it originated as far towards the front of the rig since the wind would obviously drag it backwards along the undercarriage. The spot on the diff is where it seemed to appear first. Anyway, I believe tranny fluid and diff fluid do not look the same. I know they are different weight but not so sure about the appearance. One thing for sure is that the fluid is red and not very viscous, if that makes any sense.

When I saw it dripping in the parking lot near home it appeared like the fluid was mostly coming from in between the engine and transmission so that sounds to me like a seal went bad at that point. Still, I don't have enough experience with this to diagnose a problem without tearing things apart.

I know I may never really figure this out until I start tearing it down but can anyone give advice on the best place to start?

Here are some (maybe irrelevant?) pics of the diff where it seemed the fluid originated. I couldn't get any pics of the undercarriage since hot tranny fluid was still dripping from everywhere.

I appreciate very much any advice.

Thanks!



 
Last edited:
EB101

EB101

Registered User
Location
Bluffdale
Those cooler lines look wet too. Maybe it's a connection on them or a hole rubbed in them. Also, didn't you used to sleep with a great machanic?

LOL,
Steve
 
Jay5.9L

Jay5.9L

...I just filled the cup.
Location
Riverton
Stupid work filtering out the pics. Have you checked any of the fluid levels to see what is low? If its coming from the front I think Steve nailed it. Maybe be the trans cooler hoses or crack in the radiator (if its integrated).
 
SAMI

SAMI

Formerly Beardy McGee
Location
SLC, UT
Most definately tranny fluid... Well, or possibly power steering. But most likely tranny fluid.

What year Xterra? I'm guessing 1st gen from the photos (00-04). I know the 2nd gens are having some issues with the engine coolant mixing with the tranny fluid, so just be thankful that you're not dealing with that. I'd bet you have a cracked line/fitting somewhere as mentioned previously.
 
O

Ogre Palowakski

Active Member
Location
Gym basement
Thanks for the replies!

I checked the coolant and it's perfectly green and has the correct amount. The power steering fluid is also at the right level.

I checked the tranny fluid level and it's completely empty.

I have some engine cleaner so I'll clean the fluid off of the undercarriage, fill up the tranny with fluid again, drive it around and see where it's leaking. I hope it's the lines and not something else, but I did notice that one of the bolts holding the tranny to the engine seems to be too short or maybe backing out. I don't know if that could cause this sort of trouble. I'll try to get a pic of it.

By the way, it's a 2004.

Thanks again!
 
jeep-N-montero

jeep-N-montero

Formerly black_ZJ
Location
Bountiful
Hmmm, thinking.... If you have a tranny to engine bolt backing out this will cause more vibration and can potentially cause more strain on the front tranny seals, these are the input shaft, pump and other seals. You could also have a leak in the tq converter. I went through all of this in the last week after the exact same thing happened and it was a pin hole in the tq converter. see here http://www.rme4x4.com/showthread.php?t=84149
 
O

Ogre Palowakski

Active Member
Location
Gym basement
black_ZJ said:
Hmmm, thinking.... If you have a tranny to engine bolt backing out this will cause more vibration and can potentially cause more strain on the front tranny seals, these are the input shaft, pump and other seals. You could also have a leak in the tq converter. I went through all of this in the last week after the exact same thing happened and it was a pin hole in the tq converter. see here http://www.rme4x4.com/showthread.php?t=84149
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I think this may be the answer...
 
O

Ogre Palowakski

Active Member
Location
Gym basement
I was finally able to get back to my Xterra tonight so I followed some advice here and found the leak.

First I cleaned off the fluid with engine cleaner and then sprayed it off with water. Then, I filled up the tranny and let the engine idle. About 30 seconds later this happened (if you can't tell, this is a pic of the bottom of the transmission bell housing):





The bottom one is the suspect bolt. As you can see, it did not go very deep into the transmission. I couldn't get a pic of the head of the bolt but it appeared to be flush with the engine block. That makes me think the bolt may have been too short to begin with.




I'll take out the transmission and see if I can figure out what failed. I'm thinking it'll be what some of you already mentioned - seals, bushings, etc. Either way, years of beating up this vehicle made this kind of repair inevitable.

Any other wisdom or advice?

Good times!
 
Chevycrew

Chevycrew

Well-Known Member
Location
WVC, UT
Id try to pressurize the torque converter, just to make sure the above issue with the pinhole isnt the same.

But beyond that, input seal.
 
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