727 Question

[js27]

MY 67 Satellite--318 has a trans leak. More than just a small drip here and there. I jacked it up today to see what was going on and couldn't find the leak. The tail shaft just had a small drip on it. The trans lines were dry. The shift shaft seal was dry. The pan was damp and had some small drips on some of the bolts. The bottom of the bell was wet with some drips. I am thinking it is coming from inside the bell housing. Converter ?? Front pump ?? Any ideas ?  I am really not up to pulling the trans myself and I stopped by a local trans shop and they want $250.00 just to remove the trans then whatever the cost of the parts and labor to fix it and then another $250.00 to re install it. Since I can not see where the leak is from the outside I guess fixing it without pulling the trans is NOT a option. Any suggestions ?
Thanks
JS27

[Burdar]

Spray the outside down with brake clean making sure not to get any on your painted surfaces.  Make sure everything is clean and dry.  You can shoot some brake clean between the converter and bell housing to clean out any oil and dirt inside the bell.  Check with a parts store and see if they sell a dye to put in the trans fluid.  With everything clean and dry, you can start the car and look for drips.  If you use the dye it will help you locate the leak easier.  Hopefully it's a pan gasket.  Anything inside the bell will require trans removal.

If it is coming from the bell, you could try one of those trans fluid stop leak additives.  Probably won't work but it's worth a try.

[Chryco Psycho]

Is the car sitting for long periods ? it is not uncommon for the converter to drain & leak at the front pump seal , there is a pump seal that rides on the converter shaft & the pump gasket inside the bell

[RzeroB]

  with Burdar. Clean it up and check for fresh fluid. To assist you in finding the source of the leak you could also try adding one of those fluorescent dyes which make it a lot easier for you to "see" where the source is.

This may sound condescending but it's not meant to be at all ... but are you sure the trans is not overfilled? Sorry, just had to ask.

Anyway, next I would check and make sure that it's not leaking from the filler-tube o-ring. This is an easily overlooked spot that can leak ... and is also one of the easiest to fix!!

If it seems to be coming out of the bell, I would remove the "inspection cover" from the lower front and take a look inside. Shine a light in there and if that's where it's coming from there should be evidence of "fresh" trans fluid inside there and on the converter. If it's wet in there it's basically one of two things: obviously a leaking seal ... on either the converter shaft or the front pump; or the trans is blowing fluid out of the case "vent" which is an integral part of the front pump. Fluid coming out of the vent is usually a result of the trans being overfilled ... or overheated.

[js27]

Is the car sitting for long periods ? it is not uncommon for the converter to drain & leak at the front pump seal , there is a pump seal that rides on the converter shaft & the pump gasket inside the bell

Yes the cars does sit for days and weeks. The leak has been present since I bought the car back in February. Trans fluid was low then. I filled it to the fill line and been driving it ever since. It is not leaking out of the filler tube. As I said everything on the outside of the trans seems dry. The sitting makes sense because when I do drive it and park it in the driveway or at a cruise in I never see a spot--only on the garage floor where it sits. If this is the issue would pulling the trans and replacing the seal fix the problem ? Would any type of stop leak help ??  Maybe something that swells the seal ? If so ant brands better than other ?
Thanks for help.
JS27

[JonH]

Try some Trans X by K/W.