• Best Transmission Stop Leak Product
• Transmission Leaks
• Transmission Leak Repair
• Transmission Leak Stop
• Transmission Leak Symptoms

If a transmission fluid leak continues, your vehicle’s transmission could also have to work harder as it gets low on fluid as you drive around. If the transmission fluid gets low enough the gears might stick or might not go into gear at all. How Stop Leak Products Work in the Transmission. My 700R4 has been leaking so I thought it would be helpful to go over a few places your transmission can be leaking from and share a tip for how to find the. This step might be the most time consuming part of the process due to the amount of. At Bar’s Leak, we offer a range of industry-proven transmission leak repair products that are designed to make quick work of stopping your transmission fluid leaks, so you can get back on the road. We know – we’ve been in the leak business for over 70 years. Transmission leaks can come from several places.

The normal operation of your transmission depends on a number of factors. One of them is the amount of fluid circulating in your car’s tranny. A less-than-ideal amount of transmission fluid can lead to problems in shifting. It can also damage your gearbox in the long run. One of the causes of persistent low-levels of transmission fluid is leaks. It is for this reason that vehicle owners should also learn how to fix a transmission leak.

Determine the Cause of the Transmission Leak

There are many potential causes of leaks in your transmission. Some of them are minor ones; although there are also those that are critical. If your leaky tranny happens to be minor, you may only need to top off your transmission fluid with a transmission leak sealer. These are third-party additives that you pour into your transmission fluid port. They are an easy fix and should not cost you more than a couple of hundred dollars.

However, there are transmission leaks that a transmission seal leak product cannot fix. In such instances, it is often necessary to take down the leaking part and replace it with a new one.

Before you attempt to employ a transmission leak fix, it is important to determine what is causing the leak. This will help guide you in the correct action to take.

One of the causes of a transmission fluid leak is deterioration or damage to the transmission fluid pan. Loose rocks and road debris can hit this part of the vehicle when you drive on uneven terrain. It can create small dents or punctures on the pan. Vibrations can also loosen the bolts or the drain plug, especially if it was not tightened using the correct torque. These can lead to transmission fluid leaks.

Broken seals are another reason why you may have a leaking tranny. Seals are not made of durable (read: permanent) materials. They are still subject to wear. Most will crack with the passage of time. Excessive heat also tends to hasten the wearing process. One should always check the different seals in the gearbox. This can be on the input shaft of the system or on the output shaft. It is also wise to check the tail housing seal, the shifter housing seal, the driveshaft, the transmission pan, the plug seals, the speedometer input seal, the valve body, and the sensors.

Sometimes, it is the gasket of the transmission pan that fails. Poor-quality gaskets are more prone to cracking and other types of damage. Transmission leak sealer products may not work if the cracks or the level of gasket deterioration is very severe. You will need to replace the gasket.

It is also possible that the transmission fluid leak is coming from a damaged torque converter. If the needle bearings get damaged or there is a crack in the torque body, then you can have leaks, too. Again, this is a problem that transmission seal leak products cannot address. Replacement will.

Transmission fluid leaks can also be due to cracks in the fluid lines. These are made of durable materials like aluminum and steel. However, accidents happen. These fluid lines can still crack or get damaged.

If you are not sure about what is causing the transmission leak, it is best to bring your car to a mechanic. He can try to inspect the transmission and the associated parts for any sign of deterioration or damage. He can also recommend the most appropriate method on how to fix a transmission leak.

Fix Your Transmission Leak

Once you have identified the cause of the leak, you can proceed to applying a fix. There are two possible fixes, depending on the nature of the leak and its severity.

• Leak Sealers

There are products on the market that you can put in your transmission to help create a seal on small cracks. These are formulations that contain special additives. When you pour the product after topping off your transmission fluid, these additives penetrate the small cracks. Over time, they form a seal to help prevent the transmission from ever leaking fluid again.

It is obvious that these products will not work on heavily-damaged parts. In general, they are effective in addressing leaks from gaskets and seals due to normal wear. If the cracks or the damage are large, the special additives may not be able to form a complete seal in the gap.

Many of these formulations allow the original seals to return to their normal and original size. They also tend to soften the seals, making them less prone to cracking. It is important to note, however, that different products will come with different formulations. Hence, their mechanism of action may be different, too.

• Parts Replacement

If the transmission fluid leak is due to a severely-damaged or worn component, then a transmission leak fix will call for the replacement of the part. No instant sealer will ever be able to fix a damaged, cracked, or punctured transmission pan. You can only bring your car to a mechanic and have him remove the damaged pan. You can then install a new one. If you have the spirit of a DIYer, you can perform this fix by yourself.

The same is true with loose thread drain plugs and broken transmission fluid lines. If you have problems with the pan bolts or a worn-out gasket, then you will not have any other choice than to replace these parts. You can spend up to $200 for these parts alone. This does not include labor.

If the problem is in the torque converter, then you can expect the fix to be quite expensive. You will have to replace the torque converter. This requires disconnecting the tranny from the engine so you can remove the torque converter. Auto repair shops can charge you about $600 to $1,000 to have your torque converter replaced.

Fixing a transmission leak can be as easy as pouring a transmission leak sealer. You can also replace the parts that have already deteriorated or damaged beyond repair. These are the only ways you can seal a transmission leak.

Related Post: Best Transmission Additives

Sources:

1. Transmission fluid is leaking Inspection Service – Your Mechanic
2. Transmission Fluid Leak: Causes & DIY – Transmission Repair Guy

(Updated on April 15, 2021)

Your automatic transmission has lots of moving components and parts inside of it. Like with the parts of an engine, the transmission’s moving parts will also generate a great deal of heat as they rub together.

This means that the parts of the transmission will need to be lubricated in a similar way that the engine needs to be lubricated. The only difference is the transmission will use transmission fluid as its lubricant instead of oil.

If you have an adequate amount of transmission fluid in your transmission, then it will be able to lessen the amount of friction between components which in turn keeps the transmission cooler and operating as it should.

Best Transmission Stop Leak Product

Causes of Leaking Transmission Fluid

You can normally wait until you drive anywhere from 60,000 to 100,000 miles before you need to change your automatic transmission fluid. However, you could still lose this fluid if a leak were to occur somewhere in the transmission system before the regular transmission fluid change interval.

The most obvious sign of a transmission leak is if you notice a small puddle of redish fluid underneath your car where the transmission case is. This red fluid is typically associated with transmission fluid although old or burnt fluid will be more of a brown color.

If you see transmission fluid under your car, you need to take it seriously and fix the leak immediately. To help you spot exactly where the leak is coming from, here are the most common locations of automatic transmission fluid leaks.

1) Bad Transmission Pan Gasket

Every automatic transmission vehicle has a transmission pan which stores the transmission fluid. The mechanical seal which rests in between the pan and the transmission is called the transmission pan gasket.

This component is what prevents transmission fluid from escaping as it is transferred into the transmission from the pan. If the gasket were to get damaged or cracked, then it will cause transmission fluid to leak out. What may start off as a tiny crack will likely get worse unless this gasket is replaced.

2) Cracked Torque Pump

The torque pump is what circulates the transmission fluid throughout the entire transmission system. If the pump were to get damaged, then it would either cause the fluid to stop circulating or it would cause the fluid to leak from there.

Either way, you will definitely have a big problem on your hands that needs to get fixed fast.

Transmission Leaks

3) Damaged Transmission Pan

Transmission Leak Repair

The transmission fluid pan in most cases will last the lifetime of a vehicle. However since the pan is attached to the transmission via fasteners and likely has at least one drain plug, a leak can easily occur if any one of these parts were to become loose or damaged.

In fact, the pan itself could get damaged if you were to get into an accident or accidentally run over a large rock that your transmission pan can’t clear. It may cause a dent or crack in the pan which you may not even be aware of. If you discover your transmission pan is the source of your leak, replacing it is usually the best option.

4) Cracked Transmission Seals

The transmission seals of an automatic transmission keep the hydraulic pressure in-line. The only problem is these seals are constantly exposed to heat as the transmission is in operation.

The seals will eventually get to the point where they will get worn out and crack from all this long-term heat exposure. The seals will then leak transmission fluid.

Transmission Leak Stop

Any of the seals could be leaking this fluid, including the shifter housing seal, plug seal, tail housing seal, output shaft seal, and so on.

5) Broken Fluid Line

The transmission’s fluid line is made to be durable because it is constructed from aluminum or steel material. However, if it were to get damaged because of excessive heat exposure, the line will eventually crack and then it will leak transmission fluid. Even the aluminum or steel material won’t be strong enough to prevent this.

Transmission Leak Repair Cost

If you have an automatic transmission that is leaking fluid, the cost to repair the leak will depend on where the leak is coming from. On average you can expect to pay anywhere from $100 to $250 for the repair job.

Transmission Leak Symptoms

However, if the front seal is causing the leak, it will likely increase your repair cost quite a bit since the mechanic will need take out the transmission first to get to it.