Help! 95 Coupe, bell housing trans fluid leak

[john6277]

I'm looking for some experienced advice on this leak issue - hopeful a minor issue. C4 95 Coupe has 80K. I bought it 6 months ago and with no service records I had trans fluid and filter changed, as it looked pretty dirty. That was 6,000 miles ago and now it has just started a trans fluid leak which is a small amount - maybe 1 or 2 teaspoon each time I drive it. The trans fluid is dripping from what I would call the bell housing between the engine and transmission. This bell housing has a 3/16" or so weep hole at the very bottom center - this is about 2 inches directly behind the oil pan drain plug. This drip has never happened before.
What are the logical steps? I am considering a try for a transmission leak additive like STP or Lucas. Can I just plug this weep hole to contain the fluid, or did a plug just fall out? Lastly, I've had good repair service at a NAPA service center, is this a big enough deal to spend the $1,000 or whatever for a fix? Any help is appreciated, thanks John .

 

[Hib Halverson]

The front pump seal, input shaft seal or the torque convertor is leaking.

The right way to fix that is to have the transmission removed and either resealed or overhauled.

I don't recommend pour-in transmission "stop-leak" products and no way would I seal up the weep hole hoping that the leakage will be contained.

 

[john6277]

Update

I'm looking for some experienced advice on this leak issue - hopeful a minor issue. C4 95 Coupe has 80K. I bought it 6 months ago and with no service records I had trans fluid and filter changed, as it looked pretty dirty. That was 6,000 miles ago and now it has just started a trans fluid leak which is a small amount - maybe 1 or 2 teaspoon each time I drive it. The trans fluid is dripping from what I would call the bell housing between the engine and transmission. This bell housing has a 3/16" or so weep hole at the very bottom center - this is about 2 inches directly behind the oil pan drain plug. This drip has never happened before.
What are the logical steps? I am considering a try for a transmission leak additive like STP or Lucas. Can I just plug this weep hole to contain the fluid, or did a plug just fall out? Lastly, I've had good repair service at a NAPA service center, is this a big enough deal to spend the $1,000 or whatever for a fix? Any help is appreciated, thanks John .

My Update. After really giving the underside a good wipe down and restarting the engine, I now believe the bell housing area is not the source of the drip. It is above the trans drain pan on the passenger side front. The dipstick/filler tube looks to be the correct area of the leak source, which so far is maybe a 1/2 cup total over 1 week. I've read on other posts that the gasket is probably shot after 20 years. Will give it to the NAPA mechanic tomorrow as I know my limitations. Thanks for the help. John