Tired of trying to diagnose my transmission issues with it leaking.

[1red85vette]

Hey all, this is my first time posting on this forum. Last summer I bought my first corvette. Since I got it, I’ve been having issues with it leaking badly. I’m 16 so I’m new to doing work like this. If I drove it long enough it would run completely out of fluid, which doesn’t make sense to me because my pan itself isn’t leaking(not a cooler line either.) Again I’m 16 and I’m new to working on cars, but I bought this car specifically to work on and not pay someone else to do the work for me. Well anyway, I replaced the trans filter and gasket. I knew it wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but I connected a 3/8” hose the the ‘sending cooler line’ that went to the radiator and turned the car on to drain the fluid. By doing that I fear I just blew my front seal possibly. Instead of leaking from the gasket onto the splash shield, it’s consistently pouring out of the splash shieldhole. I have a friend who has a shop with a lift and I was wondering if I should even bother replacing the seal, if that’s even the main issue. I don’t think I’ll be able to diagnose it myself, and it’s best left to a professional, but nobody is going to tell me what’s wrong with it and let me repair it myself anyway. I don’t have 1500 for a new transmission until I know for sure mine is blown. So until then I want to keep trying. Any way to further diagnose it without taking it out? Again it leaks fluid like crazy upon startup. Thanks for any and all help. Happy new year.

 

[gmjunkie]

It's not uncommon for the front seal to start leaking on a older transmission, Don't run it dry though, Catastrophic Damage will result!

Welcome to CAC !

 

[Wayback]

U TUBE ,I use it quite a bit to get at least a idea of what is involved etc. Ya have a 700r4 trans in your vette BTW.so heres 1 vid of many on it.
YouTube

 

[bill81vette]

Welcome to CAC!!!!
enjoy and good luck with your transmission'
your best bet besides you tube,would be to get a factory shop manual.for the specific year of your corvette.
it will tell you everything you need to know about repairing your corvette!!!

 

[1red85vette]

hey thanks for all of the replies. I do have an actual factory repair manual for the car. I was wondering if it would be better once I have the transmission out to bring it to a repair shop for them to further diagnose it. I honestly don’t trust my skillset enough to be doing transmission work myself. Wondering how much you guys think it would cost to repair vs doing it myself? Thanks

 

[Wayback]

TAT | Auto & Transmission Repair | Online Parts Store :

Most of the cost is labor naturally,but to replace the front input/torque converter seal you will need that tool. You might be able to use a pipe .Dont know if you can borrow 1 from the car chains. Good luck.

 

[gmjunkie]

Most Auto Zones,Advanced AP,Car Quest and NAPA have loner installers if you buy the part from them.

 

[1red85vette]

I’m just worried something else may be bad too. For all I know, my transmission COULD be on its way out. It’s just I don’t want to have to make multiple trips to my friends shop, I’m hoping I can do with it being out once. Like I said in the initial thread, I did run it out of fluid. Not sure if it overheated or if it was just fluid going onto the exhaust, but as far as I know it’ll still go through every gear. My point is I’m not sure it would be worth the time just to do a $5 part, after reading about every other possible thing that could/could have gone wrong.

 

[gmjunkie]

I’m just worried something else may be bad too. For all I know, my transmission COULD be on its way out. It’s just I don’t want to have to make multiple trips to my friends shop, I’m hoping I can do with it being out once. Like I said in the initial thread, I did run it out of fluid. Not sure if it overheated or if it was just fluid going onto the exhaust, but as far as I know it’ll still go through every gear. My point is I’m not sure it would be worth the time just to do a $5 part, after reading about every other possible thing that could/could have gone wrong.

Pull the trans pan,That will tell you allot,If it's full of trash and metal shavings,Rebuild It!

 

[1red85vette]

Pull the trans pan,That will tell you allot,If it's full of trash and metal shavings,Rebuild it!
I’ve had to pull the pan off a few times actually, the fluid was very dark but not too many metallic shavings. I hope by taking it out I can diagnose it better. If I have to do anything beyond changing that seal, I’m probably going to take it to a shop because I would have no clue what to do.

 

[Hib Halverson]

Hey there-

You didn't say what year car this leaking trans is in, but generally, there are a couple of "front seals" in an automatic. 1) the front pump seal and 2) the input shaft seal.

In fact, using the trans cooling outlet to drain the transmission is one way to trans the trans but it's a very dangerous way to do it because you have to shut the engine off as soon as you see air in the fluid. It's very hard to do that but if you wait too long you fry the bearings in the trans. That's why it's much better to have the trans flushed by a trans shop with the proper equipment.

While I admire your willingness and interest to learn to DIY service on your Corvette, I would not pick an automatic transmission as the first attempt at doing a major repair.

I'd pull the transmission and take it to a reputable trans shop for repair or just replace the existing trans with a reman.

 

[1red85vette]

Hey there-
not that it matters much but it’s an 85. Going to take it out and go from there I guess.

 

[Wayback]

Since we all like pics,theres my old 85 "Night Stalker" & 78 l/82 4Spd. Then I added the 90 for a Hat Trick.