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[GMCnet] ATF Leak at Transmission Pan (or chain cover?) [message #307048] Mon, 12 September 2016 13:14 Go to next message
fbhtxak is currently offline  fbhtxak   United States
Messages: 191
Registered: April 2006
Karma: 0
Senior Member
I have isolated the source of the leak to the right rear corner of the pan
(as seated in the driver seat). 'Have "diapered" all case penetrations to
insure that no ATF is coming from them. 'Have tried many different pan
gaskets over the years (and gasket sealants) but none completely stops the
leak. The gasket that appears to work the best is a NAPA # 14525. Emery
Stora reports using this gasket with good success. I installed that gasket
during the last service about 6K miles ago.

The NAPA gasket controls the leakage to about 1/2 pint (measured from a drip
pan) over several months of non-use.

There is no leakage when traveling (as observed from no blow-back onto a
clean, oil-free underbody).

There does not appear to be a problem with the integrity of the
transmission case or pan at the leak location.

I have been unable to convincingly rule out the chain cover as the source of
(or contributor to) the leak. If mine is leaking, the source would be from
just above the pan/case interface location stated above.

Thoughts on proving(or disproving) the chain cover as the source of the
leak?

Also, thoughts on why the pan still leaks (if not from the chain cover)
despite my attempts with a variety of gaskets (and sealants applied to the
gaskets) to stop it.




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Re: [GMCnet] ATF Leak at Transmission Pan (or chain cover?) [message #307049 is a reply to message #307048] Mon, 12 September 2016 13:25 Go to previous messageGo to next message
C Boyd is currently offline  C Boyd   United States
Messages: 2629
Registered: April 2006
Karma: 18
Senior Member

Brake cleaner and wipe dry. Spray baby powder on suspected area. Start it up. Round the block maybe.

fbhtxak wrote on Mon, 12 September 2016 14:14
I have isolated the source of the leak to the right rear corner of the pan
(as seated in the driver seat). 'Have "diapered" all case penetrations to
insure that no ATF is coming from them. 'Have tried many different pan
gaskets over the years (and gasket sealants) but none completely stops the
leak. The gasket that appears to work the best is a NAPA # 14525. Emery
Stora reports using this gasket with good success. I installed that gasket
during the last service about 6K miles ago.

The NAPA gasket controls the leakage to about 1/2 pint (measured from a drip
pan) over several months of non-use.

There is no leakage when traveling (as observed from no blow-back onto a
clean, oil-free underbody).

There does not appear to be a problem with the integrity of the
transmission case or pan at the leak location.

I have been unable to convincingly rule out the chain cover as the source of
(or contributor to) the leak. If mine is leaking, the source would be from
just above the pan/case interface location stated above.

Thoughts on proving(or disproving) the chain cover as the source of the
leak?

Also, thoughts on why the pan still leaks (if not from the chain cover)
despite my attempts with a variety of gaskets (and sealants applied to the
gaskets) to stop it.




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C. Boyd
76 Crestmont
East Tennessee
Re: [GMCnet] ATF Leak at Transmission Pan (or chain cover?) [message #307053 is a reply to message #307048] Mon, 12 September 2016 14:11 Go to previous messageGo to next message
lqqkatjon is currently offline  lqqkatjon   United States
Messages: 2324
Registered: October 2010
Location: St. Cloud, MN
Karma: 5
Senior Member
my memory from reading here, and what I believe my own coach suffers from:

torque converter leak down. from my understanding, When running, fluid is in torque converter, no leak. When you stop, and park it, the converter leaks down and over fills the pan, causing some leaking out the pan gasket, cover or who knows??? Also why it is recommended to check/deal with the fluid level after the coach is warm and has been driven, then you have the accurate "underway" level of transmission fluid in the pan.

I have never seen mine drip a drop of ATF going down the road or running. But evidence of underside of transmission and the concrete where I park the coach, it leaks when parked. I attribute it to the converter draining down. Not thinking if I change any gaskets it will really quit.






Jon Roche 75 palm beach EBL EFI, manny headers, Micro Level, rebuilt most of coach now. St. Cloud, MN http://lqqkatjon.blogspot.com/
Re: [GMCnet] ATF Leak at Transmission Pan (or chain cover?) [message #307054 is a reply to message #307053] Mon, 12 September 2016 14:29 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Jon payne is currently offline  Jon payne   United States
Messages: 495
Registered: May 2008
Karma: 1
Senior Member
Hi Jon, my experience is the same as yours. During the summer when the GMC is in operation, no leaks to speak of. As soon as it sits a while it starts to leak, not a whole lot, just enough to stain the concrete a bit. I installed a Ragusa trans pan so I could add a trans temp sensor, have the extra capacity and hopefully stop the leaks but I think the Ragusa pans leaks worse than the OEM pan! I did have better luck with the rubber trans gasket from Napa over the cork one.

Jon


Jon Payne
76 Palm Beach
Westfield,IN
Re: [GMCnet] ATF Leak at Transmission Pan (or chain cover?) [message #307057 is a reply to message #307048] Mon, 12 September 2016 15:53 Go to previous messageGo to next message
A Hamilto is currently offline  A Hamilto   United States
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Registered: April 2011
Karma: 39
Senior Member
fbhtxak wrote on Mon, 12 September 2016 13:14
I have isolated the source of the leak to the right rear corner of the pan (as seated in the driver seat). 'Have "diapered" all case penetrations to insure that no ATF is coming from them. 'Have tried many different pan gaskets over the years (and gasket sealants) but none completely stops the leak. The gasket that appears to work the best is a NAPA # 14525. Emery Stora reports using this gasket with good success. I installed that gasket during the last service about 6K miles ago.

The NAPA gasket controls the leakage to about 1/2 pint (measured from a drip pan) over several months of non-use.

There is no leakage when traveling (as observed from no blow-back onto a clean, oil-free underbody).

There does not appear to be a problem with the integrity of the transmission case or pan at the leak location.

I have been unable to convincingly rule out the chain cover as the source of (or contributor to) the leak. If mine is leaking, the source would be from just above the pan/case interface location stated above.

Thoughts on proving(or disproving) the chain cover as the source of the leak?

Also, thoughts on why the pan still leaks (if not from the chain cover) despite my attempts with a variety of gaskets (and sealants applied to the gaskets) to stop it.
If you have an aluminum tranny pan, they can be porous and would need to be sealed from the inside. No matter what kind of pan you have, tranny fluid gets past the threads of the bolts and drips. I can't find the thread on the forum where someone said to use O-rings on the bolts. I would think some thread sealant would also do the trick.
Re: [GMCnet] ATF Leak at Transmission Pan (or chain cover?) [message #307058 is a reply to message #307057] Mon, 12 September 2016 16:39 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Carl S. is currently offline  Carl S.   United States
Messages: 4186
Registered: January 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ.
Karma: 13
Senior Member

Last Fall, I changed from a Rockwell transmission pan to a Ragusa pan. Jim K sent me a gasket with the new pan, and I think it was a FelPro cork gasket. I installed it dry and haven't had any leakage problems since. The gasket has nice tight holes for the bolts so it stays in place and seals really well.

The reason I changed pans was that I could not get the Rockwell to seal. I thought I had it, but about 300 miles into the next trip, it was leaking badly from where the pan gasket had slid into the pan. I stopped at an O'Reilly's in Moab and got some brake cleaner to hose it down with, then squeezed in some "friction additive resistant" Permatex RTV and it held until I got home and changed the whole mess out. Maybe if you t4ack the leak down to the chain case, you could try that method of sealing it.


Carl Stouffer '75 ex Palm Beach Tucson, AZ. Chuck Aulgur Reaction Arm Disc Brakes, Quadrabags, 3.70 LSD final drive, Lenzi knuckles/hubs, Dodge Truck 16" X 8" front wheels, Rear American Eagles, Solar battery charging. GMCSJ and GMCMI member

[Updated on: Mon, 12 September 2016 16:39]

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Re: [GMCnet] ATF Leak at Transmission Pan (or chain cover?) [message #307060 is a reply to message #307053] Mon, 12 September 2016 16:40 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Ken Burton is currently offline  Ken Burton   United States
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Registered: January 2004
Location: Hebron, Indiana
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lqqkatjon wrote on Mon, 12 September 2016 14:11
my memory from reading here, and what I believe my own coach suffers from:

torque converter leak down. from my understanding, When running, fluid is in torque converter, no leak. When you stop, and park it, the converter leaks down and over fills the pan, causing some leaking out the pan gasket, cover or who knows??? Also why it is recommended to check/deal with the fluid level after the coach is warm and has been driven, then you have the accurate "underway" level of transmission fluid in the pan.

I have never seen mine drip a drop of ATF going down the road or running. But evidence of underside of transmission and the concrete where I park the coach, it leaks when parked. I attribute it to the converter draining down. Not thinking if I change any gaskets it will really quit.







I have exactly the same problem on a Blazer that I own with 225,000 miles on it. If I park it for 2 or 3 days, no leak. If I park it a week or long longer it starts to drip on the floor. Conventional wisdom says that it is a leaking converter. You can see it raise the level by simply checking the dip stick every day without running the engine. I'm not going to pull the trans and 4wd drive unit on it to fix it. It is much simpler to put a drip pan under it and add 1/2 a quart of fluid once a year.


Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
Re: [GMCnet] ATF Leak at Transmission Pan (or chain cover?) [message #307062 is a reply to message #307060] Mon, 12 September 2016 17:04 Go to previous message
James Hupy is currently offline  James Hupy   United States
Messages: 6806
Registered: May 2010
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Senior Member
They are just marking their territory. Leak down from the pump is a common
problem with many G.M. transmissions, but many never reveal it because
their gasket to sealing surfaces are intimate. Many can be encouraged
to not leak by massaging the sheet metal oil pan where the fasteners
penetrate the mating faces. I use a body hammer and dolly to flatten the
flanges where they have been distorted by overtorquing the fasteners. I use
button head internal hex head fasteners on my own stuff, with buna-n "O"
rings under the heads. They "usually" do not leak. When mounting the black
composition gasket that Manny T and also my tranny guy Sam recommend, I
spray both sides of it with "hi-tack" permatex gasket sealant and mount it
wet. Do not overtorque. 25 inch pounds works fine. Just what I do.
Jim Hupy
Salem, Or.
78 GMC ROYALE 403
On Sep 12, 2016 2:41 PM, "Ken Burton" wrote:

> lqqkatjon wrote on Mon, 12 September 2016 14:11
>> my memory from reading here, and what I believe my own coach suffers
> from:
>>
>> torque converter leak down. from my understanding, When running,
> fluid is in torque converter, no leak. When you stop, and park it, the
>> converter leaks down and over fills the pan, causing some leaking out
> the pan gasket, cover or who knows??? Also why it is recommended to
>> check/deal with the fluid level after the coach is warm and has been
> driven, then you have the accurate "underway" level of transmission fluid
> in
>> the pan.
>>
>> I have never seen mine drip a drop of ATF going down the road or
> running. But evidence of underside of transmission and the concrete where
> I
>> park the coach, it leaks when parked. I attribute it to the converter
> draining down. Not thinking if I change any gaskets it will really quit.
>
>
>
> I have exactly the same problem on a Blazer that I own with 225,000 miles
> on it. If I park it for 2 or 3 days, no leak. If I park it a week or long
> longer it starts to drip on the floor. Conventional wisdom says that it
> is a leaking converter. You can see it raise the level by simply checking
> the dip stick every day without running the engine. I'm not going to pull
> the trans and 4wd drive unit on it to fix it. It is much simpler to put a
> drip pan under it and add 1/2 a quart of fluid once a year.
> --
> Ken Burton - N9KB
> 76 Palm Beach
> Hebron, Indiana
>
> _______________________________________________
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> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
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>
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