Have you ever looked under your car and found that it was leaking some sort of fluid that you didn’t even know your car had in it? Most of us know engine oil is brown or black, coolant is usually green, but you usually don’t see a red fluid. Automatic transmission fluid is still oil, but usually thinner than engine or gear oil and tinted red in color. If you’ve found that your car is leaking oil and it fits this description, then you most likely have a transmission leak.
How to identify a transmission leak
To check for a leak in your automatic transmission, you can do a visual inspection to try and find the leak point. Here are some of the most likely places to check:
Automatic Transmission Leak Points:
- Drive shaft seal
- Transmission pan seal
- Input shaft seal
- Valve body seal
Checking your transmission fluid level can also be confusing. Unlike your engine oil your transmission fluid level needs to be checked while your vehicle is parked and running. The dip stick will often have a red cap on it and be towards the rear of the engine near the firewall. There will be 2 different level indications on the dipstick, one for when the fluid is cool, and one for when the fluid is warm. Your automatic transmission fluid level should indicate in the “cold” range when you first start your vehicle and haven’t yet driven. It should indicate inside the “hot” range after you’ve driven your vehicle relatively hard, for example, up a long hill, towing, or with the transmission in a lower gear to increase engine RPM.
Once you’ve identified your leak either by a low fluid level or visual inspection, the next question is: How much will this cost to fix? If you let your transmission operate with a low fluid level, it will cause it to start shifting hard, but eventually will cause permanent damage and could cost thousands to replace.
How to fix a transmission leak and avoid high transmission leak repair costs
If you’ve ever had to learn the hard way just how much it costs to fix a transmission leak you’re well aware for the need to avoid that expense again. The best way to prevent these high transmission repair costs, and avoid having to add transmission fluid every few days to your vehicle is to use BlueDevil Transmission Sealer. BlueDevil Transmission sealer is added directly to your automatic transmission with no need to do a fluid change. Just add BlueDevil Transmission Sealer and it will work as you drive to seal your leak. As you drive, Transmission Sealer will be absorbed into the worn out seals and gaskets in your transmission restoring them to their original size and sealing properties.
You can purchase BlueDevil Transmission Sealer from the manufacturer here: Transmission Sealer, or find it at your local parts stores like:
- Bennett Auto Supply
- Prime Automotive
- O’Reilly Auto Parts
- Pepboys
- Car Quest Auto Parts
- Advance Auto Parts
- NAPA
- Autozone
Pictures provided by autorepair.about.com and www.peachparts.com