Help! 2000 Rodeo leaking trans fluid!!!

Please help me! On Saturday, I was driving along and my 2000 Isuzu Rodeo (of which I am the 2nd owner) started to smoke and the smoke was coming from under the front passenger side. I took it to Firestone, and they at first thought it was oil, but discovered it was transmission fluid. I was told to seek help from the dealer which really has me scared! The mechanic also said it's as if the tranny fluid holder is "overfull" because it was spewing out the fluid. Needless to say, I can't afford anything major to happen to this car right now. I bought it in 2001 with 12,000 miles, and the warranty it appears is expired. I have 63,500 miles and the 2nd owner warranty is 60K miles. Has anyone else experience this? What in the hell could be happening? Should I take it to a tranny shop instead of the dealer? I've had such bad luck with dealers that I'm gunshy! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

When I got my 2000 rodeo last December it had a leak from the transmission pan gasket and the dealership fixed it for nothing because it was still under warranty. Did the mechanic tell you where the leak was??? I believe its rather difficult to overflow the transmission because the fill hole faces down and any extra would just run out of the hole.

There is a problem with the drain plug washers. If you have the wrong type of washer, the drain plug will come loose and the oil will drain out.
This may not be your problem, but if it is you may have overheated your transmission. You are out of warranty so take it to an independant transmission shop. The 4L30E is a GM tranny and most dealers GM and Isuzu do not rebuild these trannies. They usually send them out to independant tranny specialists. So why bother with Isuzu stealerships.
Check where the leak is coming from, if it is the drain plug, you can get a flush and washer replacement at a tranny shop or quick lube shop. Now the shitty part. If the tranny light comes on but the rodeo still rides ok, you may have the mysterious P1870 transmission slippage code. Nobody nows which component causes this code. The only way to get rid of it is to get a total tranny rebuild. This is what happened to me. I had the tranny rebuilt and the tranny shop could not find a definite reason for the code, but noted some signs of overheating, some signs of wear and hardening of the seals. They estimated that I could have driven the rodeo for another 20 000 kilometers before tranny would have been rebuilt. Canadian cost of rebuild-$2 500.00 from independant. $3 500.00 from Saturn/Isuzu stealership. I made a deal with the the guy that sold me the car and I paid $1 000.00 cdn.

John

Your Leak Is Comming From Your Acuumulator Cover On The Right Side Of The Trany Your Local Dealer Should Take Care Of It At No Cost To You If You Are Still Within Powertrain Warranty

I might have some really good news for you if your having the same problem I was. Check to see if this is were its leaking, the passenger side right above the front smaller pan there is a circular hole(approx. 1.5in diameter) with a black rubber type thing in it. This is the cover for your 4th gear servo from talking to others it seems to be a common problem with the servo spring punturing the cap. If thats were its leaking from your in luck I just had the entire servo replaced at Aamco Transmission Shop for $193 walk out the door price only 2 weeks ago. If that is the problem I'd suggest getting the whole servo changed cause you never really know with only changing certian parts and it only cost me an extra $30. Good Luck.