AT leak in 96 GC with 3.3L

[camrycurt]

Hello group,

In my long tradition of sticking my ignorant nose where it doesn't belong and creating problems where none existed, I think I've created a leak in my transmission and would like your thoughts. Here's what happened:

Our van has 130K on it and drives like a dream, but I noticed that we would occasionally get a couple of drops of transmission fluid on the garage floor near the front of the engine. I looked under the hood to see if I could find the source, and found that the two cooler hoses that run from the transmission to the radiator were very hard and brittle and there was fluid dripping down from the hose connections. So, I decided to change the hoses.

Everything went fine with replacing the hoses, but now we're getting big puddles of fluid under the car. There is a puddle under the front of the engine, and then it drips off of a couple of other points further back under the car (that I guess get coated with fluid as the car moves and then drip after it's stopped). I think the fluid was always high in the car but I didn't really think anything of it because it had always been like that and there were no problems driving the car (in three years of ownership).

Here's my question: If the fluid was high, could I have created a leak somewhere by replacing the old hoses and thereby sealing up the transmission system tight? I mean, maybe the loose hoses were somehow letting off pressure and now it's forcing the fluid out somewhere else. Or is there a vent that is supposed to vent off excess fluid when it's high, and after all the excess has drained everything will be fine.

Obviously, I'm only a very basic mechanic, but your thoughts on this situation would be most welcomed. I did the work on the car last weekend, so this leak is new. Can I just keep an eye on the fluid level and keep driving?

I guess a transmission is not something that you want to let problems go on. I'm just bummed that I screwed around in there and created a bigger problem.

Thanks!
Curt

[RIP]

I'm told overfilling a transmission can make it over pressurize and create leaks through the seals. Beyond that I can't relate. The transmission on my 96 GC was leaking for about 3 years. I would just check the level weekly and top it off. I was adding a quart every 3 weeks after 3 years so I spent $700 at a local shop to fix it. They had to remove the transmission and change seals. Fluid was leaking past the forward pump seal then out a sensor on top of the case where it would collect and overflow creating a puddle or shoot back and coat the back hatch. The hatch didn't turn red. It made it sticky enough for all the dirt in the world to stick to it. Please let us in on the fix.

[camrycurt]

Well, here's an update. Last night my wife happens to mention, "Oh by the way, the van is driving wierd. Sometimes when I step on the gas it doesn't go like it's in neutral or something." Damn. So I made an appointment to have the shop take a look tomorrow and let me know what's going on. I'll let you know what happens.

I'm hoping that even though the dipstick now reads OK that it really is low and wasn't originally overfilled but was filled correctly (which would make sense because it was fine before and has lost quite a bit of fluid), and that there will be a simple fix for the leak, fill her back up, and no further damage done.

Funny you should mention $700, as my first thought was, "No matter what this is, it's going to cost me $700 to fix." I'm praying it's not the full $2500 repair that most GC transmissions seem to require.

And all this because I messed around where I shouldn't have been. I'm an idiot.

[RIP]

Wives! Ya gotta love em! I was told a full tranny overhaul would cost $1700. More if major parts had to be replaced. A new tranny would be $3000. Luckily, when they tore it apart they said wear and tear was minimal. (Looks like I was lucky enough to find an honest transmission shop). That was at about 160K miles.

An idiot? Nah. I would have done the same thing. Not in my wildest dreams would I think changing a couple little hoses would cause your problems. You gave it a shot and it didn't work out. We've all been there.

A few thoughts:
Were you checking the fluid level when the transmission was hot as required? If you add fluid when it's cold you would have too much once it warmed up.

Did you top off the fluid when cold after you changed the lines? Ditto!

BTW - A couple days after I got the van back, I found it was over serviced by a quart. The fluid level was about 3/4 of an inch past "Hot" full. Never had leaks. I'm thinking if over servicing the fluid created your leaks, it must have been way way over serviced.

[camrycurt]

Well, I think I dodged a real bullet this time.

Here's the verdict: In my ignorance, I got the correct size hoses for the cooler lines but the wrong type - apparently I put fuel line hose on instead of transmission cooler hose, and the fuel hose just couldn't withstand the pressure and the fluid was leaking right through the hoses. When I asked my mechanic if I did any permanent damage by driving it with low fluid, he said, "Everything seems to be working fine. Just keep an eye on it and let me know if anything wierd happens." So far we've had it almost a week and it's been driving fine.

So, $100 to the mechanic to put the correct hoses on and fill up the fluid and one more rookie mechanic lesson learned. I hope some other would-be mechanic reading this now knows that there are specific hoses for the transmission cooler lines and gets the right kind from the start.

RIP, thanks for the help and support!

[RIP]

Glad to hear things worked out better than you thought. The bright side? You learned to make sure anytime you change a hose, belt, ... anything, to use the correct part for the job. Remember the next time something comes up, we are all here to help you brainstorm at the least. Thanks for letting us know the fix. Cheers!

[HeadlessHorseman]

Ditto RIPs comment about letting us know the fix. Glad to hear you ducked the Dodge bullet (love your pun!)