[WagesOfZin]

A couple weeks ago i did a drain and fill on my transmission. I also changed the ATF filter. When i went to run it through the gears, I quickly realized I was leaking fluid due to being double gasketed at the filter. I immediately pulled back into the garage, remedied the issue and topped off my ATF. Everything appeared good to go other than the fact that I was reading a bit high on my ATF. The next morning, I drove up to the dealership to have them double check my levels and give me some assurance that I was ok. They said I was a little high, but nothing to be concerned about. Shortly thereafter I realized I was leaking ATF. I took it back in to the dealer and they told me that I was probably leaking excess ATF out of the vent line on the top of the transmission. They did another drain and fill (no charge), checked my levels and off I went.

Turns out the leak is still there and appears to be getting worse. It's leaking right in the area where the tranny and diff connect and/or in the area of the bell housing. Beyond that, I couldn't tell you any more specifically where it's originating from. I left work today and noticed that during acceleration, the car is "chunky". It's as if it burps as it's accelerating. I don't notice any noises. I drove it straight to the dealer and left my keys in the drop box for tomorrow morning.

Anyone have any ideas what I may be dealing with here? Thanks in advance.

WOZ

 

[ETC]

Was it "Chunky" before [while driving] to the dealer ?

It's difficult enough to guess what you may have accidentally done much less what the dealer might have done.

It doesn't sound like you could have done anything to damage the trans or to even cause it to run oddly. generally when car starts acting funny after some non invasive basic maintenance, it's something got unintentionally unplugged or, intentionally unplugged and not plugged back in.

You could also be hypersensitive to the car thinking you did something.

hopefully the dealer didn't screw the car up. Though it sounds counter intuitive, a dealer is the last place i'd take a car to have it serviced ... I've had too many bad experiences with incompetence. Hopefully all is well tomorrow.

The leak is most likely the trans puking out some excess fluid, it tends to pool and continue to drip for awhile even after it's done expelling it.

 

[OldStyle]

The leak is most likely the trans puking out some excess fluid, it tends to pool and continue to drip for awhile even after it's done expelling it.

2x

Check the fluid level daily with the car in the same location after having sat for the same length of time, maybe before leaving work, and see if you are really using fluid. Give it a couple of weeks and that will give you a real indication if it is leaking.

I wouldn't take any long distance trips till you know for sure; just in case.

 

[AsTheRushComes]

I did a tranny flush and caught some fluid leaking afterwards. Turns out it was the drain plug. I didn't tighten it down enough. Doesn't sound like this is your problem from what you've said, but it wouldn't hurt to check it out.

 

[canubaru]

some basic questions,

you did a drain and fill? you removed the drain plug on the trans oil pan and then filled through the TRANS dip stick tube? (this is on the driver side and the dip stick is long.)

same for the dealer? they aren't check the level in the front diff are they??

you used the correct fluid? for an 05 ?? that is the car we are talking about right? (dex 3 for earlier years.)

the leak isn't coming from the spin on filter?
you used the correct spin on filter?

are you sure it is ATF that is leaking?

you said the dealer did a drain and fill, are you sure they didn't disconnect one the ATF lines that goes to the radiator and do a flush? the lines could be leaking.

check your front diff oil level, passenger side near the fire wall, short dip stick. unless they moved it.

check all you fluid levels. if you are leaking it has to be coming from somewhere. and if it isn't ATF from the trans, it could be engine oil of power steering fluid or diff oil or something else important. check all the fluids daily.

and this puzzles me. why did the dealer ''give you for free'' a drain and fill if they did not do the work originally. did they over charge you for the ''inspection'' they did of your work?? when dealers start giving away free services i begin to suspect that they know they screwed up. just a thought.

good luck.

 

[1 Lucky Texan]

some basic questions,

you did a drain and fill? you removed the drain plug on the trans oil pan and then filled through the TRANS dip stick tube? (this is on the driver side and the dip stick is long.)

same for the dealer? they aren't check the level in the front diff are they??

you used the correct fluid? for an 05 ?? that is the car we are talking about right? (dex 3 for earlier years.)

the leak isn't coming from the spin on filter?
you used the correct spin on filter?

are you sure it is ATF that is leaking?

you said the dealer did a drain and fill, are you sure they didn't disconnect one the ATF lines that goes to the radiator and do a flush? the lines could be leaking.

check your front diff oil level, passenger side near the fire wall, short dip stick. unless they moved it.

check all you fluid levels. if you are leaking it has to be coming from somewhere. and if it isn't ATF from the trans, it could be engine oil of power steering fluid or diff oil or something else important. check all the fluids daily.

and this puzzles me. why did the dealer ''give you for free'' a drain and fill if they did not do the work originally. did they over charge you for the ''inspection'' they did of your work?? when dealers start giving away free services i begin to suspect that they know they screwed up. just a thought.

good luck.

good post - I'd add that you should also check the coolant level. I suppose there's a remote possibility the coil in the radiator for tranny cooling could somehow leak - not sure which one would win the 'pressure war'.

 

[WagesOfZin]

some basic questions,

you did a drain and fill? you removed the drain plug on the trans oil pan and then filled through the TRANS dip stick tube? (this is on the driver side and the dip stick is long.) YES, AND YES

same for the dealer? they aren't check the level in the front diff are they?? YES. I WAS PRESENT (WITHIN 8 FEET OF THE CAR) FOR ALL WORK DONE.

you used the correct fluid? for an 05 ?? that is the car we are talking about right? (dex 3 for earlier years.) YES. SUBARU ATF-HP PURCHASED FROM THE DEALER

the leak isn't coming from the spin on filter? NO. THE FILTER IS TUCKED IN THE DRIVER'S SIDE QUARTER PANEL BEHIND THE BATTERY. THERE IS ATF ON THE BOTTOM OF THE DIFF/FRONT EDGE OF THE TRANNY. IT IS NOT LEAKING FROM THE FILTER.
you used the correct spin on filter? YES. OEM FILTER PURCHASED FROM THE DEALER

are you sure it is ATF that is leaking? ALMOST POSITIVE. DOES NOT SMELL LIKE OIL AND THE LEAK LOCATION (AND SMELL WHEN IN THE CABIN) LEADS ME TO BELIEVE IT'S THE TRANNY. I GUESS IT COULD POSSIBLY BE THE DIFF, BUT I'D BE SURPRISED.

you said the dealer did a drain and fill, are you sure they didn't disconnect one the ATF lines that goes to the radiator and do a flush? the lines could be leaking. YES. I WATCHED THEM REMOVE THE DRAIN PLUG AND DRAIN FROM THERE, NOT THE ATF COOLER LINES AT THE RADIATOR.

check your front diff oil level, passenger side near the fire wall, short dip stick. unless they moved it. I DIDN'T CHECK THE DIFF LEVEL. I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE. IT'S AT THE DEALER NOW BEING DIAGNOSED. THE PROBLEM DIDN'T ARISE UNTIL I DID THE ATF DRAIN AND FILL THOUGH.

check all you fluid levels. if you are leaking it has to be coming from somewhere. and if it isn't ATF from the trans, it could be engine oil of power steering fluid or diff oil or something else important. check all the fluids daily.

and this puzzles me. why did the dealer ''give you for free'' a drain and fill if they did not do the work originally. did they over charge you for the ''inspection'' they did of your work?? when dealers start giving away free services i begin to suspect that they know they screwed up. just a thought. I WASN'T CHARGED ANYTHING AT ALL...FOR LABOR OR THE $40 OR SO OF ATF-HP THEY USED ON THE DRAIN AND FILL. I'VE ESTABLISHED A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SERVICE DEPT AT MY DEALER, ESPECIALLY WITH THE TOP TECH THERE WHO IS EXTREMELY KNOWLEDGEABLE (ALREADY TRAINED ON THE NEW BRZ's) AND HAS A WELL EARNED REPUTATION WITH THE LOCAL SUBIE ENTHUSIASTS, INCLUDING OUR LOCAL SUBIE TUNERS. GIVEN THE AGE AND MILEAGE OF MY VEHICLE AND THE BUSINESS I'VE ALREADY GIVEN THE PARTS DEPT, THEY KNOW THEY'LL GET THEIR $ BACK FROM ME AT SOME POINT, AT LEAST THAT IS HOW IT WAS EXPLAINED TO ME BY THE TECH I ALWAYS DEAL WITH.

good luck.

the same tech referred to above is currently doing the diagnosis on the leak. given the condition of the ATF on the initial drain and fill, i'm positive this is the first time it's been done on the car. i've read here about buildup and whatnot becoming dislodged after doing a drain and fill so late in the game, but can't recall any specifics. i also have done a couple searches on the forum to see if anyone else has had something like this occur, but didn't find anything that blatantly stuck out to me in a "BINGO!" fashion.

 

[WagesOfZin]

Was it "Chunky" before [while driving] to the dealer ? NO. IT WAS RUNNING FINE UNTIL YESTERDAY AFTERNOON. MY SUSPICION IS THE "CHUNKINESS/HICCUPING" DURING ACCELERATION IS DUE TO LOW ATF LEVEL, BUT I'M NOT KNOWLEDGEABLE ENOUGH TO SAY THAT WITH COMPLETE CONFIDENCE.

It's difficult enough to guess what you may have accidentally done much less what the dealer might have done. THE ONLY THING I KNOW FOR A FACT I DID INCORRECTLY WAS NOT DOUBLE CHECK TO SEE THAT THE GASKET FOR THE OLD FILTER WAS STILL STUCK TO THE HOUSING, HENCE ME BEING DOUBLE GASKETED AND LEAKING FROM THE FILTER WHEN I FIRST DID THE DRAIN AND FILL. I BASICALLY MADE IT OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY AND BACK INTO THE GARAGE AT THAT POINT. THE CAR WAS RUNNING FOR MAYBE 60 SECONDS WHILE I WAS DOUBLE GASKETED AND DRIVEN LESS THAN 100 YARDS.

It doesn't sound like you could have done anything to damage the trans or to even cause it to run oddly. generally when car starts acting funny after some non invasive basic maintenance, it's something got unintentionally unplugged or, intentionally unplugged and not plugged back in.

You could also be hypersensitive to the car thinking you did something. I DON'T BELIEVE SO, WHEN THAT TURBO SPOOLS UP AND THE CAR ACCELERATES, IT'S PRETTY EASY TO TELL IF IT'S DOING SO SMOOTHLY OR NOT.

hopefully the dealer didn't screw the car up. Though it sounds counter intuitive, a dealer is the last place i'd take a car to have it serviced ... I've had too many bad experiences with incompetence. Hopefully all is well tomorrow.

The leak is most likely the trans puking out some excess fluid, it tends to pool and continue to drip for awhile even after it's done expelling it. I HOPE YOU'RE RIGHT. I REALLY DO. THAT WOULD MAKE ME DOWNRIGHT GIDDY.

see above responses. thanks to ALL of you that have taken the time to respond to this point. i appreciate it.

 

[WagesOfZin]

my tech just messaged me on FB and said the vent line was clogged. also said my valve cover gaskets are starting to leak, which is probably what i'm smelling.