2003 Envoy 4.2 Transmission Leak

[Nimunik]

Newb member here but have plenty of issues I've tackled that I'd be happy to share

We have a slow leak (a few drops per day) that I'd like to figure out. It looks to be exiting around a black rubber insert piece that is about 8 inches long and curls into loops at both ends. Trans fluid was flushed/replaced a while ago. Leak is fairly new.

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[dfc739]

Newb member here but have plenty of issues I've tackled that I'd be happy to share

We have a slow leak (a few drops per day) that I'd like to figure out. It looks to be exiting around a black rubber insert piece that is about 8 inches long and curls into loops at both ends. Trans fluid was flushed/replaced a while ago. Leak is fairly new.

Thanks in advance for the help!

Hi, welcome to the forum. Does the rubber piece you're talking about look like the shape of the old VHS tape button? That's the rubber plug that seals (keeps rocks out) where the bellhousing meets the engine. If you have a leak in there it's probably from bad teflon sealing rings on the input shaft (likely) or a damaged torque converter (unlikely). You can pull the rubber plug out if you have a good set of pliers and check. Or pop out the circular inspection plug and look in the bellhousing. The bad news is that this isn't really fixable by the average DIY car maintenance person. Even if you manage to seal that rubber plug up, it will eventually get full enough to leak out the metal circular inspection plug. A semi-competent transmission shop should be able to fix this in a few hours (barring any other problems).

 

[Nimunik]

Thx for the reply!

I think we're talking about the same rubber piece. You say I can check to see whether it's bad rings or damaged converter? How would I be able to tell which it is?

I would consider myself capable of advanced repair if I have instruction but am also perfectly willing to pay for a couple hours of shop labor over a full day under my truck. Just how tough is it if I may ask?

Again, thanks.

GS

 

[dfc739]

Thx for the reply!

I think we're talking about the same rubber piece. You say I can check to see whether it's bad rings or damaged converter? How would I be able to tell which it is?

I would consider myself capable of advanced repair if I have instruction but am also perfectly willing to pay for a couple hours of shop labor over a full day under my truck. Just how tough is it if I may ask?

Again, thanks.

GS

You can look inside, but you really won't be able to tell much (except that there's a trans fluid leak). You might be able to see if there is a pinhole leak coming from the torque converter (that will probably coat the entire bellhousing with trans fluid due to rotation) or if it's only leaking around where the input shaft meets with the torque converter. You need to drop the tranny and remove converter for diagnosis. After thinking about it, I think the teflon sealing rings actually seal up the trans fluid pump, whereas there is a rubber o-ring that seals the torque converter. The end play also needs to be checked as the pump oil seal and/or bushing for the input shaft could be the culprit. Nevertheless, I consider dropping a tranny and pulling the torque converter a pretty big job.

 

[Nimunik]

Other than the leak we don't seem to be having any noticeable issues with the transmission right now and the leak is minimal...literally a few drops per day. Is this something we should be concerned about and arranging to fix ASAP or is it something that can wait as long as the leak and/or symptoms don't get worse?

 

[dfc739]

Other than the leak we don't seem to be having any noticeable issues with the transmission right now and the leak is minimal...literally a few drops per day. Is this something we should be concerned about and arranging to fix ASAP or is it something that can wait as long as the leak and/or symptoms don't get worse?

It's good that you're not having any other problems. I would keep an eye on your transmission fluid level and add more as necessary if you can't fix it right away-check your manual for the procedure. If it were really bad, it would be more than a few drops per day and would be coming out of all the bellhousing openings. I wouldn't wait too long as it is easy to be forgetful about watching the fluid level and then you're looking at a rebuild.