This falls under the bone head section of car repair. But if it can save someone else the hassle I went through, it's all good.

I dropped my trans pan 3 times trying to find a leak that I had for about 2 years and was driving me absolutely nuts. Turns out the nut holding the TV cable into the tranny was very loose and fluid was leaking from there. So, if anyone ever has a leak, don't assume it's the pan gasket. It can be very decieving, but the leak can come from somewhere above!

 

dipstick tube can leak too. Theres an o ring in there, and of course the all time boneheaded issue - leaking from the top vent - due to overfilling because the wrong dipstick was used and it never registered.

 

Good tip. Most leaks will gather at the pan gasket area and apper as a bad gasket.

 

My transmission has been leaking quite badly on my 84 TA...I thought it was the pan gasket too. I just had the tranny rebuilt and put on a new torque converter. When I look under the car, it appears to be dripping from the hole in the plastic cover that protects the flywheel underneath the car. Any ideas? Thanks.

 

In this case, it is likely coming from the front pump seal, the o ring on the pump, an o ring on one of the 7 pump bolts, or a converter that is leaking from a weld. Front seal is the most likely.

 

Take the dust shield off and check the shaft seal.

 

Mine was doing the samething. There was fluid around the pan gasket, and on the coverter cover. As said above, pull the cover off, look between the front of the tranny, and the torque converter. Mine was dry. Check the easy stuff first (dipstick tube, TV cable, etc). This is the reason I put the post out here. I would have SWORN it was my pan gasket, and it wasn't!

 

One other point. Since the converter cover is a low point on the drivetrain, any fluid can have the tendency to collect there. Make sure it really is transmission fluid. I had a leaky valve cover and oil ran all the way down to the converter cover. I'd check engine pan gasket, dipstick tube (engine) and valve cover gaskets. Again, check the easy stuff before changing seals and having to drop the tranny or take the motor out.

 

I have had one I ahve been chasing now since March of this year. I have been thru "2" Moroso Pans( both leaking, one at the front seam adn the other one was cracked on the inside at the bottom frt). Now I have a cheap chore one on there and it STILL leaks. The trans has less than 3k miles on it and here is a pic of the leak.





It doesnt leak when running but if you drive it for awhile it starts leaking ALOT.
I pm'd thirdgen88 a while back about his Moroso pan, b/c I thought it was the gasket, but now I am on my 3rd pan N'th gasket and 3rd case of tranny synthetic fluid. THIS is getting old FAST!! Any ideas would be MOST greatful.tia.