erikv123

Hi all, I need help identifying a transmission leak if any of you guys could give me any insight, thatd be greatly appreciated. I was recently driving on the highway when my LS400 started randomly downshifting. I pull over and see a trail of fluid leaking behind my car and a huge puddle under the car. After inspecting I found it was transmission fluid, it had leaked it all in under 5 minutes. Car has 160k miles, and I haven't driven it since.

Banshee365

Are you sure that is the only source of the leak? There isn't leaking from anywhere else on the trans? That little black cover is the torque converter bolt access cover. That is where the engine and trans join together. Up in there is the torque converter. The only leak possibilities are a failed torque converter, pump seal, or pump-case o-ring around the pump. The o-ring and torque converter itself would be very unlikely to fail. If this all of a sudden happened I would be afraid that you had a catastrophic pump failure that tore up the pump lip seal. Did it make any wierd noises after the failure?

Any way you cut this the unit will need to be removed from the vehicle. Where in FL are you and what is the year of the car?

erikv123

Yes it literally drips fluid out of there like a fountain once the car has been turned on for a while, a bit slower if the car is off. The car didn't make any significant sound when it happened but makes a slight grinding sound unless I keep adding trans fluid. The car is a 1996, and I'm near Orlando, FL.

Banshee365

Okay, I'm in Ocala. That groaning noise is just the pump starving for fluid. As I said, the trans will need to be removed from the car to diagnose and fix the problem unfortunately.

818_sc4

iTrader: (8)

sorry to bring back from the dead but i am having the same issue, what was the verdict?

erikv123

Never figured it out, ending up selling the car to some Guyanese guy. He told me all the gears in the transmission were basically destroyed though.