Trans leaking

[Andi]

Hi folks, I sure hope someone can help me! I have a '68 Camaro with a brand new 350 crate motor & TH350 trans. I purchased both as a package from Jegs. My brother in law installed the motor & trans in July 2020. After each drive, I notice within a couple of hours, there's trans fluid under my car. My brother in law hasn't been able to find the leak so I contacted a local muscle car shop to see if they could go over it. I've schedule several appointments with them, and each time, they cancel or reschedule. So unfortunately, they have not been able to get me in. Lately, the leak seems to be worse than it was previously. Anyone have any ideas of where I should look to find what's leaking. It's definitely trans fluid.  Thank you in advance for any assistance or guidance you can give me.  ~ Andi

[usa1ti]

That's a pretty broad problem without a little more info. Really need to know if its coming from front, back or middle. Front is pump gasket or converter seal. Middle is dipstick, pan or cooler lines / case fittings loose. Back is driveshaft yolk seal. slide under it and try to get a general area that looks wet. If its all new my bet would be loose cooler lines, case fittings or he nicked the converter seal when he slid the converter on the input shaft.

[Andi]

Thank you so much for replying. I just took a picture underneath my car, and there's a pretty big spot on the ground about mid-car, approximate center of the car, about at the door but in the middle of the car.
Also, there is a little spot up front, just to the left of the passenger's front tire. This seems to be where the dipstick is located in the engine compartment, I think.

[Andi]

Here's a pic of the underneath. I hope you can see this.

[bertfam]

What was the warranty on the package from JEGS? It's been more than a year since you purchased it, so it's probably out of warranty, but you should still call them. They might extend the warranty because of Covid. You won't know until you ask.

If it's transmission fluid then it's probably a seal. It could also be the pan gasket, but that's easy to spot.

If the shop keeps putting you off, find another shop. You don't need a muscle car shop to find a leak. Any competent repair shop can help.

Ed

[Andi]

Thanks for the info. I took my car to a transmission shop this morning. Hopefully they'll have some info for me today. I'll update my post as soon as I hear back. Thanks again!

[camaronut]

Well......whats the news???    

I had a similar thing going on - never knew there was an O ring around the shifter rod that goes into the tranny.  That thing leaked like crazy.
Replaced that O ring (which was a huge PITA) - all was good.

[Andi]

Hoping to get my car back today. The transmission shop pulled the trans, and replaced the torque converter. He said that was the main problem. He also replaced all of the seals. Hopefully this is the end of the leaks! And I’m really hoping to get her back today. She’s on the lift now, and they’re installing the trans. I’ll follow up once I get her back!! 💃💃💃

[Andi]

Apparently my new transmission had a bad torque converter. Also it was missing the bracket for the kick down cable, and some of the seals were bad. So, the trans shop replaced the torque converter, ordered the bracket, and sealed the leaks. I have to return my car once the bracket comes in, but in the meantime, I picked up my car yesterday (Tuesday), and as of today (Wednesday), I do not see any trans fluid on the garage floor.  It raining today, so I probably won't get out to drive much, but I can tell by the fuel gage that the shop did drive her around. I'm hoping this is the end of the issue! The kick down cable should be in by the end of this week and they said I can stop in for the installation.  I don't have a bill yet, so I don't know the final cost. But, they're a reputable shop, so I'm not concerned with the cost. I'll check back with the final bill once I have it.  Plus, I will contact Jegs just to see if they're willing to warranty any of the work. Most likely not, but it can't hurt to ask.  Stay tuned!