Small leak under transmission

My standard response for an ATF leak is to COMPLETELY clean & dry everything around the transmission. Every leak looks like a pan leak because every leak eventually runs down to the pan and drips off the bolts. Clean up around the dipstick tube, the cooler lines, the selector shaft, neutral safety switch, the seam where the pan meets the trans, etc. And don't forget the transfer case, yoke seals, speedo sender...

Once you get it cleaned up, stuff paper towels in & around each potential leak area. I like to let it sit for a few hours or even overnight and then inspect each paper towel for evidence of ATF. If you find some, you've found your leak. In my experience, that works 100% of the time.

Hey, I just dealt with this issue on mine. Look at where your transmission extension bolts onto the Transmission. The lowest bolt on each side is not a blind hole, it goes into the transmission where fluid is located. If the people who just rebuilt it did not put teflon tape or thread sealant on those two bolts, it will leak from those two locations and will look like your pan is leaking but it isnt.

It is possible that your pan is not tightened enough, but if you check the pan and it is good, look for those two bolts I am talking about and see if there is fluid leaking from around them. Those bolts are either 15mm or 9/16, I cant remember.

Clarythedrill said:

It is possible that your pan is not tightened enough

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The torque spec on the pan bolts is much lower than you'd expect, something like 18 ft-lbs. Over-tightening can smush the gasket and introduce a leak. I've had plenty of leak issues, but the pan issues went away once I followed the spec.