1985 BII A4LD Trans Leak

[ford4wd08]

Hello all,

You all have been a great forum so far, now I need some assistance again.

I have a pretty severe trans leak. It appears to be coming from in between the bell housing and engine block. Maybe the front trans seal behind the torque converter?

I haven't dove in too much yet, just got it running over the weekend, but i'm cutting to the chase with this one and posting video for advice.

See the two youtube videos below:

Any advice is welcomed, not sure if i want to tackle this at home or not.

 

[Bird76Mojo]

#1 - Are you positive it's trans fluid and not engine oil?


#2 - It could be the input shaft or pump seal on the trans, or it could be a cracked/busted torque converter. It's not unheard of.


#3 - I'm not that knowledgeable about that year of BII autos, but I wonder if someone has had it apart and they didn't get the torque converter fully seated. That will cause a leak, but I'd think it would also be making some other noises..


Anyone else??

 

[Uncle Gump]

Chances are if the torque converter didn't get seated... the engine and trans would have to have been drawn together by tightening the bolts. It usually locks things up. If it didn't lock up it would be making terrible noise and wouldn't work...

 

[ford4wd08]

#1 - Are you positive it's trans fluid and not engine oil?


#2 - It could be the input shaft or pump seal on the trans, or it could be a cracked/busted torque converter. It's not unheard of.


#3 - I'm not that knowledgeable about that year of BII autos, but I wonder if someone has had it apart and they didn't get the torque converter fully seated. That will cause a leak, but I'd think it would also be making some other noises..


Anyone else??

Transmission has never been removed. Only has 60k miles on engine and trans in stock form.

100% positive it is Trans fluid. I added some Mecron I had in the garage yesterday before I moved it, and it started leaking the red fluid onto the driveway.

I believe that it's a seal just because it is 34 years old..... As to trans function, appears to shift into gears fine, but I'm sure it wouldn't last long without any trans fluid.

 

[ford4wd08]

Also the bottom of the trans pan is covered in trans fluid as well. Not sure if it's an old leak that just has gotten worse?

 

[ford4wd08]

My only other thought is if it could be over heating or something? Then pushing the fluid out of the seal?

I'm not running it much other than letting it warm up, but it doesn't appear to leak when I first start it. Of course it could be low on fluid...

I need to flush the radiator and confirm some other things on the cooling system. I think that needs to be completed anyhow.

 

[Uncle Gump]

A leak like that is just a leak... probably leaks more when warm.

I would fill the trans and take a short drive just to ensure the transmission shifts properly. Would be a really bad day to pull the transmission to repair the leak and put it back in and find it doesn't work properly.

 

[ford4wd08]

A leak like that is just a leak... probably leaks more when warm.

I would fill the trans and take a short drive just to ensure the transmission shifts properly. Would be a really bad day to pull the transmission to repair the leak and put it back in and find it doesn't work properly.

Not a bad idea. I am hoping that by the amount that it is leaking, that it could just be a cooler line or something that has busted that I can't see yet.

I plan on changing out some fluids this weekend so I know better where it stands.

 

[Uncle Gump]

In the video... it looked like it was coming from between the engine and transmission. No cooling lines in there.

 

[Bird76Mojo]

Gump is right. No cooler lines in the bellhousing. It could very well be a cracked torque converter or bad seal. The worst part about fixing either one is pulling the trans, but it's not really that bad of a job in my opinion..

It's gonna have to be pulled to find out what is wrong.

I'm not sure if that trans would be a C5 or an A4LD, but if it's an A4LD then you might as well start preparing yourself mentally for the inevitable.. It's gonna take a crap on you sooner rather than later.

 

[ford4wd08]

I agree that there are no cooler lines in the bell housing, but it could be running down the side of the housing and dripping at that final (lowest) spot.

I'll dig in deeper soon.

It is a A4LD, it had overdrive. It has had been a decent trans so far, but this is a stock truck. Nothing crazy and driven by a retiree for most of it's life.

My big debate is whether to try and tackle this at home with some help from a friend or to pay someone to do it...

 

[Shran]

I would be pretty tempted to pull it and do a front seal on the trans and a rear main on the engine. It's a great time to clean up the trans while it's out too. May as well put a new o-ring on the dipstick tube while you've got it out - those always seem to leak on A4LDs.

 

[ford4wd08]

I would be pretty tempted to pull it and do a front seal on the trans and a rear main on the engine. It's a great time to clean up the trans while it's out too. May as well put a new o-ring on the dipstick tube while you've got it out - those always seem to leak on A4LDs.

These are my thoughts too.

Anyone have a write up on how to remove a auto trans from B2 or RBV?

 

[ford4wd08]

Well trans leak has gotten worse. I fixed my ignition switch issue and ran it some this weekend. It is leaking pretty bad while running.

I think I'll pull it in the garage tomorrow and behin work on dropping the trans.

 

[croatankid]

I hope you'll keep us posted on your progress. I'm wondering how you will take the exhaust crossover pipe out. I'm about to take mine out too.