Transmission Repair: Dealing With a Fluid Leak

A new car shouldn't experience much that requires transmission repair. After you've owned a vehicle for several years, however, it is entirely possible that problems could begin to arise, even if you keep up with regular maintenance. Even the best cars can't last forever without the attention of a mechanic. One of the most common problems is a fluid leak. Cracks start forming around the seals and before you know it, you have a puddle of red fluid in your driveway. This has greater ramifications than just to the beauty of your home. A car without that distinctive red fluid can begin to experience some serious problems. Here's a look on fixing the issue.

Identifying a Leak

The puddle under the car is the biggest sign that you have a leak. This could escape your notice for a while, however, if you typically park on dark surfaces. If you have reasons to suspect a leak, take your car to a lighter surface and park it there after running the engine warm. Depending on your type of vehicle, you will either notice a small pool of fluid begin to develop towards either the front or back of the transmission. Repair can only begin when you determine which of the seals have been compromised, so this location is important. The fluid will usually be red, although some models use a type of a brownish color.

Size

Small leaks don't necessarily need to be dealt with in the same way as a larger one. For a small leak, you can try a bottle of stop-leak. The contents of this bottle should be added to the dipstick hole under your hood. Pour enough to replace the fluid you're missing. Obviously, if you're missing a significant amount of fluid, you'll need to replace some of that as well. Do not go over the dipstick level, in any case, with any combination of the fluid and the stop-leak. If you don't feel confident in making these determinations, talk to a good transmission repair shop and have them deal with it.

Larger Leaks

While you can try some stop-leak with a larger leak, it should not be looked at as a permanent solution. Rather, you should see it as a type of stopgap until you have the time or money to get your car in to a transmission repair shop. Upon taking the car in, make sure you tell them that you've used some stop-leak, as this can have an effect on how they proceed with fixing the problem.