joshhsi79 Posted October 12, 2014 Report Share Posted October 12, 2014 I have a 2002 Cadillac Deville (base) that has about 170,000 miles on it. Went to leave for a trip yesterday morning and got about 1/2 mile from my home and noticed that the rpms where up and down quite a bit like the trans was slipping. I pulled it over and checked the fluid level and there was hardly any fluid on the dipstick. I walked down the street and bought 2 quarts and poured them in and was able to drive the car back to my house. The top of the trans is soaked in fluid underneath the air intake stuff and everything else in the area is spattered with the fluid, but I am unable to find the source of the leak. Any suggestions on what to check and where it would be located? Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barczy01 Posted October 13, 2014 Report Share Posted October 13, 2014 Check your upper trans cooler line at the radiator for leakage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfangd Posted October 13, 2014 Report Share Posted October 13, 2014 agreed, they attach to the front of the trans and route to the radiator GM FAN FOREVER Nice, clean, luxury= fine automobile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterset Posted October 13, 2014 Report Share Posted October 13, 2014 Make sure you fill it to the proper level,and don't drive It when low or with a leak. Transmission life already has been shortened by this episode. Possible filter change to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshhsi79 Posted October 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 I had a trans shop take a look at it and they say that when the trans reaches normal operating temp, it starts "venting", or pumping the trans fluid out of the vent tube. They are telling me that they are not positive on the problem, but it is internal and could be the torque converter or 1 of the 3 pumps in the unit. They quoted me $2,500 for a complete rebuild and that also includes a new rear main seal on the motor to fix my engine oil leak issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterset Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 Can you plug up the vent tube? At this point, you don't have much to loose. Maybe the problem will go away with the new fluid pumping thru. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfangd Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 I thought of that also but IIRC the vent is attached to a hose up by the air cleaner. I may be mistaken though. many are on the top of the trans. Looks like a shell casing sitting on top. sometimes plastic but usually metal. I would think the only way to get it to come out of there would be if the fluid level was very high. And if it was not high before then I would think the torque convertor would be the culprit GM FAN FOREVER Nice, clean, luxury= fine automobile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 I had a trans shop take a look at it and they say that when the trans reaches normal operating temp, it starts "venting", or pumping the trans fluid out of the vent tube. They are telling me that they are not positive on the problem, but it is internal and could be the torque converter or 1 of the 3 pumps in the unit. They quoted me $2,500 for a complete rebuild and that also includes a new rear main seal on the motor to fix my engine oil leak issue. It sounds like the shop does not know what the cause is unless they open up the transmission. In normal use, the 4T-80E rarely needs to be rebuilt - there are torque converter issues (not locking up) and TCC solenoid issues but typically that's about it. Have you verified the trans. fluid is at the correct level? Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshhsi79 Posted October 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 I verified the correct fluid level and so did the shop. They even removed a little to make sure that wasn't the issue. For maybe the past month or two, I have noticed a slight shudder at highway speeds when the trans would go into overdrive...which the shop told me was most likely the torque converter....so maybe that is the cause of the problem. Who knows? I told them to go ahead with the rebuild since they have to pull the unit to figure out the issue anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfangd Posted October 18, 2014 Report Share Posted October 18, 2014 I bet it is the torque convertor. I went through it with my 96 Deville. The fluid kept mysteriously adding its own fluid to the transmission, after the second time I figured it out. Then the torque convertor quit working properly. I had dropped the pan to make sure it was not coolant, and it was not. So that is what I figured. How many miles are on yours? GM FAN FOREVER Nice, clean, luxury= fine automobile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshhsi79 Posted October 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2014 It has about 176,000 on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted October 18, 2014 Report Share Posted October 18, 2014 Rather than spend $2500 on a rebuild, why not locate a good used transmission with low miles and have it installed? A low mileage unit can be purchased for $350 - www.car-part.com is a site that will help you locate a good trans. I would suggest using Autocheck or Carfax to run the VIN to verify the mileage. Any GM dealer can also run the service history for the VIN to help you verify the mileage. When I replaced the transmission in my '97 STS earlier this year, my local Chevrolet dealer ran the service history and the Carfax for me at no charge. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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