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Tranny Fluid pouring out..


IaBoy

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Hi.. after a sub zero morning my wife went out to warm up her 1995 SLS. After about 5 minutes of warming up she noticed a huge puddle of fluid under the car. She drove it to the garage she uses for oil changes (not a dealership). They told her that it wasn't any hoses or lines and the Tranny would have to come out to see what the problem was. The car has 131,000 on it and runs like a dream. Any ideas or help would be appreciated.

Steve in Iowa

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Not that you shouldn't trust your garage but business is slow this time of year and well you get the point. Pop the hood and see if you can see tranny fluid in the engine compartment. If that's the case then start looking for a hose or line that might have come off or ruptured. This past X-mas eve it was really cold here and a tranny cooling line came off and made a real mess. Not a lot of room to poke around on a Northstar so you'll have to really look. Mine was down low (just to the side and below the airbox) and I had to remove the airbox to get to the line.

Are you sure it's tranny fluid that leaked out?

"Burns" rubber

" I've never considered myself to be all that conservative, but it seems the more liberal some people get the more conservative I become. "

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If the fluid is leaking to the ground, then obviously, there is an external leak path....why would the trans need to be removed????? Jack the car up and inspect the lines for yourself.

Kevin
'93 Fleetwood Brougham
'05 Deville
'04 Deville
2013 Silverado Z71

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The only time I ever saw that happen was on a Pontiac Bonneville with slim jim transmission, and the torque convertor seal let go. I would bet this is a hose like KGER noted. Guru just said that the tranny fluid is thicker when very cold in relation to the fluid being low, I would image that would tend to increase the pressure in the hoses, etc. Mike

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Well, I had it towed from the garage that said it would be $800 to check it out to my Cadillac dealership. Should know a verdict in the next day or so. Thanks for all the help.

Steve

95 SLS

98 SLS

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not knowing how far it was to the mechanic in this case I would guess Guru has it, If it leaked a puddle in five minutes of idle then she should not of made it out of the neighborhood and like hansel and greddel you would have a trail all the way to where it finally stopped moving. The 2 lines are on the driver side they are short lines and should have splattered all over the compartment and plain to see. If its the tranny pan or the seal I don't know but it should be easy to find visually.

Is the power steering gone?

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The Verdict.....

Well my Cadi dealer called this morning and said that it was not any hoses or lines and they would have to take out the transmission to find it. Well they called back about 4 hours later, and said there was a crack in the transmission case. They said that they could not get the case alone and that a new transmission was the fix. They said I could try a salvage yard but may run into the same problem as they have seen these transmissions crack in this location more than once. What do you think guys? Total transmission Bill= $3,000.

Steve

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I have been involved with this and the prior site for probably 5 years and this is the first time I ever heard of this happening, very odd. This tranny has been described as bullet proof... Maybe its a casting defect that can been claimed as a manufacturers defect! I would be calling the regional people to find out what can be done....although I just looked back and its not your 98 but your 95, darn..that doesn't help the situation..

However, be careful going to junk yards, you will need the exact tranny...the interchangability is specific, you will at least need the same gear ratio

I am curious what others say about this. Good Luck with this, Mike

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The Verdict.....

Well my Cadi dealer called this morning and said that it was not any hoses or lines and they would have to take out the transmission to find it. Well they called back about 4 hours later, and said there was a crack in the transmission case. They said that they could not get the case alone and that a new transmission was the fix. They said I could try a salvage yard but may run into the same problem as they have seen these transmissions crack in this location more than once. What do you think guys? Total transmission Bill= $3,000.

Steve

IaBoy,

Before you tell us one more thing that the dealer told you that was the problem you need to start answering some of our questions. You asked for our help and we're all trying but you need to help us help you. I can say with some certainty that some of us question your dealer's verdict. I for one do. Have you even bothered to have a look for yourself? Have you popped the hood and had a good look around? Did you crawl under the car yet and have a look? Before I handed over $3000 I would want to make sure. At the very least take it to a garage that doesn't do any kind of transmission work and ask them what they think. You might be surprised. Some of us here won't be.

Once again..... answer some of the questions so we can help you figure out what the problem is. :)

-kg

"Burns" rubber

" I've never considered myself to be all that conservative, but it seems the more liberal some people get the more conservative I become. "

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Well my Cadi dealer called this morning and said that it was not any hoses or lines and they would have to take out the transmission to find it. Well they called back about 4 hours later, and said there was a crack in the transmission case. They said that they could not get the case alone and that a new transmission was the fix

Sounds like the dealer already pulled your tranny?. Now your in a tough spot because either way your out like..what is it...$400 or so? Here is what I have done/would do. BEFORE you authorize any repairs explain to your service manager that you have been doing some research on the 4t80E and you have heard that a crack in the case is extremely uncommon. Then politely ask if you can see the crack yourself, after all you are going to spend $3000 to get it fixed/replaced. If the service manager begins to studder and grasp for words then something is up. Also I would always pull the codes and always make a post before taking it in for service...the amount of knowledge on this site is amazing!

A.J.

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Kger & Ack...

I am sorry if I am not asking the right questions. But here is what I know. Yes, my transmissing is out of the car and laying on the bench. I did personally see the crack this afternoon. It looks like a hairline crack about 6" long. When you press on a different part of the case, the crack does open up some. I asked them about welding the crack. They said that might be possible, but it is hard to know where the crack actually starts and ends. the way the transmission is laying on the bench the 4t80E stampings are on the top and the case is open towards me. The crack is visible on the bottom inside. It doesn't look very wide, but they tell me that under the pressure, it does not have to be very big to leak badly.

I am very aware of the knowledge on this board, as I have been a lurker for about 4 years. Obviously my level of expertiese is nothing, which is the reason that you have not seen me post. I don't have any answers for anyone. Except I love driving my SLS's!

Also, yes... Ack you are right.. I asked the service manager what costs I would have putting it back together and saying the heck with it. $368 would be my bill for what has been done so far. Plus the $22.50 that I have already paid my original garage who told me that the tranny had to come out to diagnose the problem (thats when I had my car towed to the Cadi dealer for a second opinion).

So do I respect the wealth of knowledge on this board.. Absolutely! Thats why when I bought my 98 SLS and my brake light strip didn't work right, I came right here and Logan came to the rescue with a rebuilt one. When I had a question on how to "train" my garage door opener.. one post here and 10 minutes later my door was going up and down :).. Thats why when this problem popped up on me, I came here. It had been so long since I had visited that I had to do a few searches (and register).. but please don't for a second think that I don't know the brain power that "is this board".

So, now what do I do?? What additional questions should I ask? Thanks again.

Steve in Iowa

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Also, I forgot... my dealer said that I might be able to save a few $$$ getting a non GM tranmission, but they recommended the GM one because of the 3 year 50,000 mile warranty, with no middle people to go thru. and to be honest $3,100 or $2,950 or so.. not much difference to me.

Steve

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steve,

I have just changed the extension housing on a '97 Eldo transmission along with the eng. cradle and rack and pinion- cradle was bent in an accident.

I have an ebay transmission for a '95 Eldo that I bought as a spare, actually bought two at the same time, the other was out of a '99 Seville. If you want I'll check the numbers on the transmission and send them to you and you can have the transmission for what I have in it which is about $350. The yard I bought it from had a feedback rating of over 2000 with a rating of 99o/o+. He said that the fluid was clean and red when he drained them for shipment. Just let me Know if you want the numbers.

Cleatus Huntsville, Al. 35810

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Great job Cleatus! I hope this works out!

Steve, if I am not mistaken the tranny is aluminum and it can't be welded, I really hope they didn't say it might be possible! :blink:

You said it Scotty! What a hookup that would be if the number match. IaBoy, verification of the crack made even my stomach turn. Hopefully Cleatus will have some good news for you.

"Burns" rubber

" I've never considered myself to be all that conservative, but it seems the more liberal some people get the more conservative I become. "

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Great job Cleatus! I hope this works out!

Steve, if I am not mistaken the tranny is aluminum and it can't be welded, I really hope they didn't say it might be possible! :blink:

The crack should be able to be TIG welded - (heliarced). You might want to find a good welding shop in your area. Post some digital pictures of the crack - Bbobynski will know if the crack can be welded without damaging any internal components.

If you can have the case heliarced, it will cost far less than a new trans.

Kevin
'93 Fleetwood Brougham
'05 Deville
'04 Deville
2013 Silverado Z71

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Great job Cleatus!  I hope this works out!

Steve, if I am not mistaken the tranny is aluminum and it can't be welded, I really hope they didn't say it might be possible!  :blink:

The crack should be able to be TIG welded - (heliarced). You might want to find a good welding shop in your area. Post some digital pictures of the crack - Bbobynski will know if the crack can be welded without damaging any internal components.

If you can have the case heliarced, it will cost far less than a new trans.

You LEARNED me something again, Kevin! Thanks :lol:

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Great job Cleatus!  I hope this works out!

Steve, if I am not mistaken the tranny is aluminum and it can't be welded, I really hope they didn't say it might be possible!   :blink:

The crack should be able to be TIG welded - (heliarced). You might want to find a good welding shop in your area. Post some digital pictures of the crack - Bbobynski will know if the crack can be welded without damaging any internal components.

If you can have the case heliarced, it will cost far less than a new trans.

You LEARNED me something again, Kevin! Thanks :lol:

Hey that's good to know. My father's friend uses one of those. Infact he uses 4 different units. Fabricates his own Model A parts. I'll have to remember this tidbit.

"Burns" rubber

" I've never considered myself to be all that conservative, but it seems the more liberal some people get the more conservative I become. "

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Steve,

I have checked all the receipts that I can find,twice, and have not come up with the receipt for the two transmissions. I was hoping to get a little more information from the ad. The other transmission that I have came out of a '96 Deville, Vin "Y" has 100K and fits '96-99 Deville, Eldorado and Seville Vin "Y".

This transmission tag has,vertically, along the bar code; 619AAN H0054. on the opposite side of the tag is,from the top down, 8 219, 01, 01,9AA. The other two transmissions have, in the same order,610AAN H17MF and ? 011,01, 01AA.

The trans. I marked as being from the '95 Eldo has the numbers-same order,615AAN A1j41 and 5079 02 01 5AA.

I'll try to get some information from the dealer later today and will add it here as soon as I find out anything. The Numbers on the RT. side of the tag indicate, from the top,Julian date of mfg. The shift and line number and the last three digits indicate the model. The 61 on the Lt. side just indicates, Transaxel. I checked the sellers ebay rating today and he has 4304 with a 99.7% rateing.

I'll check with you later own.

Take Care

Cleatus.

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That crack is a structural failure. Had the same thing when my tranny went south. They docked my core fee due to the crack, and it was their issue that caused the crack! The 4T80E is notorious for that crack. "Structural flaw" according to my dealer.

The fluid is most likely coming out of the overflow tube on the cooling system. That's where mine came out of. I never did figure out why the fluid from the tranny got into the radiator and not back again. It was real wierd. Cost me $3K to get it fixed, not counting the darn radiator, so don't know why - just know it ate the tranny up.

Good luck - it's spendy -

And yes you can weld aluminum. The heat does have a tendency to draw oil into the pores of the material so a competent person needs to do the welding.

Steve

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Steve,

Checked with the dealer re. these transmissions. They are, in order of the last post, '96,'95, and '99 models all three have a 311:1 ratio, used with Vin "Y" Eng's. All three have similar mileage as I recall.

He, -the parts manager at Williams Cadillac in Birmingham- said that he could only recall one case, no pun intended, where the case cracked in that location and that was a few weeks ago. He has been with willams for more than twenty years. He said, in that instance, that it looked like the crack was caused by a casting flaw.

I would think that welding would be an option on that case. I had an oil pan on a N* welded about three months ago, while it was still in the car and it is still dry. That trans.case should be easier and more accessable, since it it is out of the car, than the back curve of an oil pan.

Take care,

Cleatus.

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