Cant find source of trans leak

[Rapom]

Ok, thanks for the pages as always! this is a wonderful site when on a desktop, which i am now. been viewing from my phone (bad) so anyway monday i got underneath and starting inspecting like a dog sniffing out a bunny turd to eat. (my dog is gross) and s spotted both atf cooler lines. both of them are bone dry and not very rusted as you suspected. lines and where they thread in, all dry. next i looked up into the torque converter inspection hole. bone dry., yes i have the heavy distributor seal oil leak running down the bell house, looks very cruddy like its been leaking for years and years and years.. also noticed a nice oil soaked/swelled coolant hose on the back on the engine that i now have to replace (oil+coolant hose=tow bill).. il get to that later., the oil is obvious its oil., i stuck my finger into the tc hole and felt around. nothing red or really wet. just old cruddy oil remnents., i moved to the transfer case looking for an inspection hole??? nothing there. at all anywhere. unless you must remove the cross member and t-case mount and remove something else? but there are absolutely no inspection holes or covers anywhere accessible. so i moved on. i re-checked my TCC connector (remember i replaced the O ring on that). finger poking turns up nothing red or wet, just dist o ring old crud., as im looking around... i notice again.. same as every time that the pan gasket edge is soaked with bright red fluid allll the way around. nothing new there.. so i looked at the modulator. the base of it is wet. (but so isnt the pan gasket above it and alll the way around..)i figured while i was looking at the modulator, may as well pull the hose off and see if its leaking.. tug..tug..tug.. nothing.. ok the steel line is bolted to the top of the trans with a 12mm nut on a stud. since i was up digging for a microscopic ratchet and socket i decided to use my mighty vac at the nipple on the back of the intake that pulls vac on the modulator, disconnect hose, attach vac.. pump pump pump pump pump.. wont build vac at all. OK we have a vac leak!! (this will be updated to my last long thread when i said i had no vac leaks lol), so then i got under, unbolted the 12mm nut.. stud came out with it and fell into the abyss (it will stay there), i disconnected the line from the mod, no fluid came out. i connected my mighty vac directly to modulator, pump pump pump. holds 25in of vac no problem!, i replaced both rubber (cracked) hoses and remove/cleaned screw in vac port on intake., retested vac at intake hose. we now have vac that holds! so im not sure what that modulator does.. but it was getting ZERO vacuum for who knows how many years (ive owned the kick 5 months) OK back to the leak, got side tracked as i ALWAYS do. ok i shift my attention to the still leaking shift shaft seal (remember i replaced that O ring too) but the shaft is slightly rusty. doesnt matter. the SSS could not cause the sort of leak that i have. im talking put a bucket under it and pour the leaked fluid back into the trans kind of leak (i dont do that) you cant watch it leak.. but in 2 days of sitting the puddle is 1 foot by 1 foot easy. Ok so back at it. i looked at the dip stick tube, which is right above the SSS and i felt up there and it was red wet. BUT the SSS is leaking.. so that could be from the SSS.. either way i figured that ive already covered the 10 leaks. i may as well pull the dip stick tube and replace the O ring., so i did. not a bad job. the 12mm bolt is in a cunty spot but not bad. now what WAS bad. these dip sticks dont use an O ring but rather they use a case grommet... uggh. surprisingly the rubber was very soft and flexible. although i could NOT get it out! being afraid i was going to drop it in (even tho it has a large collar) i gave up and just coated the outside of the grommet and dipstick tube in alot of Hondabond. Yea i feel a little dirty about that.. but hey.. most would just let it leak. i let it dry over night, the next day i drove it about 15 miles... pretty hard i might add., now a day later it is bone dry (i had cleaned it off before sealing the dip tube.) its still dry. no leaks at all. BUT not so fast. its done this to me 5 times!!! every time i though i fixed the leak, it went days of being bone dry then all the sudden.. puddle.. i plan to drive it every day for the next few weeks., my 08 Accord coupe V6 6speed will be missed during this period lol. nothing like going from a stock 13 second car to an Auto sidekick with big O giant tires on it.

[fixkick]

good news on dip!
the rubber on this car does 2 bad things, as we all know the rubber gets hard then cracks(as per normal entropy)
but not on this car , in total, some rubber turns to slime. (my joke is it is turning back to crude oil or back to dinosaur testicles or guts, ) for sure vacuum hoses do that.

FYI: now or future:
the 3L30 to XFR case has adapter chamber box. on the bottom dead center on mine was small weep hole, a slit really,
most are clogged up and sold blocked, now, but if you can find it, and jam an unbent paper clip in the hole and find the hole. it may release a torrent of ATF proving the failure.

this is my 5sp, not saying the 3sp has this hole
see the slot at 5:30PM below.? that is a tale tell slot, find it and unblock it and see if RED ATF flows. out. if there, but can be hard to find, I know it is.
you could drill a tiny 1/8" hole there, it just air inside, AFT never goes to GL4 nor the reverse here, its just and air chamber, so breaching it , is OK. even dill and tap it for 1/4"-20 or 6mm bolt,
mark it , drain test port.




vac mod hose to intake manifold that is the intake plenum there, it will never hold a vacuum there hand pumped. but the modulator must hold a vacuum. hand pumped and passes you said.

most these cars now have 10 sidetracks, and most are very serious, brakes , fuel leaks, and cam belt, are all serious.

good luck on your leak, hope its gone, and 1foot puddles are not allowed, way too much.

[fixkick]

your post sounds like me , under car thinking the same way.
like this.
who would use 6mm female, square drive, in any transmission drain, dang, and 3/8" strips it out. and the correct tool is not in any car parts store, here. they look at you like what?
yes, I have one but took long time to get here far far away./
you need it for the transfer case.

that slot above is very nice to have if either seal inside fails. (its a great early warning)

[Rapom]

drove the snot out of it today, still bone dry. drilling the hole into the x-fer case as a atf leak check is actually a good idea., i still need to replace the cam belt as i dont have any clue of its age. next on my list will probably be the TCC not locking up, pages upon pages lol i know. ive been reading

[fixkick]

wow, good job finding that leak, some are very heard to find, with wind'age effects, and gravity, working against you .
check the tcc relay. in front of battery, it can be even missing. (gremlin's in force)

[Rapom]

So im back! And my friend HUGE ASS LEAK is back. So a long over due update.. anyway.. it was not the dip stick tube grommet leaking.. every time i clean it off... it takes 4 days for the fluid to cover the trans and start pouring over the sides.. so i always think i fixed it.. then im wrong. So after the grommet.. i replaced the pan gasket again. Fail. Then replaced the shift shaft seal (SSS) 2 more times!!! Still leaking out of the SSS.. so i did a dirty... what i did was put s new SSS right over the one that was already in there and pressed 2 in the damn hole! Oh yeah i did. 6 days no leak!!! Im like.. yeah bitch.. got you! I leave for work training for a week.. come back.... GIANT Fing puddle of trans fluid! Ive not even driven the kick in 15 days! So i get under there and i think i found the ass hole. The SSS is sorta dry.. look up from that... something ive not seen before.. after research i find out its a TV cable. Or kickdown. And the bitch is soaked! Now the point of my rant... this cable can leak through the cable and or the O ring. HOW the F do i get that cable out/in!! Cant even see or touch it. Have a pic maybe so i can get a visual? I really do not want to drop the trans.. but holy hell! This thing pukes! Just sitting it drips and drips. Even onto the cat that is on the other damn side of the trans!! (Yes the tcc connector is dry). Heeeeeelllpp me! Lol

[fixkick]

95 auto 4x4 2dr 16v. 3sp (3L30=th180) box. (GM GEO or SUzuki)?
23 year old, and leak, I bet none don't this old.?
there manual covers his, step by step.
The 4speed , is pure hell here, with dripping the whole valve body got to cable attachment point but not this 3sp box.
this parts photo is no real clue,
http://www.fixkick.com/tranny/slush/slid...age_9.html
the only hard part is buying part , that is not some china knock off and cracks and leaks again in 1 year. (junk)
it connects to here
http://www.fixkick.com/tranny/slush/slid...ge_12.html

next is this on my hard to find parts page.
3sp = 15940-61A00 (89-91) $51. now $72 ,
https://www.suzukicarparts.com/shoppingc...d%3D214820

ok , kick down cable, , or detent cable, or TV cable (GM name) or passing gear cable is covered in chapter 7a of the service manual;
page 7A-18 , see here (14 steps, and then calibration steps after)

(this is on the way back machine) the maker of the book stopped supporting it (ackfaq)

http://acksfaq.com/96-FSM-v1-7A-pdf.htm


ignore the interspersed , 4speed drawings figures , 73LE
figure 21 and 22 are best.


watch out 8v 1989 to 1991 cables may not fit
and Gem (GEO) and suzuki, many change cable types on 1992 year late , OK?


there are extra steps on all 4wd.. but only on the 4speed, so skip step 8 to 14, for dropping tail shaft and all other harder steps related to 4speed

that is all there is here,
1 bracket removed and pull out the cable from box.



rockauto has it (dont trust my links, i made this 10 years go, look up you box there by self,)
they mix up 3speed and 4 speed parts there. (bad)


https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/suzu...cable,8484






TV mean throttle valve cable. (but not the actual throttle, HAHA, TKDC , trans kick down cable is better name)


here is the ATP cable sold on amazon and many stores
the catalog sux in that it does not mention what transmission it fits, 3sp or 4.
http://atpautomotive.com/cables/auto-tra...les-y-1174


https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R4...=0&_sop=15


napa ATP cable y-1174

https://www.napaonline.com/en/search?tex...m-savedveh

[Rapom]

Thanks! I will read the FSM. And were working with a Suzuki 16V 3speed with a non working tcc lockup. AND the stall from 1st to 2nd when cold common issue.. i guess honestly it really needs yanked and gone through... but so doesn't everything else thats 23yrs old.. ive got the front torn all apart waiting on Calmini. To ship me parts (30 days and counting) good time to get under there while its already on stands