i just noticed yesterday that i have some tranny fluid leaking from my a4....looking like right in front of the motor oil screw (to change it) it is pink so i know its tranny fluid.....what does this mean? the tranny isnt slipping or anything. after a few hrs it has about a 4inch diameter puddle/mark on the pavement. is this bad? what could be the possible problem ....would it be costly to fix or have mechanic to diagnose? any info is appreciated. BTW car has 62k miles and had the tranny service about 2 years ago 8k miles ago

 

check the pan gasket, i will bet is's torn and needs to be replaced. Either that or the front pump seal is leaking.... get under there and check it out///

 

how hard is it to change the pump seal or the pan gasket? Honestly if i got under there i wouldnt know what the heck im looking at. would it be expensive to get either one replaced? Im new at all this stuff

 

Well you really just need to get under there and just look and see where it is leaking from(anybody can do that), like finding a leak in anything. You could always jack up the car and go under it and wait for it to drip, you would than see where it was coming from.. If its the pan gasket(will bet money it is), you can do it yourself, very easy. All you have to do is remove all the bolts to the pan(someting like 13 or so) and lower the pan carefully(it will be full of trans fluid. Lower the pan all the way to the ground. Pull it out from under the car and pour it into a container(you can reuse the fluid or just get some new stuff.. Take off the old gasket(scraper/puddy knif would help) and wipe the edges with a rag and some cleaner, just get it dry. Do the same thing for the trans where the pan sits, scrape/remove any old gasket and wipe the area where the new gasket will sit.. Lay the new gasket on the pan and install it in the car. Put all the bolts back in and tighten, not too tight or you'll rip the new gasket. Refill trans and your done. About half hour job and 15 or so bucks for gasket... You could alway go to a quick lube place where you get your motor oil changed and have them do it ( i let them do it last year when mine leaked, was 100* outside and i didnt want to play under the car) They did it with new fluid and filter for 60 bucks and all i did was sit in the car while they changed it, also had the motor oil changed so i killed two birds with one stone..
As for the front pump seal, thats a bitch to change and the trans needs to come out. If the trans is out you might as well have a torque converter added and save the cost of doing a converter later...

 

thank you very much for the info....i do hope its the pan seal

 

maybe dumb question but....how far can i drive the car before it becomes a problem? can i just keep filling up the fluid if it gets to low. atleast until i can get under there or get someone to do it?

 

dude not to be mean.. but pull up your skirt and get under that car. do not drive that car like that or u mite have a big problem later..that could catch fire if it hit ur exhaust...just clime under there and check it out...

 

you can drive like that forever but you will have to check your trans fluid like every week, maybe more than that if it was real bad. So the only real problem would be a low fluid level which in turn will not make the car move at all if its too low..

 

I had a 63 Dodge in college with a bad tranny fluid leak. I used to put a pan under it at night and pour it back in in the morning ...

 

revgto