Leaking A4 fluid
Leaking A4 fluid I guess its that time of the month for my TA 
It was sitting for about 3 weeks in my parents driveway and when I came home for spring break I find this reddish/pinkish liquid under my car. I know it is the tranny fluid and it looks like it is coming somewhere a little rear of the transmission pan. I did a quick search and I found someone that had a similar if not the same problem and it was some sort of seal from the tranny to the driveshaft that was leaking. I checked my tranny fluid and it is where it is suppose to be. I drove around this weekend and it shifted fine, ran great, and still has normal fluid level but the next morning of each day there was a wet spot about the size of a quarter in the same spot. I just bought the car a couple months ago and it has never leaked anything before. (I kept an eye if anything was leaking) However, in the past 3 1/2 years only 4-5K miles have been put on it. Could this have caused it to leak if it has been sitting around this whole time? Does anyone have any ideas of what it could be? How much will it cost to repair? Is this a sign of things to come for my A4? Should I not drive it until I get it fixed? Thanks in advance for everyone's help
It was sitting for about 3 weeks in my parents driveway and when I came home for spring break I find this reddish/pinkish liquid under my car. I know it is the tranny fluid and it looks like it is coming somewhere a little rear of the transmission pan. I did a quick search and I found someone that had a similar if not the same problem and it was some sort of seal from the tranny to the driveshaft that was leaking. I checked my tranny fluid and it is where it is suppose to be. I drove around this weekend and it shifted fine, ran great, and still has normal fluid level but the next morning of each day there was a wet spot about the size of a quarter in the same spot. I just bought the car a couple months ago and it has never leaked anything before. (I kept an eye if anything was leaking) However, in the past 3 1/2 years only 4-5K miles have been put on it. Could this have caused it to leak if it has been sitting around this whole time? Does anyone have any ideas of what it could be? How much will it cost to repair? Is this a sign of things to come for my A4? Should I not drive it until I get it fixed? Thanks in advance for everyone's help yes the lack of use could be a cause of the leak.....If the vehicle is not used over a long period the seals will develop flat spots in them which will usually go away after a couple miles of driving.Keep an eye on it though to make sure it doesnt get worse.
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 598
Likes: 0
From: Midland, TX
This leak will cause you no problems. My car leaked worse than yours for over a year before it was fixed. The seal itself will cost you around $5 and if you have the patience, you can put it in yourself. A tranny shop will charge about $100 or a little less to do. A quarter size spot is only a drop or two. After oil hits the ground it spreads out quite a bit so a small spot like that is nothing to worry about.
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From the area you are talking about it sounds as if it IS the seal between the Tailshaft Housing and the Tranny Body. See if you can find a slight wet spot at the interface of the TS housing and the tranny body.
To replace you will need to get the car up in the air in some manner, remove your DS (make sure to put a locating mark on the rear end U-joint matching a mark on the pinion yoke in order to re-install the DS in same spot), place a jack with a board under your tranny pan to support the tranny, remove the tranny crossmember entirely, remove the (6) bolts that hold the TS housing on, replace the black seal you will find on the end boss, and reinstall everything. Torque specs for the (4) rear U-joint bolts is 14-19Lb Ft - good idea to use some loctite on them also.
While you're at it you might as well replace the TS housing end seal that seals your DS shaft and check condition of the TS Bushing that is located directly behind the DS seal on the housing (this will need to be pressed out/in if it is damaged).
-Jay-
To replace you will need to get the car up in the air in some manner, remove your DS (make sure to put a locating mark on the rear end U-joint matching a mark on the pinion yoke in order to re-install the DS in same spot), place a jack with a board under your tranny pan to support the tranny, remove the tranny crossmember entirely, remove the (6) bolts that hold the TS housing on, replace the black seal you will find on the end boss, and reinstall everything. Torque specs for the (4) rear U-joint bolts is 14-19Lb Ft - good idea to use some loctite on them also.
While you're at it you might as well replace the TS housing end seal that seals your DS shaft and check condition of the TS Bushing that is located directly behind the DS seal on the housing (this will need to be pressed out/in if it is damaged).
-Jay-
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Verdad Gallardo Wow thanks for the details Jay, unfortunately I wasn't able to bring my car in yesterday because of the snow storm and now I am back at school so it has been put off until I come home for Easter