03 Neon Trans Fluid Leak
 

2003 Dodge Neon (auto trans)
80k miles.

A couple of times now, I've noticed a trans fluid leak from my Neon after sitting over night.
Doesn't do it all the time.. sporadic. Appears to be in the area of the Trans Pan RH side rail.
Power washed it today, drove it and no indication of a leak anywhere. Checked around the Pan, around the Solenoid Assy, Bellhousing and Dipstick Tube. Fluid level appears to be good. Shifting fine. Bought the car at 30k miles (now 80k). Have not did a Trans Filter change although, I have the parts to do so and probably will.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
John
sr71 -at- comcast.net

Change the gasket?

After checking the archives here, my first thought was to change the Pan Gasket however,
I power-washed the trans/engine top to bottom and drove it around quite a bit. No sign of a leak anywhere. Sat overnight; no leak.

So, I'm now wondering if this was the result of the trans overheating and fluid coming out through the Dipstick Tube. Shifting is fine... no problem whatsoever.

Question: Is this a possible explanation? If Trans Fluid is old, would that cause it to overheat to the point of coming out the Dipstick Tube?

I would think if there was a Gasket leak at the Pan or Solenoid Assy, it would be evident after power-washing, driving and sitting.

The day it leaked was a rather warm day and I had driven quite a bit that day too.

Weird.

Thanks!

John

Only problem I see with this is if you wash it, I'm not sure how the leak would be evident. You would have washed away any signs of where the leak was coming from. Perhaps there is a defect in the gasket and it just builds up enough to drip a bit here and there?

If you think it may be coming out of the dipstick tube for it, I would pull the air box and battery and check the side of the transmission for oil, though it may be hard to do, again, because you would have washed the signs of it away. If that does turn out to be the case, I'd say it is more likely the o-ring on the tube is bad then.

If the oil is old, I would change it to start anyways just for maintenance's sake. Again, the only way I would see it coming out of the tube is if the o-ring is bad at the base.

Same as above. May just need to wait a little bit now and when it starts leaking again (if it leaks and isn't fixed, it will leak again), take a peak around.

Mine leaked when I drove it around with the diff pin hanging out the side of the diff housing. Ate a hole in the diff cover.

And if you do plan to pull the tranny filter, switch to the rubber gasket type(Especially if rubber was on it before, cause when the bolts are torqued the pan will warp where the bolts are).

Pulled 2 neon trannies, both had extremely worn dipstick tube o-rings.

I say just drop the pan and flush the tranny. Just regular maintenance. A flush yourself costs about 50-70 bucks

I've also priced it out here in Alberta, it's cheaper to go Mopar then it is to go say, Canadian-tire brand. Only problem is Mopar doesn't sell the rubber gasket I speak of (And like I said before, if it's already had rubber, you SHOULD NOT go back to sillycone).

You should also pull your diff cover and check your diff pin and gears. These diffs are notorious for thrashing the $|-|it out of many a slush boxes.

What's the difference between changing the Trans Fluid & Filter and Flushing the Trans?
I can handle changing the F&F but not sure about the Flushing part. I've heard stories about flushing the trans and then the trans goes bad.

My '03 has 81,000 miles.

Purchased a FRAM Filter which comes w/a black gasket (not sure it's rubber).

Manual says to change the O-Ring(s) when changing Filter. FRAM didn't come w/O-Rings.
Is it best to purchase a MOPAR Filter & O-Ring(s)?

Have not pulled the pan off yet but there is evidence that Black RTV was used before.

Appreciate all the feedback!

John

Auto Trans Flush...

Do it yourself or have a repair shop/oil change shop do it?

Is this below method correct?

Flushing the Trans changes the fluid in Trans, Torq.Cnvtr, Lines, Valve Body, etc.

1) Drain Trans & replace Filter.
2) Refill Trans w/new fluid.
3) Disconnect hot (supply?) line from Trans to Radiator.
4) Put a long tube on this line and place into a bucket.
5) Start engine- fluid will start to pump out into bucket.
6) When flow of fluid begins to sputter or slow, turn off engine.
7) Add more Trans fluid (to full).
8) Continue process until fluid coming out is same color as fluid going in.
9) Re-install line and check fluid level.

NOTE: Avoid using any solvents to flush/clean your trans!!

Seems to me that doing this yourself could be costly with fluid at $4 qt. Then again, what does a shop charge for this procedure?

Thanks again!