Leaking red (transmission?) fluid from LT4 :(
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,141
Likes: 1
From: McKinney Texas
Leaking red (transmission?) fluid from LT4 :(
We knew it had a little leak when we bought it. Of course when a 6 year old car sits there for that long and only gets 8k miles worth of use it is gonna leak. Well, I checked our garage today, and there is some red fluid on the ground. A small amount, but still clearly there. I THINK that it is transmission fluid. My dad is out of town and wont be back till Friday and he is the mechanical Genius. But wanted to get some advice from ya'll first just in case he cant think of it. Wanted to know where to check for leak, how to check, possible reasoning of where leak is?
Thanks in Advance,
Andy
1st Problem with car.... fuuuuun :rolleyes:
Thanks in Advance,
Andy
1st Problem with car.... fuuuuun :rolleyes:
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 8,540
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From: And on the fifth day, subpoenas were served to Obama senior staff
Re: Leaking red (transmission?) fluid from LT4 :( (Andy1983)
Only red fluid in you car should be DexCool antifreeze. Trans fluid is oil color.
See if you can find the source : hoses, radiator, and such.
See if you can find the source : hoses, radiator, and such.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,141
Likes: 1
From: McKinney Texas
Re: Leaking red (PeteL)
Only red fluid in you car should be DexCool antifreeze. Trans fluid is oil color.
See if you can find the source : hoses, radiator, and such.
See if you can find the source : hoses, radiator, and such.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 40,156
Likes: 45
From: San Pedro CA
Re: Leaking red (Andy1983)
The ZF6 uses a synthetic lube... I think it might be redish, also...
What you CAN do... get some news papers and tape them to a clean part of the floor. park the car on top. once parked, take the tape and line it up to the center of the car, and the center of each front wheels.
this gives you some reference points when you remove the car.
check for stains and see what you find... if the leak is to the front, it is coolant or oil. to the rear, oil or transmission, and so on.
What you CAN do... get some news papers and tape them to a clean part of the floor. park the car on top. once parked, take the tape and line it up to the center of the car, and the center of each front wheels.
this gives you some reference points when you remove the car.
check for stains and see what you find... if the leak is to the front, it is coolant or oil. to the rear, oil or transmission, and so on.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 8,540
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From: And on the fifth day, subpoenas were served to Obama senior staff
Re: Leaking red (bogus)
The ZF6 uses a synthetic lube... I think it might be redish, also...
Now aftermarket? Don't know.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 8,540
Likes: 1
From: And on the fifth day, subpoenas were served to Obama senior staff
Re: Leaking red (LPDesRoche)
All thats is in the ZF is rebottled 5w-30 oil. Read the GM bottle that it comes it. Just regular old dino oil.
What does that have to do with it not being red?
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2001
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From: 7th Floor Crew
Re: Leaking red (PeteL)
Those that think this is engine oil could end up ruining a very expensive transmission.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 8,540
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From: And on the fifth day, subpoenas were served to Obama senior staff
Re: Leaking red (Hurricane_777)
Agree, ZF approved the Castrol engine oil, don't know what's in it. But I was speaking of the 1052931 factory fill oil, it stinks of gear oil. I dunno, it takes the right mix of friction to lube a trans and keep the syncro's healthy and functional. I was going to try it, but somebody said it made the trans feel "notchy" so I went with the GM stuff. Anyway the Castrol is not red either, I don't think? :D
Back to the leak, that's a good idea to place paper under the car and find the general location. Use while paper and it will be easier see what it is. One thing is a lot of times coolant leaks only show up when a hot car cools off or a cool car warms up, can be hard to find. Hope it's not the water pump.
If that coolant has never been flushed it's way beyond it's useful life.
Back to the leak, that's a good idea to place paper under the car and find the general location. Use while paper and it will be easier see what it is. One thing is a lot of times coolant leaks only show up when a hot car cools off or a cool car warms up, can be hard to find. Hope it's not the water pump.
If that coolant has never been flushed it's way beyond it's useful life.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 9,117
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From: 7th Floor Crew
Re: Leaking red (PeteL)
I was going to try it, but somebody said it made the trans feel "notchy" so I went with the GM stuff.
[Modified by Hurricane_777, 9:54 PM 2/21/2002]
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,141
Likes: 1
From: McKinney Texas
Re: Leaking red (PeteL)
What about differential fluid? Some of those are red.
One thing is a lot of times coolant leaks only show up when a hot car cools off or a cool car warms up, can be hard to find. Hope it's not the water pump.
If that coolant has never been flushed it's way beyond it's useful life.
If that coolant has never been flushed it's way beyond it's useful life.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 797
Likes: 2
From: Westminster MD
Re: Leaking red (transmission?) fluid from LT4 :( (Andy1983)
Power steering possibly?
On the dexcool note - my Lt4 seems to leak a little out of the cap of the overflow tank during "spirited" maneuvers (i.e. autocrossing).
On the dexcool note - my Lt4 seems to leak a little out of the cap of the overflow tank during "spirited" maneuvers (i.e. autocrossing).
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 984
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From: Cincinnati OH
Re: Leaking red (PeteL)
All thats is in the ZF is rebottled 5w-30 oil.
...
That would be wrong. It's GL-3 gear oil.
...
That would be wrong. It's GL-3 gear oil.
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 193
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Re: Leaking red (transmission?) fluid from LT4 :( (Andy1983)
Andy1983,
I just had the radiator reworked twice on my LT4. The first leak was a bad core to tank seal on the passenger side of the radiator. After a couple of days of sitting it would leak a small amout out.
The second rework was from a stress crack in the plastic passenger side tank. During the first rework I noticed the passenger side tank looked like it was poorly molded. It just didn't seem to fit right.
To test the system cold I pulled the over flow vent and applied 8 psi of air to pressurize the system. The spewing sound and gushing water indicated a leak.
If your not sure if its oil or A-freeze take a small piece of clean white paper and soak it up with the mystery fluid. The paper will turn the true color of the fluid. Next hold the paper under the water faucet and gently rub it. A-freeze with wash away and the paper will come apart. Oil will stay in the paper and hold it together.
Buck.
I just had the radiator reworked twice on my LT4. The first leak was a bad core to tank seal on the passenger side of the radiator. After a couple of days of sitting it would leak a small amout out.
The second rework was from a stress crack in the plastic passenger side tank. During the first rework I noticed the passenger side tank looked like it was poorly molded. It just didn't seem to fit right.
To test the system cold I pulled the over flow vent and applied 8 psi of air to pressurize the system. The spewing sound and gushing water indicated a leak.
If your not sure if its oil or A-freeze take a small piece of clean white paper and soak it up with the mystery fluid. The paper will turn the true color of the fluid. Next hold the paper under the water faucet and gently rub it. A-freeze with wash away and the paper will come apart. Oil will stay in the paper and hold it together.
Buck.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 1999
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From: And on the fifth day, subpoenas were served to Obama senior staff
Re: (White Lightning 89)
At least in the early ZF6's, it really was plain old Texaco 5w-30 motor oil, I read a tech paper about it a few years back. Turned out that it happened to work best, so that's what they went with. Strange but true.
Pete - are you running Redline Shockproof Gear Lube??? That is some nasty looking stuff.
On the DexCool, it seems to be particulary unforgiving of air in the system (as may be caused from a leak). My point about the age is that regardless of the source of the leak, this coolant should be flushed.
Pete