C3 General General C3 Corvette Discussion not covered in Tech
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Transmission fluid leaking need help

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Yesterday | 04:13 PM
  #1  
AutoFast's Avatar
AutoFast
Thread Starter
Racer
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 255
Likes: 3
Default Transmission fluid leaking need help

Have 71 convertible, base 350 with 3 speed automatic transmission. The transmission is a TH400. Whether running or sitting I am getting heavy leaking toward the front of the pan or so it seems, right where the flywheel dust cover/Bell housing meets. I have put on new cork gasket, no luck. Tried the rubber gasket, no luck. Even used Loctite Gasket Eliminator and no luck. I feel like the original pan is in good shape to confirm.
What am I overlooking?
Could it be coming from somewhere else?
Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.
Reply
Old Yesterday | 04:58 PM
  #2  
AKjeff's Avatar
AKjeff
Pro
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 596
Likes: 249
From: Carson Valley
Default

The input shaft seal or the pump gasket could be leaking.
Reply
Old Yesterday | 05:22 PM
  #3  
Josh 1978's Avatar
Josh 1978
Advanced
All Eyes On Me
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Jun 2024
Posts: 59
Likes: 16
From: Kansas
Default

Yea generally when that starts happening it’s time for a rebuild.
Reply
Old Yesterday | 06:00 PM
  #4  
Peterbuilt's Avatar
Peterbuilt
Le Mans Master
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 7,423
Likes: 1,558
From: mount holly NC
2025 c3 ('74-'82) of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2019 C3 of Year Finalist (appearance mods)
Default

You have to get under your car and inspect everything closely to pinpoint the leaks.
The PSCV or the cylinder might be leaking or one of the four rubber hoses, or it could be leaking where the filler tube meets the pan, or it could even be the transmission cooler lines or any of the rubber hoses on the ends.


Reply
Old Yesterday | 09:48 PM
  #5  
voat's Avatar
voat
Intermediate
20 Year Member
 
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 38
Likes: 2
From: Bay Point, CA
Default

I agree with AKjeff and J. On my '72 with 85K miles my TH400 was leaking from what seemed like the front of the pan. I also tried a new gasket, then a new pan.
Nothing worked so I finally brought it to a tranny shop. They pulled it, replaced the input shaft seal (that was the cause of the leak) and rebuilt it.
No more leaks from the transmission, however now I have an oil leak, I believe my rear main engine seal was disturbed.
I should of thought about having it replaced when the transmission was out of the car.
Oh well, one thing I've learned with this car after 42 years of ownership is that there is always something to fix.
I wonder how hard it is to replace the rear seal on a 454.
Reply
Old Yesterday | 10:15 PM
  #6  
socal_tom's Avatar
socal_tom
Drifting
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Top Answer: 1
 
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,420
Likes: 358
Default

My thought was also input shaft seal
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To Transmission fluid leaking need help





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:51 AM.

story-0
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!

Slideshow: How to Protect A Convertible Top: 10 DOs & DON'Ts

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-03 00:00:00


VIEW MORE
story-1
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

Slideshow: The 10 most explosive Corvettes ever built based on power-to-weight ratio.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-20 07:23:03


VIEW MORE
story-2
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

Slideshow: From C1 to C8 we compare every Corvette generation by the numbers.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 16:54:12


VIEW MORE
story-3
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

Slideshow: Some Corvette pace cars became collectible legends, while others perfectly captured the look and attitude of their era.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-11 09:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-4
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

Slideshow: Ranking the top 10 Corvette engines by torque output.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-05 11:58:09


VIEW MORE
story-5
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

Slideshow: A Corvette pace car nearly matching IndyCar speeds sounds exaggerated, until you look at the numbers.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-04 20:03:36


VIEW MORE
story-6
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

Among a rather large group of them.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-04 13:56:44


VIEW MORE
story-7
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

Slideshow: the top 10 things Corvette owners want in the C9 Corvette

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-30 12:41:15


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

Slideshow: 10 Important Corvette 'firsts' that every fan should know.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-29 17:02:16


VIEW MORE
story-9
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

Slideshow: Should you buy a 2020-2026 Corvette or wait for 2027?

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-22 10:08:58


VIEW MORE