Hi all! Well, I have discovered that my car is going through transmission fluid at an alarming rate. I've been seeing smoke from under the hood toward the rear after driving, and I checked the transmission fluid to find it's about a quart and a half low. It was at the correct level about 1500 miles ago, so it's coming out fast. I also saw a good sized puddle under the car. This leak started recently and progressed quickly. I have confirmed the fluid is definitely transmission fluid from the smell and the color.

Does anybody have any idea of what is a likely culprit for this? I've read all the transmission leak threads on here and nothing really gives any real information. I plan on getting under the car to look around, but it's a mess under there. Any suggestions, especially with pictures would be most appreciated!

 

The rate of fluid loss doesn't help much but location info would be useful.
Is it leaking from the pan? Possibly one of the cooler lines leading to/from the radiator?
Sorry but you'll need to investigate a bit more before anyone can help...

 

I agree that you may need to investigate further, as it is not a common problem for the LS430 to leak trans fluid excessively. Good luck and let us know how you make out.

 

Fair enough, thanks for the replies. Will get it up on ramps tomorrow to see what might be going on. Hopefully it's something that can easily be fixed without having to pull the transmission.

 

When you get under, see if there is any fluid on the aluminum bracket where the trans mount is. My car had a rear output shaft leak, and fluid accumulates on the inside/top side of the bracket, not enough to get the driveway wet. But it sprays up in there.

Even after the seal was replaced, I still found fluid clinging to it and was worried if the leak was still there. I guess it was residual fluid. I remember finding this issue all day long on the Tundra forums, but not here. I know that Lexus did a multipoint when I first got the car in 2016 and they didn't even mention it (the seal is like $16 list), so glad the indie saw it. Also with that experience my indie suggested replacing the yoke as well just in case the yoke was cutting the seal, but we found that is not a piece that is available separately, it's integral to the tranny, meaning the driveshaft had to come out so same labor to replace the tail piece....I'm gonna look for a pic to show you my leak in case yours is the same....

 

See the pinkish fluid....

 

Well, as near as I can figure, the leak is coming from the pan. Most of the bolts were loose and there's some of the orange gasket sealer squeezing out (which may not be an issue). The plastic cover that covers the bellhousing was FULL of fluid, but there really wasn't any indication that much is coming from the bellhousing. I park the car pointing down, so that explains to me how it might be running into the plastic cover I tightened down all the bolts, wiped everything down really well under there and will keep observing. At least I am going to be starting with a clean underside so if it's still leaking, I will much more easily be able to see where it's coming from.

Doesn't look like it's coming from the rear output shaft, although I did have fluid on that bracket (and everywhere else under there)

Side note, I added a little over a quart of fluid and so side benefit of this leak was a partial fluid change LOL

 

How long have you owned the car? Do you know the prior service history?
Those bolts have been wrenched on before and the orange squeeze out isn't factory.
Whoever was there prior wasn't a professional...

 

The orange is factory on some of them, someone screwed it up though for sure. I would pull it, clean it properly and re-do the pan sealing area and trans flanges so everything is glass smooth and then use permatex ATF sealant to form a new gasket. It's what I do in my personal cars since the rubber ones can have issues and are more likely to have bolts back out since you can't tighten them nearly as much as a silicone type seal.

 

I've owned the car 2 months and a couple thousand miles now (243K total on car). I have partial history, but no receipts for transmission fluid change, so no idea when/who did that. Good to know it's not factory. There was a lot of grunge on the bolts, so it's been a long time and a lot of miles since it's been done.

 

Question - I searched google for a pan gasket, but the only ones that come up are 2004-2006. Is there a pan gasket for my 2002, or is it just gasket maker goop?

 

No gasket, just Toyota fipg (form in place gasket). Spend the little extra and get the real thing. It works much better than any other silicone on the market.

 

Or use ultra grey, it's the OEM for a nearly endless list of engines and is the "standard" for almost every brand.

 

If you are planning on dropping the pan and resealing, it might be a good idea to check the shifter bushings which tend to leak when the car is old and the miles pile on. I thought I had a transmission pan leak, (around 140,000 miles) which turned out to be the transmission shifter bushings. I should also say, the leak was very slight and not excessive as you have mentioned.

 

So, I found the leak, sort of. It's coming out of the hole where my finger is pointing. What's behind that plate that could be leaking. Is that where the shifter bushings are?

Edit, I took the plate off and I can see the flywheel there. Torque converter leak? Anything else up there?